Happy Half Birthday!!!

Dexter James Karrels ~ 6 months old

Weight: 18.2 pounds (according to a bathroom scale, I wont see my new doctor until late November)

Skills:
Physically: I can sit really well, I can reach for things and bend in all sorts of directions rarely tipping over. I can roll over and get onto my hands and knees but still not crawling forward. I can grab things really well and I am really good at grabbing my pacifier and placing it back into my mouth. I couple times while on my hands and knees and I have twisted and almost landed into a sitting position but toppled over instead.
Verbally: I make all sorts of noises now and love to make razz noises lately where I stick my tongue out and close my lips around my tongue and blow, it can get messy with spit but that makes it even more fun!

Likes:
Going for walks is still my favorite. I try to get at least 2 long walks in everyday. Now that I am on vacation its been nice walking with my grandparents around Gainesville. Its so green here! I like going around town also. I have been in a lot of restaurants and stores and I just love soaking in new environments.

I like eating solid foods. I am still drinking breastmilk 6 times a day but now get food for breakfast and dinner. My favorite meal is oats & banana mixed together for breakfast. I have had a lot of new foods since I started eating. I have had: grains - rice & oats, fruits - avocado, banana, pears & apples. Vegetables - sweet potato, squash, green beans & pumpkin. Next up for food: grains - barley; fruits - peaches and plums; vegetables - peas and carrots. My mom worries about me being allergic to foods like she was as a baby, but so far no allergies!

I can entertain myself well now. I like to sit up and just play with toys around me. I look around every once and a while to make sure mom or dad is still watching me but then I go back to playing. My mommy really likes my independence. A new game I started playing with my grandfather today is rolling a baseball back and forth with him. My rolls are a bit more spastic than his but I enjoy it.

Dislikes:
Hum...I don't dislike anything this month! Perhaps hour 7 of a 8 hour car trip, but I just show my dislike by falling back asleep. That car motion is hard to fight!


Highlights of the month and what is to come: This month was all about change. I said goodbye to Dayton, Ohio and all my friends and teachers at daycare. I got to see some new relatives and meet my great grandma. I have now met 34 relatives of my mommy and I have driven in 9 states (Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virgina, Maryland, Virgina, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia & Florida) and will drive through 6 more on my way to New Mexico (Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico)
Sadly I had to say goodbye to daddy and our dogs for 3 weeks but I get to talk to him everyday on the computer and I still get to play smile games with him, but I miss him putting me to bed every night like he has since I was born.