Half Way Around The Sun

Nib is six months old. Halfway around the sun for the first time in his external life.

He's getting super big lately, I feel like he's made of silly putty, he keeps stretching. Sometimes it seems like he's longer every single time I pick him up. I noticed yesterday when I sat down to nurse him that he's clearly to that funny stage where they are developmentally still "baby" but they're so large that doing the baby stuff is getting a little cumbersome: he fills every inch of the changing table, his legs kick and flop well out of my arms during nursing sessions  and he is starting to look a little out-sized in his backwards carseat position. He's living in the stage of Almost/Not Quite.

He has three teeth now, his two front bottom rabbit teeth and one side tooth on the top left. I think more are on the way. He's drooling buckets, cramming everything into his mouth and gnawing persistently on his own raw hands. He's bitten me a few times now while nursing but nothing hard enough or mean spirited enough yet that I am tempted to wean him instantly. He's a good natured early tooth boy.

Such fun. So, I thought I'd maiden voyage and add Nib to the tradition of Like and Dislike lists and see what I could catalog for him at the very new age of just 6 months of life. Here's what I've got:

Likes:

• Peek-a-boo
• Slow braised beef (all fall apart tender). He sucked down about a half a cup of it the other night at dinner and fell asleep, slurping his last fistful, propped up on the tray of his highchair. Super cute.
• Ice cream (his first food and one of his favorites)
• Big brother Ru's antics, specially performed to make him smile
• A good crust of bread for chewing
• Splashing in the bath
• Balloons, both to hold onto and to watch
• Kicking his feet...he kicks while sitting on the floor, just to see his little booties wiggle. 
• People. Nib will go into anyone's arms and grin at every charming granny that coos in his direction. He's such fun to go places with, people love him.
• The rustle of paper, he is into ripping it at the moment

Dislikes:

• Having his feet tucked into pajamas...he kicks and peddles the first one out, squawking loudly, while you try to wrestle the second in. It's very exciting.
• Canned, baby food carrots. He makes the most terrific faces about just one spoonful. 
• Being bored. 
• Swallowing solid, bits of things. He gags and panics quite a bit still. 
• Having his face wiped off
• Wearing socks. He can pull those suckers off faster than you would believe.
• Opening his mouth to show off his teeth.
• Going quickly down the stairs in someone's arms...you can feel him shudder and tighten his grip at every step. 
• Having cool things taken from him. He howls indignantly if I take back my shoe to put it on my foot after he's found it on the shoe rack and decided to consider it his personal treasure.
• Sleeping in. He's his mama's boy. He talks loudly and cheerfully if we're slow to rise, until I cave and get up with him.