5 & 6 Months

With all the travels and lack of internet I'm severly late in posting his 5 & 6 month updates.

In fact he turns 7 months old in a week - can you believe.

So what's been going on?

By 5 months and 1 week Aston became the proud owner of two bottom teeth - very exciting all be it a little early.

Thanks to his Grandpop Brian he also learned to growl around the 6 month mark and spent many weeks rolling the new sound around the back of his throat. It was very funny.

He has been threatening to crawl for a number of weeks now. After the initial work required to strenthen his back enough to pull those chunky legs up under his fat little bottom he's up on all fours and rocking back and fourth like a determined little boy. It won't be long now. In the meantime he has perfected the art of wiggling around (usually backwards) on his belly and can get himself quite a distance just doing this.

The babbling sounds have started and it is so cute to hear him talk to himself all day. Thanks to my concerted efforts over the last few weeks I think we are hearing a distinct Da Da now as well as oops which sounds like ooooose. A word I have obviously said far too frequently weeks without realising.

We've progressed a little on the food but not a lot, he still loves the rice cereal and has had banana, both which he is let's say ok with. The yoghurt he was less then impressed with and my various attempts to temp him on mashed potato, carrot, pumpkin, sweet potato is still being met with some serious resistance.

He is sitting up largely on his own for more then 10 mins at a stretch and you just need to be on hand to give him a prod if he looks like he's about to tilt from side to side.

He is holding a little ball in his hands in the style of Brett Lee Fast Bowler grip and looks like he's about to hurl it down the pitch at any second but loves holding a ball in each hand and banging them around. The balls are from a great toy which promotes engineering ability which Rich and Larry bought him when we returned to Sydney.

He definatley knows when he's dropped something, or something else ie TV remote or mobile phone has been removed from his reach and get's a little frantic trying to find where we've put it.

He's sucking his thumb a little more during the day and still showing no interest in a dummy unless it's used to go to sleep.

He's NOT sleeping through the night and I plan to wake him every 3 hours when he's 16 so he knows how much unconditional love I have given him during these early months.

He still loves standing on his feet and is very strong on his legs.

He is laughing alot more now and we here a good giggle coming out of him on occassions.

He still loves people and is looking for Rob and my face all the time, he loves staring at strangers in the street until they come and give him a smile and some attention -- which makes him very happy.

He is getting better and putting himself to sleep in the big house of a stroller, having done it once on every outing we've taken in the past few weeks and now also loves turning his head back and around to watch me when we are walking down the road.

And at 6 months he is the proud owner of a proper baby cot and change table and he uses his foot to bang on the bars of the cot when he wakes up to let us know he's ready to go.

All in all a sweet natured, friendly little boy when he's not too overtired from his lack of sleep.