Ian: 6 Months

Usually Ian is not camera shy.  He knows the routine.  He sees the blanket being thrown on the rocking chair and he is cued up and ready to bring on the charms.  This month, however, he could barely hold still long enough to glance at the camera before attacking the giraffe!  Maybe it's because he's teething right now and painfully so!  The first breakthrough bottom tooth was immediately followed by the second, right next to it.  I feel so bad when he cries because I know he's in pain.  I've given him baby tylenol a couple of times daily, and have also distracted him with outdoor walks/stroller rides.  
Now for the stat's.  He and Brooklyn had their checkups at the same time, it was nice to get them together instead of two trips to the doctor's office!  (Sidenote:  I've got to talk to that hospital management!  They've double the price on parking!  You would think we're in some kind of recession or something!)  Anyway, here they are, enjoy the news, as I did!  Brooklyn will get a separate post, later.

Ian's weight: 17 lbs. 10 oz., 50th percentile

   height: 27 1/2 inches, 75th percentile

   head: 18 inches, off the charts! 

The doctor tried to lighten things up with, "Einstein's head was big."

If that's the case, then I'm sure Ian is destined to pursue a degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine like his uncle David.  Apparently he'll fit right in!  Check the side shot of the noggin below.  Now I understand why most babies I see these days seem to have unusually puny heads!  My kid's massive head is skewing my perception!

What a funny guy!  So things he's into right now are... trying out different foods and seeing which ones project the farthest.  Squash wins.  Rice cereal-thickened banana mush is a close second.  Hhmmm.  What else?  When he's not flaunting his Gaston-sized talent of expectorating, he enjoys grasping toys and passing them from one hand to the other.  He can also pull himself up to standing when he's sitting, holding onto my fingers.  He loves to stand upright with help.  However, he cannot sit upright unassisted very long.  It may have something to do with the difficulty of balancing a disproportionately large head.  We love him so much though.  He is very observant.  His most common look is the wide-eyed, loose jaw, drool hanging stare.  Unless he is smiling or laughing at one of his sister's wild antics, in which case he smiles and laughs.  He also says a very indistinct "hi" with an arm wave to greet his favorite people.  He also lets us know when he is NOT happy about us taking something that he is joyously sucking on, like watermelon or keys, by screaming and crying (fake) very distinctly.