Leo's been here six months

That's half a year!

Here are the amazing things Leo can do:

-Just today he's decided he has lots to say. In addition to babbling "mamamama" he can now babble "dadadadada" and "blah blah blah." I think that if you asked him what mommy talks about he'd say, "blah blah blah blah."

-He's still working on sitting up. He can do it but I like to stay close by.

-He rolls from back to tummy and tummy to back. He likes to sleep on his tummy now.

-His favorite apparatus is the activity mat with the jumpy swing coming in a close second. Right now he's on the activity mat and he's a little frustrated because he rolled onto his tummy and now he can't see the dangly things.

-He's still a fan of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

-If he was stranded on an island he would definitely want to have Good Night Moon, But not the Hippopatamus and Leo the Late Bloomer.

-He smiles at everyone; he's very non-judgmental. He does get especially excited when daddy

comes home though.

-He cracks up laughing when we rub Aquaphor on his neck.

-He likes bath time.

-He eats rice ceral and oatmeal and will start "real" food next week. He's fascinated by our food to the point that we can't eat in front of him unless he's eating too.

-If you hold him you must be standing up. Sitting down is not allowed.

-He's excited about Halloween tomorrow because he's going to be a lion.

Pictures from his six-month check-up today where the doctor described him as "wonderful" and I agreed:

Getting his vision tested. He wasn't sure about this pirate patch!

Sitting up all by himself!

"Mommy, why are you so far away? I might need you to catch me!"

"Are you sure this thing is accurate?" He weighed 17 pounds, 6 oz.

"This can't be right! Can I get a recount?"

Cuteness runs in the family

I don't mean to brag but if you bought a picture frame and this shot was in it, you wouldn't think it was weird. In fact, you might think, "I'm going to keep this adorable family in the frame because they are way cuter than my own family."

We had a photo shoot with Frank's side of the family and the whole thing was saved by a game of Peekaboo. Every time you see Leo smiling and/or laughing it's because someone is behind the photographer, making a fool of himself, holding up a blanket, jumping up and down and screaming, "Peekaboo!"

And since I didn't get her permission to post these on my blog I want to give a big shout out to the amazing photographer who took these: Kimberley with Slice of Life Photography in Katy, TX http://www.asliceoflifecreativephotography.com/

Because really, we're not always this cute.

Nobody puts baby in the corner!

But he sometimes puts himself there. Now that Leo can roll over, he likes to sleep on his stomach. And not just in the middle of the crib (where we put him), he likes to inch his way into the corner and stay huddled there all night.

This is where I found him yesterday morning when he woke up:

(And he's in his sleep sack, not a sleeveless evening gown as it may appear).

Jamma Jamma Jamma Jamma Jamma P.J.!

The paper says it's a "dreary day" here in Atlanta. It's cold and rainy. Do you know what that means? We get to wear our PJs all day! Well, actually, only Leo gets to wear his PJs because we have a no-pajama-policy here at Writinggal.

Leo likes this book called "Pajama Time" and in it there's this little cheer that goes, "Jamma Jamma Jamma Jamma Jamma P.J.!"

So when I told Leo that it was too rainy for us to go on a walk outside he was bummed. But when I told him he could wear his pajamas all day and I sang the P.J. cheer, he got really comfortable with the idea:

As Frank always says, "It's good to be Leo James!"

Another "almost-milestone" from Leo

On your mark, get set...

Leo fools me sometimes and acts as if he's going to crawl. He gets in this position and I say, "Come on, Leo!"

Then he just kinda falls over.

And actually, I'm okay with that. Just as long as he's mobile by the time he goes to kindergarten.

Workin' It

When the camera comes out, Leo totally knows what to do:

Multi-Tasking

Today I had a busy-mommy-dilemma:

I needed to carry the basket of Leo’s laundry downstairs.

I needed to carry Leo downstairs.

I was pressed for time.

I came up with a solution that pleased everyone:

A ball of fun

How 'bout them horns?

"I'm not sure why the whole family is dressed alike but I'm having a blast!" --Leo, after his first TX v. OU experience.

Cicumstantial Evidence

I'm pretty sure Leo rolled from back to tummy the other day. But this is the only proof I have:

A baby? At a beer festival?

We went to Oktoberfest in Helen, GA this weekend. He may only be five months old, but this wasn't Leo's first beer festival. Here he is last year in my tummy:

No wonder he liked the chicken dance so much. He did it in the womb!

Let's come back next year and bring the baby, we said:

This year: Leo with Daddy

He actually cried a little during the chicken dance

Notice he is trying to lick the board. I think he wanted some beer.

Don't worry, we only let him have one mug of beer. And we didn't let him drive.

Found my Feet

We weren't sure Leo would ever grab his feet, even after several attempts to introduce them to him. We thought maybe his big belly was getting in the way. But the other day, he grabbed on. And he won't let go. It's a little difficult to change his diaper now but at least he always has something to occupy him.