Max at 6 months

Everyone says that becoming a parent changes your life - and they’re right. Leaving the house is like running an obstacle course of mental checklists to make sure we have all of Max’s necessities. We spend twice as long to get somewhere and half as much time once we are there. Max has reached his first half-birthday! He’s been around for 6 months and this one has been a doozy. More so than ever, Max is like a little human with his own personality. He’s semi-mobile, likes and hates certain foods and even has a favorite band.

We’ve even found a few things that make him laugh pretty consistently. And we love to hear his giggle, so we usually try to make it happen over and over; but just like a grown adult hearing the same joke twice, the laughter dies out pretty quickly. It’s certainly gone by the time we get the camera ready.

He isn’t crawling yet but he can roll around his playmat, moving from toy to toy. He wants to crawl, he can lift his stomach off the ground and really tries to lunge forward but just hasn’t quite figured out how to produce forward momentum. Fortunately, he’s gotten better at being stationary and sits up really well on his own. Sometimes he’ll just sit and play with his toys by himself, which is adorable to watch.

Unfortunately, Max hasn’t made progress in all areas; he has gone back to waking up 2–4 times a night, like the old days. But unlike the old days, he doesn’t wake up hungry. He just wakes up, ready to party. Aaron and I take turns staying up with him and being exhausted the next day.

We’ve toyed with the idea of sleep training. As of now we haven’t committed to letting him “cry it out” but we haven’t ruled it out either (check back next month). To maintain our sanity, we decided that we each need to carve out some alone time each week to do something for ourselves (I’m pretty sure my sanity was more at stake than Aaron’s!). Ultimately, it’s normal to feel worn down at times. But simple things can make the biggest difference, whether it’s a short jog, a walk around the block or a date night with Aaron (this one is mostly theoretical).

Max stats

• Weight: 18.4 lbs
• Height: 27”
• Head circumference: 18”

Memorable moments:

• Max has gotten so much better at sitting up but occasionally he still falls one and he hasn’t learned to put his hands down to catch himself. What cracks us up is when his posture and facial expression remain completely unchanged as he falls. Then he looks at us as if we were the ones that just fell over.
• Max LOVES Raffi. By this point, we are pretty sure that Max recognizes us, but we are definitely sure he recognizes Raffi. Aaron and I have the 1984 Raffi concert on YouTube memorized. Seriously.
• Max loves having his arms pulled out of his onesie. This incredible look of excited anticipation spreads across his face whenever he realizes it’s about to happen. He’s a weirdo.

Things we think Max likes:

• Raffi
• Butternut squash
• Looking at his reflection
• Jumperoo - Even more when we jump with him.

Things we are pretty sure Max doesn’t like:

• Staying asleep at night.

Milestones:

• Holds his bottle by himself (not well)
• Rolled over from his stomach to his back.
• Can’t crawl yet but he can move himself in a complete circle while laying on his stomach.
• Went swimming for the first time.
• Ate peanut butter (and isn’t allergic!)