Milestone Minutiae

Here are Luke's current stats (Emmett's at 6 months in parentheses) Weight: 17 pounds even (19 pounds, 5.5 oz) Length: 26.5 inches (27.5 inches) Head: 45 cm (45.5 cm) Weight and length are around 50 th percentile, head circumference is up to 75 th percentile (from below 50 th percentile at birth). In fact, his head is now only 0.5cm smaller than Emmett's was at this age (at birth, the difference was 2cm). He got some more shots, and this time he calmed down much faster than at the last two appointments. :)

Luke's been rolling back-to-front for around a week. He sits up pretty well, too. I just don't trust him not to fall over and bonk his head, so he always sits in a boppy.

Luke was mad in the middle of the night, so I handed him my flashlight to play with (it's a mini-mag-light). He grabbed it and immediately began chewing on it, making spooky shadows on his face. Soon enough, he worked the lit end into his mouth and made his cheeks and nose glow.

Emmett bumped his head on a wall when cutting a corner too close. He started to cry, then I heard him say, "We have to remodel this house!"

Emmett has an allowance. I realized it was time when he started asking for all kinds of things when we go to the local aquarium or the skating rink. He has his own version of "Quicken," an Excel sheet in which I track his money and his purchases. We also make lists of things he wants and how much they cost. He has a "bank" for some cash, but it's often open with the money spilled out on the floor, so I keep track of what should be in it. If he ever figures out that he can make big bucks just by finding the loose change on the floor in mom and dad's closet, we're in trouble. He recently made his first purchase - a pencil with an orca wrapped around the eraser end from the aquarium. It cost $1.50, which took his total down to $4.50. He had also wanted a matchbox car from Office Depot - the Nascar 99 car, driven by Carl Edwards. It costs $5, so I figured this would be a good time to point out that since he had bought the pencil, he wouldn't hav

We went to the aquarium after Spanish school today. I forgot to bring the stroller, so I had Luke in a sling. This isn't a big problem, it just makes it a little challenging to hold Emmett up to see into some of the tanks. While looking at the sea horses, I noticed that Luke was straining to touch something. I figured he was leaning towards the tank, but then I saw him reach out and "pet" Emmett. Ok , he pretty much just grabbed a fist full of hair. Every time I'd pick Emmett up for a better look at an exhibit, Luke would maul him. It's only fair, I guess, given what Emmett is doing to Luke right now. (gotta go!)

Emmett loves making Luke laugh. It's very sweet. Sometimes Luke will be in my lap, and Emmett will sit next to me. Emmett does something silly and then Luke will throw his head back and laugh. This makes Emmett laugh, which makes Luke laugh, and, well, you know the rest. Sometimes when we're driving in the car, the same thing will happen. Such beautiful, happy sounds.

We've started Luke on solid foods. A few days ago, he was mooching while I was eating an apple, so I let him suck on a piece. He really went to town, and didn't want to give it up! So that night, we gave him some applesauce. Although he'd seize the spoon with both hands to bring it to his mouth, he only ate a few bites. He kept making faces and shaking his head. To be fair, it wasn't "babyfood" - it was unsweetened applesauce, and perhaps a little tart for him. The next night, we started oatmeal. He ate pretty well - maybe 10 bites or so. At first he wasn't opening his mouth, so I put some for him to play with on the high-chair tray. After sucking it off his fingers for a while, he started opening his mouth. Again, he'd grab for the spoon with both hands and bring the food into his mouth. The night after that, he seemed to have forgotten that he had to open his mouth to get the food in. But he remembered eventually, and now we're on a de