Space-age tricycle

From Totsy

The sippy cup

From Amazon

This might offend some of the moms and dads out there, but I have a thing against sippy cups. It's mostly because I've read that even though the sippy cup is a good transition between the bottle (or nipple) and the cup, it doesn't really help a baby learn to drink from a cup. With a sippy cup, he doesn't get to learn that if he tilts the cup too far, he'll be drenched and won't get any liquid. The sippy cup does make it easier to travel with liquids and does prevent mom and dad from having to change wet clothes after every drink.

Anyways, so when the hubby ordered sippy cups online, only the hubby used them. But he noticed that J had a hard time using it. We could have taken the plunger-thingy out of the spout (so the liquid would flow out on its own, without the sucking action), but wouldn't that defeat the purpose of the sippy cup?

Lucky for us, every time we took a drink from a cup, J was mesmerized. When we'd offer the cup to his mouth, he gladly drank. Sometimes, if we didn't tip the cup far enough back, he'd stick his cute little tongue out and lap up the water like a puppy. So cute!

We started off holding the cup for J. Eventually we put only a little bit of water in a cup, and let J drink from it himself. Now, whenever we put a cup within his reach, he goes to town! At first, he'd take a big sip, push the cup away, and give a sigh. Not sure if that meant he was satisfied or that he realized a big sip meant having to hold your breathe that much longer!

I love watching my little guy drink from a cup. Whenever he starts to get antsy in the high chair, I just put the cup within his reach and he refocuses. It's so cute seeing those chubby little fingers wrap around the cup, the rim right up against his face, and his face almost disappear behind the cup.

Bath time - part deux

Last night, we did not use the baby bath tub, and Jacob loved the freedom of the adult tub. He kept wanting to turn around and get into a swimming position.

Bath time

J looooves bath time! I've been sitting him up recently, and he loves the view of his toes through the water. I've also showed him how to splash water, and last night, J was splashing up a storm! The cutest part was after a vigorous few splats, J would stop and lick the water from around his mouth, and then splash again, and then lick again. It's so cute.

Baby stages

"Talking" stages
2-1/2 months: cooing
6 months: grunting, moaning, sounded like complaining
7 months (now): high-pitched squeeling like a little kitten, hehe

Facial expressions
3 months: sucking in upper lip
7 months (now): sticking tongue out, flattened smile (we call it the mischievous smile)

Drop it, Pick it up

Source: Amazon

This morning, I was reading J's favorite book to him, "Blue Hat, Green Hat" by Sandra Boynton (I think we'd like her other books too!). At 7 months, he mostly likes to stare at the pictures and gnaw on the pages. This morning, he reached a milestone (I think) because when he dropped the book, he looked down to see where it had gone. Of course I picked it up..and then he promptly dropped it again. Why do babies love this game?

T-shirt from Harveys

I can't believe I won one of these tees from Harveys (maker of my beloved seat belt bags).

Month 6

At J's 6-month checkup, the nurse was surprised that Jacob only weighed 20 lbs - she was thinking more like 25. Then, the pediatrician kept calling him Chunky Monkey. Needless to say, I was a bit concerned.

I know, I know, I'm over-reacting.

But to calm my fears, I decided to plot J's growth on CDC's weight-for-length chart to see if J was heavy for his length.

Turns out, he's somewhere near the middle…so I can stop worrying.

6 month
Height 29 in (above 95th percentile)
Weight 20 lbs (75-90th percentile)
Head circumference 17.5 in (50-75th percentile)
*** Online percentile calculator

Privacy for kids' potty

This is hilarious! Originally from intheknowmom.net

French company, Pirouette Cacahouète has designed a cardboard hut of sorts to unfold around your little learner’s potty, creating an instant ladie’s room.  This toilet-tent is 100% recyclable (duh, cardboard) and comes in 7 pretty colors.  Not only the outside of the house is beautifully designed, but the inside as well, making toilet time a little more pleasant.  Give your child the secret throne he/she deserves.

It's 46 Euro (about $63 USD) online...I wonder if I could make this...