Elias at 6 Months

At six months I am introducing Eli to a variety of solid foods.  Watching him taste something for the very first time is a mix of excitement (what will he think?) and anticipation (will he like it?).  The amount of pleasure I get watching him move a bite around in his mouth, make a face like he has just been given sour mash, and then bang the tray for more, is borderline questionable.  Cedric had a palate for sweets.  My boy loved fruit in any form and was less enthusiastic about the savory dishes.  Eli has been the opposite.  He will gobble down the squash, beans, peas, etc and quickly loose interest in sweet things like apple, pear, and banana.   Where my boys' tastes dovetail is with ice cream.  Thanks to the genetic makeup of Zach’s mother and her mother, both boys show a remarkable predisposition for that cold dairy confection.

Behold the video evidence! (Backstory: Cedric had given me the unfinished part of a mini drumstick and when I noticed how intently Eli was watching the cone, I lost my mommy head and let him have a taste for the pure enjoyment of watching him taste ice cream for the first time.)

Personally I would take a bowl of fruit with whipped cream or sorbet any day.

Other than ice cream, Eli has tasted rice cereal, sweet potato, carrot, zucchini, green bean, banana, apple, carrot & parsnips, acorn squash & apple, green beans & potato & kale.

I introduced a Sippy cup.  It was kind of a disaster in terms of successfully drinking water out of it.  But he has been a fan of chewing on the spout.  After reading this post I tried letting him drink out of a shot glass.  It looks very wrong because its obviously a shot glass, but he is really good at it – so long as I actually hold the glass for him.  Its his preferred mode of drinking.

He has two bottom teeth and lots of swollen gums where more are sure to appear.

Wakes up at least two times at night to nurse.  Just like his brother at this age.

He doesn’t roll over but he seems interested in the possibility of rolling over.  What can I say, this baby is content to watch the world around him and vocalize how he feels about it.

What has been difficult is his sensitivity about the environment where he will nurse.  Upstairs, in a quiet, dark room is The Place where nursing happens.  If I try to feed him downstairs, at someone else’s home, or horrors use a nursing cover, Eli does the baby version of wigging out.  This has resulted in nursing strikes that last upwards to eight hours.  During which I am a mental and emotional wreck.  So even though its frowned upon I nurse my baby in a dark, quiet room.

6 Month Stats

Weight: 19lbs 2oz – 90th percentile

Length: 27 1/4 inches – 75th %

Head Circ: 43 cm – 50th %