Six Months Old!

Our happy little six month old!

This post is a little bit late, but better late than never...and this one is definitely a long one, mostly so I can remember what's going on at this milestone! Jack's half-birthday was on January 27th, and I really cannot believe that half a year has gone by with Jackson Cameron Griffin in our lives. The past six months have really flown by, and I'm sure the next six will go even faster. (I didn't feel like time was flying for the first few weeks when we never slept, but that all seems like ancient history because big boy has been sleeping for 11-12 hours a night since he was about 10 weeks old!) We had Jack's six month check up this week and he got five, yes five, shots. It wasn't pretty, but he survived and Dr. Moore said he is a healthy bay boy! (He also said he can tell we have a couple more teeth on the way, so I hope they poke through soon!) Here are his six month measurements:

Weight: 18 lbs, 7 oz (65%)

Height: 28 in (90%)

Head circumference: 17 1/4in (55%)

I have truly loved being a stay at home mom, although we have our good days and some rough days. My friend Mary Catherine gave me a great little quote about being at home with young children..."the days are long but the years are short..." I've thought of this so much over the past couple of months especially on days when Jack refuses to nap or on the day when I stepped in dog throw up after changing a diaper with poop all the way up the back and then getting spit up all over me and Jack as we're walking out the door in fresh clean clothes...yes, that was a long day. But when I think and reflect on the past six months I really feel like I blinked and Jack went from being a newborn to a very active six month old boy.

I emphasize active because that perfectly describes my six month old son. He is a very busy guy! One of Jack's new things these days is arching his back and sitting forward to get out of the car seat as soon as I put him in. The bumbo seat is not his friend. Being confined in any way is not at the top of Jack Griffin's list. He does however, love his high chair, playing on the floor, bouncing in his exersaucer, riding in the stroller, and laughing at Lucky. Jack has figured out how to move his body, so that is what he wants to do...all the time. He's a kicker, squirmer, and wiggler. He loves to scoot/crawl on his tummy, and he has even figured out how to push himself with his arms from a crawling position to a sitting position. This new skill has resulted in sitting in the splits a few times (which he hates), but nonetheless he loves to move. I have to figure out how to baby proof my house..what do I do with all our cords?!

Even though Jack is an active boy, he has a pretty laid back personality. He smiles and flirts with pretty much every who talks to him (unless they are talking really loud, sometimes he's scared of people with loud voices), and he can be flexible and happy in almost all situations and places. Jack loves being in a routine, and I have definitely worked to get him into a flexible schedule (I like to use the word flexible because I don't want Jack to be so dependent on a rigid schedule that he can't go with the flow). Most days look like this:

7:30-8ish: Wake up! Garrett gets Jack out of bed almost every morning, changes his diaper, talks a little, and then I feed him

8:30: Breakfast (usually some baby oatmeal and fruit)

9-10ish: Play time...we usually scoot on the floor and listen to Praise Baby or watch a little today show while I drink my coffee:)

10-12: Morning Nap-This is when I try to get some things done for myself and get organized

12: Bottle Feeding-Jack always gets a bottle at lunch time because we are usually running errands or meeting someone for lunch or something, so we usually start the bottle at home and finish it wherever we are (he fights the bottle big time, so it can be a little bit of a process)

12-2: Play time, errands, lunch

2-4: Afternoon nap, then feeding when he wakes up

4-8: Play time, afternoon walk, dinner time, daddy comes up, bath time, read books, and bed!

When I put Jack to bed every night, I take a few minutes and hold him on my shoulder or my chest after I feed him because he's usually conked out and there is nothing sweeter than holding a sleeping baby, feeling him breath, and thanking God for my little miracle. This is also the only time that Jack is still and cuddly! Lately as I've held him with his little body sprawled out all over me, I have been thinking about how in the world he got so big and became such a boy. Even though it's only been a few months, I don't want to take my time with my precious son for granted, so I thank God for my boy and pray that He would give me the grace and the patience and to be thankful even on the long days and that one day Jack would know God's amazing love for him and come to know his Savior