6 month stats and milestones

Looking cool in his first pair of sun glasses

First time eating peas-clearly we were not going fast enough for him, because he kept grabbing the spoon to help us put it in his mouth!

Well, considering that Jack will be 7 months next week, we figured we better up date the blog on what Jack has been doing this past month. We will share all of the things that he was doing at the beginning of 6 months, but keep everything new that he is doing now a surprise for the 7 month update.

Weight: 16 pounds, 9.5 ounces (35th %)
Length: 26.75 inches (55th %) *done by the same lpn who weighed Jack at his first office visit-her measuring    skills are questionable, so we will have to do our own measurements!
Head: 17.25 inches (50th %)

We had been holding out to give Jack solids until he turned 6 months. However, we ended up starting oatmeal a week earlier. We were up to 8 ounces of milk every 3.5-4 hrs at school, and he was still acting hungry. In addition, he had been watching us like a hawk for the past month when ever we would eat. His eyes would not leave our mouths as we chewed, and he would try to grab what we were eating.He definitely was trying to tell us that he was ready for solids. And boy, was he ever. Right away, he opened his mouth, and he would reach for the spoon to help us out. We were expecting him to spit things out, but not our little guy. He was a pro right from the start. He is definitely a Hedke-he LOVES his food! We will post an entry specifically on his first feeds and foods with pictures and videos.

We also introduced a sippy cup with water for the first time about a week after he turned 6 months. Most of the water ended up on his bib, but, there have been a couple of times in which we hear the swallowing, so every now and then he gets it.

Jack has been working very hard at sitting up. He can sit by himself for several minutes, but he still has a tendency to lean to the side and fold over like a pretzel. So, we don't feel comfortable letting him sit without one of us present quite yet.

Jack's sense of humor is really growing. He now cracks himself up when he is randomly playing. His laugh has changed, and it has become a fully belly laugh. He laughs at more subtle things, not just the obvious. The sound of his laugh dances through the air, and we start laughing ourselves.

We also recently learned about a secret talent (one of many, of course!) that Jack possesses. He can find a tag on any stuffed animal or toy in a matter of seconds of playing with it. And the moment he finds it, it goes straight into his mouth. He loves to suck on tags, and then he talks up a storm. It is as if the tags are comforting to him, unlocking the little chatterbox within him.

And last but not least, he is moving all over the place. He rolls from one place to the next, especially when he is driven to reach a toy. The first time he rolled half way across our living room, we were shocked! He did not realize what he had done, but a couple days later, he put it together and figured out he could get things this way. He is inch worming along even more than before. He digs his toes, and will sometimes go onto his knees. He still has not developed enough upper arm strength to crawl. To be honest, we are quite relieved-with all of the other big boy changes, we are happy to hold onto what ever little baby qualities that still remain.
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We don't know where the past six months have gone. All we know is that we have been blessed a million times over with little Jack. He is even sweeter, more loving, and more entertaining that we ever imagined a son could be. Nothing we did before him even comes close to being as incredible. We are so lucky that God chose us to be his parents. We love you little man!