First Fall

Here are the pictures with pumpkins I promised last week. I think they were worth the wait. The light just wasn't right when I tried to take them last week and then it got cold. I seized today's warmth to get these portraits taken. The big pumpkin is a gift from grandma Marian's garden and the sweater was hand-sewn by Sally.




















Trying to eat grass:







"Are you my mummy?":







Looking a little grumpy:

When Babies Attack

Joe was taking a little nap on the floor last night when Truman decided to use him as a jungle gym.

Just Call Him Little Fish

I finally got to take Truman swimming for the first time when his cousins invited us last week. He loved it. I envision much more swimming to come in this kid's future. I was a fish when I was a kid, so this was a special milestone for me.

The same day he figured out that if he dumped a water glass over on the floor he could splash the water around. So when we got into the pool, I showed him that he could use his arm to splash. He went about splashing almost the whole time we were in the pool.

Thanks for letting us swim with you Elizabeth, Pat, Josh and Joe! And thanks for letting me borrow your swim suit, Pam!





















Truman and Elizabeth snuggling after:

Crawling, Check. Standing, Check.

Truman's like a little bureaucrat anxious to check off all the boxes on his mobility list. He's crawling on all fours now, though he oscillates between crawling and army crawling to get where he's going. And for the last week he's been pulling up on things. First it was the couch, then toys, then mommy and daddy. And now the laundry basket.

He doesn't get it every time, but he's getting better everyday. He's also enjoying standing to play with things. He must see that all of his cousins are older and be in a hurry to play with them.

It's hard to get a picture of him actually standing because he's a big-ole ham for the camera and when I go to take a picture he likes to smile at me. So here are some of him kneeling and helping me with the laundry.

A Pumpkin Ate My Baby

My grandmother and mom sent Truman a pumpkin Halloween costume and a Halloween card. As you can see, Grammy, he enjoyed the card!

More pumpkin suit photos to come later today. Stay tuned.

6 months: The World is Mine (And I'd Like it in My Mouth, Please!)

At six months, Truman is a whopping 19 pounds 4 ounces and 27 and 1/4 inches tall. That's only 1/4 inch taller than he was at 4 months, but it puts him in the 75% for height and weight; and he wants to explore the world.

He spent the last month mastering his army crawl and discovering the ins-and-outs and dos-and-don'ts of our home. He's used this skill to satisfy a pressing need to chomp. Like a very teething caterpillar he's chomped cardboard puzzle pieces, felt food, banana peels, clothes, spoons, fingers, teething rings and leaves. And would like to chomp every cable ever made, although I think he's getting the picture it's not going to happen. We see no teeth budding yet.

He's been babbling in recognizable ma-ma's and ga'ga's and da-da once or twice. He seems to get the idea that ma-ma is either me or "help," scooting over to me and uttering an endless ma-ma-ma-ma-ma until I pick him up.

He's becoming simultaneously more independent and more tied to me. After a big exploration, he likes to refocus. He smiles often and giggles much.

Smiling at 3 weeks:




And, today:

5 months: Here I Come World

This month was all about mobility. Truman went from grabbing a few things, to grabbing everything and wiggling on the floor in attempts at mobility. Finally, just a few days before he reached five months he scooted toward his first of many adventures at quick enough pace to mean he's officially mobile.

He also spent this month learning to sit and then mastering that skill after many crash landings. It's weird getting used to the side effect of mobility — he's going to get scared or even hurt as he learns the ropes of sitting and crawling, then, one day, walking. With my little mobile man I play the quiet, diligent observer, letting him venture off and waiting to see what he's doing before I react to it.

It's a time of much chaperoned expedition.

He's also learned to blow raspberries, which is what he's doing in the photo above.

Tummy time at 4 weeks:




And at 5 months:

What's Up Doc?

I made Truman some felt food for teething fun. I still don't see any teeth, but he's drooling and chewing like a teether. We'll just call him a slow teether.

Aunt Kellie

Sometimes Truman has the strangest reactions to his aunt Kellie. Though she cannot be considered threatening in anyway, he once was terrified of her when she rode in the back seat with him.

Here he is with Kellie, at first unsure:




And then happy as a clam:



You can see this photo in black and white on my other blog.