Happy 6 Months, Wes!

Our baby is now six months old. It's such a joy to see him grow, discover more about the world around him, and learn new things every day. He brings us so much joy! Every day I stop and just watch him in amazement, watching him play, laugh, eat, trying to talk...I want to capture every moment--soak it all in--experience each second with him to the fullest. He captivates us with his laugh and sparkling blue eyes all the time! Happy half birthday, Wes!
We love you.

 

Since our return from Xi'an I have been feeding him rice cereal, mashed bananas, veggies out of baby food jars, and applesauce! We had fun making it together!! Well, mommy making it and Wesley chewing on the bowl, grabbing the peelings, and drooling all over the apples. I figured he's the one who will eat it anyway, so whatever. ;)

This is one of the first times I gave him rice cereal! He's now much better at eating than he was here. Part of it is mommy knowing what consistency to make the cereal, and the other part is Wesley catching on to the concept of opening his mouth and eating and not just grabbing the spoon! Now he opens his mouth like a little birdie, and I can never get it in fast enough!! haha, he's so cute. Here is a video clip of our first attempts at eating the cereal...

...and what Wes looks like when he wins the game and conquers the spoon!

Wes and mommy just goofing around

He loves to chew on his toes!

A couple of days this fall it was cool enough outside for him to wear this cuddly outfit given to him by Mirjam! He is soooo snuggly warm in it, mommy just can't stop hugging him! He feels like a plush teddy bear in it. We love it!! :)

All dressed up...lookin good... :)

He's at an in-between time with his clothes...9 months are a little small and 12 months are a little big...

...sigh...I love our little family

 

And here is Wes helping mommy pick out worship songs to lead at church! :)

He absolutely loves playing in his jumperoo!! Tim & Mike brought it with them when they came. There is something so special about just watching my baby play and have fun with his new toy.

haha, it's so hard to capture him on film!!! there are times that he just thinks something is so funny that he laughs and laughs till he gets the hiccups! Or he sits there and just coos and talks to himself and makes funny tractor noises as he plays. My favorite is when he grabs my hair and brushes his face with it to make himself laugh. Over and over! That makes me laugh, which makes him laugh more...he's so funny. As soon as he sees the camera, though, he stops! consistently. haha, guess there are moments meant only for the joy of a mommy. sorry. :D

Here he is playing in his johnny-jump-up that we got from Jon & Summer. Thanks, guys!! :)

Here he is...his first roll-over on film! Had to coax it out of him. Yay, Wes!!


Interesting stats: Now at 6 months old, measuring in at 73cm long, Wes' length falls into the 99th percentile compared to other babies his age according to the World Health Organization child growth standards. Our pediatrician says that he could be 6 feet tall!! haha, how he figures that, I'm not sure. At 9.6 kg (21 lbs 2 oz for our North American families!!) he is right at the average weight for other babies his age. So, according to the charts, he could be chubbier and still be okay. However, he's still very healthy, just doesn't have all the rolls that some babies get. The way he eats, maybe those rolls are still on their way!

Here is his birthday dinner! pumpkin and carrot, rice cereal, and applesauce!!
An amazing thing is that he eats ANYthing. Whether it's kiwi or banana or peas he doesn't even flinch with new flavors. He just gobbles anything down. And he never wants to stop eating. He's been that way with bottles, and he's now the same way with food! He just has this "I'm still hungry, keep feeding me!" look on his face! It's not till you experience his spit-ups 20 minutes after the meal that you realize he really didn't need as much food as he made you think. Then you start to monitor what is a good amount of food for him to eat. Don't leave it up to him. ;)

Happy (half) birthday, Wes!!! Zhu ni shengri kuai le!!



Love you all!

Joe, Nica, & Baby Wes