6 Months!

I just love this little dude.  He is so happy!  And I took these pictures the same day he got shots in the morning.  What a trooper!

Max is just a joy.  Although, he is nearly as hard to keep entertained as his 3 year old brother--and that's saying something.  This guy goes goes goes and complains when he gets bored, which is often.  I have to get really creative sometimes to keep this guy entertained all day.  I really look forward to when my boys can truly play together.

Max weighs over 18 pounds and is around 26 inches long.  That's 75th percentile for both weight and length.    And let me tell you, this kid is already a tough kid.  He loves rough and tumble play, just like big brother.  And I'm so surprised sometimes what Max will allow Mason to do to him and he doesn't even cry.  Mason's never mean to him, but sometimes Mason plays too rough and half the time Max doesn't even care.  In fact, he gets a kick out of it.

Max is still a pretty mellow, easy-going child.  He used to be my little cuddle bug....but now that he's so active he can't sit still long enough to snuggle.  He LOVES to be held....just not necessarily to cuddle (there's a difference!).  He's just so active.  He gets to everything he can on the floor by scooting and he gets up on hands and knees with belly off the floor and does the rocking thing babies do before they crawl.  I'm astounded, because Mason didn't truly crawl until he was around 9 or 10 months and started walking at 11 months.  And here Max has already taken several steps crawling.  Funny how each baby has their own unique timetable for things they master developmentally.  I don't know what I'm going to do with this baby.

And thank goodness that the risk of SIDS dramatically decreases once they are 6 months, because ever since we stopped swaddling him (which was after the first month cuz he's never liked it!) he always sleeps on his stomach and seeks out a cozy corner of the crib to shove his face into.

This is how it started

Then it got better, face down in the bumper

Then it got even better, where he grabs the bumper and folds in down over his face, ya know, just in case some oxygen could still get through

Oh kid, so many nights you worried me.  I would go into your room every night before I went to bed and pull you a couple inches away from the bumper.  And yes, I know experts now say to remove the bumper for safety reasons, but the one time I tried to do that and put him to sleep, within 2 minutes he had all manner of limbs stuck outside of the crib and was screaming.  So I fixed him and left.  Within 2 minutes the same thing happened....you get the picture.  Apparently, his bumper is his lovey right now.