Jackson's 6 Month Update!

I know I say this every single month but..

..I can't believe how quickly this month has gone! We've been go, go, go since May 22nd and here we are with a 6-month-old baby! I can't believe how much our little guy has learned and grown this month--we are really enjoying this stage he's in right now (rolling over from back to front, grabbing everything, excitedly watching the world around him, etc.)!

Jackson is such a smart, sweet, and FUNNY little guy--I never knew somebody so small could have so much personality! Jax is such a joy and I thank God every day for giving him to us.

Here's what Jax has been up to this month:

Weight: 16 lbs 4 oz. (25%)

Length: 27 3/4 inches (76%)

Nicknames: Jax, Jack, Stinker, Cheeks, Kiddo, Pumpkin/Punkin (both his Grammy & Nana call him that), Bubbas, Jacksie, Jackie, Bubs, Buddy

Wearing: Mostly 6-9 month, size 3 diapers.

Sleep: Great! We're still co-sleeping so he sleeps a good 12 hours a night, plus a 2 hour nap every afternoon. We're going to start crib training for real this time after we get him a new crib (the bars on the crib we have now are far apart so his arm falls out and he gets stuck and panics every time he rolls over onto his stomach).

Jax likes: Bitsy, other babies, his cousins, kicking, grabbing everything, books, tummy time mat, rolling over, teething rings/keys, being interacted with, songs, jabbering, mommy's red pillow.

Jax dislikes: Not being able to crawl (more on that in a sec), being in his car seat for too long, hitting his head when he tries rolling from stomach to back, rice cereal.

Mom & Dad's Favorite Things: How funny & curious he is, his big personality, his sweet smile & laugh, watching him discover the world around him, showing him off to family & friends.

Teeth: He has a few white bumps on his lower gums but I'm not sure if they're teeth or something else.. he sure acts like he's teething (extra fussy on some days, gnaws on everything, drooling nonstop)!

Happenings: Auntie Jen's going away party; first food (rice cereal); first cold; first tornado; first road trip, meeting Aunt Judy, Uncle George, Uncle Denny, Aunt Jean, and several cousins; first wedding; visiting St. Louis; first time swimming; visiting Great Grandma Mitz's hometown; Grammy & Papa's 25th wedding anniversary in Branson; first haircut; visiting Nana & Russell at their new house; fun with Aunt Britney & cousins; playing with baby friends in Hays; meeting mommy's cousin Julie; and Gabby's graduation.

~Jax was SUCH a trooper during our vacation and smiled the entire time! We weren't sure how he was going to be in a new environment with new people but he was his happy & sweet self--even without his regular nap/sleep schedule! It was the perfect first vacation for our little family of 3. 

~We've been going through a major daddy phase this month--Jax loves Brandon (which melts this mamma's heart)! He whines for a bit when Brandon leaves for work in the morning, constantly checks his spot on the couch to see if he's sitting there, and just beams every night when we meet Brandon at the door. They are too cute together!!

~We gave Jax his first food (rice cereal) a few days after his 5 month birthday.. as you can see from the video, he wasn't a fan so I didn't push it and we haven't tried it again since. I know I need to have a happier attitude about it ("Mmm, yummy rice cereal, Jax!") but I personally thought 5 months was still too young for solids. Now that he's 6 months, I think he's more ready so we'll start again with the rice cereal and work our way up to pureed veggies. 

~As previously mentioned, Jax got into the pool for his first time last month! The water was pretty cold so I wasn't planning to spend much time in it but it didn't seem to phase him one bit! He loved watching all of the other kids swim, play, and splash around. We live in a nice apartment complex with a great outdoor pool so I'm looking forward to getting in there with him during these hot summer days! 

~My 5-month-old had his first haircut a few weeks ago by his Great Uncle Denny (as you can see above, he NEEDED it)! I'll be writing an entire post about his first haircut so I won't go into too much detail now, but I will say that he was awesome.

~We discovered this month that Jackson loves to be around other babies/kids! Now that I know this, I'm going to make sure we get to play dates at least once a week to socialize! Once again, I'll elaborate more later.. it's worth it's own post!

~Remember when I talked about how frustrated Jax would get by not being able to roll over? Now he can! He has totally mastered it and is so proud of himself! His new frustration? Not being able to crawl. We went to my cousin's graduation party on Saturday and there was a 9-month-old there who was crawling all over the place--you could tell Jax wanted to follow him so badly but couldn't so he just stared and whimpered.. poor guy! It won't be too long for him though.