Well, we are finally through with what most people would consider "early infancy"! This is the time that the pacifier size changes, you start using new bottle nipples with a faster flow, some people start introducing rice cereal and solids, and babies are finally starting to play with toys and interact purposefully with the world around them! Right now Eli is about 15 lbs and already wearing 6-9 month clothing (but that's also because he's so long!) He is doing SO much lately - I barely have time to blog about it to keep friends and family updated! But here are some of his favorite things right now:
1. Rolling - originally he would only roll from his left side to his back, but now he's doing it with both sides, and even though he hasn't QUITE gotten the front to back thing down yet, he can do it from his tummy as long as one of his arms is moved out of the way! For whatever reason, he has been bearing weight on his legs since he was born, and even jumping and making crawling movements with his LEGS, but he refuses to use his arms! Instead he prefers to spread out his arms like a plane during the short time he tolerates tummy time!
2. Singing and talking!! This boy KNOWS music!! He sings along at church - friends and family have confirmed it! And he LOVES to dance when music is playing. I'll hold his hands to balance him while he's standing, and wave them around to the music and he will CRACK UP! I loves it when his little eyes light up when we dance around to worship music in the mornings. I'm hoping and praying that Eli will be a worshiper! We all thought because of his calm, gentle little spirit that he'd be a quiet baby...HAH! He rarely cries, but WOW does he love to talk! Especially in quiet environments like church. He coos, hums, squawks, and even says, "MA!!" over and over! Perhaps he'll be less like Jake and more like his mommy in this regard...
3. Using his hands - I guess a lot of babies are motivated by toys around this age. He could take them or leave them (he'll sometimes reach out to grab something, but is perfectly content to just observe). However, he likes to sit at the piano with me for at least 10 or 20 minutes and use both his hands on the keys to make sounds. He also finger painted his daddy a picture for daddy's birthday - his very first piece of artwork, and he was concentrated on moving his little fingers around the paper for nearly 30 minutes! My favorite thing about his hands is when he gently grabs onto my shirt/chest or fingers while I'm feeding him, or even during play. While he's not the biggest cuddle-bug in the world, he LOVES just a simple touch from his mommy or daddy.
4. Laughing!! About a month ago, he started laughing!! And I think his giggles actually surprised him at first! He would giggle and suck air into his throat making a rather loud noise which would then surprise him, make him jump a little, and then result in more laughing! The things he finds funniest are moving fabric/cloth (yeah...I know, hilarious, right?), peek-a-boo, and other people laughing. Sometimes, he'll just start laughing at nothing apparently. We were in the mall the other day and Jake was holding him facing outward while I went to get a coffee. When I came back, he was cracking up for no apparent reason, but looking straight ahead. I tell Jake that I think he still sees angels. Interestingly, he doesn't seem ticklish at all! He might be more like his daddy in that respect (who is SO ticklish that it doesn't even tickle anymore; it almost hurts!).
5. EVERYTHING in the mouth! Yeah, we're beginning to suspect some pre-teething behavior given all this drool and trouble with eating (which is also due to a recent thrush infection..ugh!). But it's rather cute to watch him gnawing away at his hands/fingers while making squealing noises during a diaper change. He also enjoys eating my bare shoulder and chewing on cold things - particularly fabric (like a cold wash cloth). So far though, we haven't seen much fussiness and he's still sleeping 9-10 hours at night so we're hoping that if it IS due to teething, he'll come through it pretty easily.
6. Standing up - with all the standing he's done since the time he was born, it's no wonder that his favorite toy right now is his stationary jumper. Being upright/able to look around combined with a way to balance and jump at the same time is HEAVEN to him! And he likes the little toys, lights, and music, too! I wonder sometimes if he'll be an early walker, or at least do less crawling and proceed right to walking since he's apparently not a fan of using his arms so much. We'll see!
Some of his least favorite things right now are tummy time, Orajel (yeah, we tried that because of the teething stuff...didn't work out so well), getting into his car seat (never really an issue until recently), and cuddling. He is ALL ABOUT looking around and taking everything in, and if you force him to face you tummy-to-tummy, he'll spend most of the time burrowing his head into your chest or head-butting your face in rebellion (though he'll rarely actually cry about it). He is bright-eyed, curious, and ready to take in the world around him! And a lot of people are finally saying that he's starting to look like me instead of an exact replica of his daddy! I'd say it's finally about 50-50 now!
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