6 Months...Halfway to a Year

Wow....we are already passing the halfway point to a year old. How can life be passing by this fast? I need to figure out a way to stop time when I want. You have been such a joy this month and I have absolutely enjoyed this month. Wow....I am just so in awe with you.

This month you were able to get your 6 month check up and of course, you are still perfectly proportioned. You are in the 50th percentile for all areas.

• Length - 24.5 in



• Weight - 18 lbs



• Head - 44.7 cm

One major development this month is your independence. You are definitely becoming more of a little boy each and every day. You smile, giggle, hold faces, and chat the day away. You have become extremely interactive and love to be involved in all of our situations. You still are shy when we go to new environments and tend to study the situation before you let your personality shine through, but when you do, you make everyone laugh.

Not only have you become more independent, but you got your first 2 bottom teeth this month. I would get a picture of them, but you always have your tongue sticking out of your mouth (still) and so I can ever see them. It was at the last of the month, but you still got them in. I was so confused what was going on with you. You had been sick with Croup, went through a growth spurt, got a really bad cold and then started having another fever. I was certain you had got the flu and didn't know how to help you. I let you sleep as much as you wanted and tried to keep your fever under control. When you had woken up from your nap, I had a feeling that I needed to feel inside of your mouth. Well to my surprise, a tooth was stabbing the tip of my finger! It was such a relief for me to know what was happening and how to help you through this.

You also were able to meet another new canine friend this month! Your Aunt Stacy got a new puppy named Nessa and you think that she is just the funniest puppy to ever exist. Nessa loves to run around you and pretend to play with you. This makes you laugh so hard and you never get tired of it.



This month, your dad, Uncle Kyle, Aunt Stacie, Rick Staten and Mommy decided that we were going to hike Mt. Timpanogas. We had heard this is a pretty difficult hike and could take 12 hours to complete. Therefore, we didn't think it was one that you could go on with us just yet. So, you were able to spend the day with your Grandpa Barton, hanging out and watching the Ute game. Poor Lulu hurt her shoulder and leg on the way down the mountain. Daddy had to carry her for the last hour out of the canyon. Here they are just taking a break. Lulu looks so happy to not have to walk. Mommy and Lulu after the hike. We were absolutely exhausted. You and Grandpa Barton in your Utah Ute shirts. Go Utes!!!! After the hike, Daddy, Uncle Kyle, Aunt Stacie and Mommy went back to celebrate Grandpa Barton's birthday. Apparently, we partied hard, because you passed out right after your bottle. Unfortunately, Mommy's work has been really busy lately. So, I have had to work on Fridays to make sure everything gets done. You love to sit in Mommy's lap while I work on my laptop. You are such a goof! Mommy put a blanket on the ground for you to play on, while I sorted through your clothes. I turned my back for 1 minute and when I turned back, all I saw was the blanket in a pile. You had rolled yourself inside the blanket. For the next couple minutes, you rolled yourself up, unrolled yourself and rolled yourself up again. You giggled and kicked your legs the whole time.Why do I buy you toys, when you LOVE to play and eat your socks? You would rather play with your socks than your toys. Without fail, you will take your socks off within the first 10 minutes that I put them on you. You still love your Exasaucer.
You started drinking out of regular glasses and your sippy cup. You are such a big boy now.
You and Daddy doing homework together. When Daddy gets his MBA, he will have to thank you for helping him through his degree. Hanging out with Uncle Trent while he studies.
You are the biggest Ute fan in our family. We are over at Daddy's and Mommy's friends, Brent and Sarah McCllelan, for the Ute game. You played with Tanner while we watched the game.
Here you are watching the game from Daddy's lap. Grandpa Grable grows a pumpkin patch in his backyard every year. This was your first year that you were able to go and pick out your own pumpkin! We were also able to take your 6 month pictures.
Thank you for an amazing month little man. You are such a goofball and keep me laughing everyday. I love you! - Mommy

You are a blast to hang out with. I love doing my homework with your help and all the other things that we do together. I love you little guy. - Dad

5 Months Full of Laughter

Wow....what a month full of laughs, giggles, big smiles and sickness. The best part about your 5th month was the amount of personality that you revealed to your Daddy and me. You are the goofiest little boy with the best sense of humor. When I was pregnant with you, I would try to imagine what kind of personality you would have. Would it be more like your Dad (conservative, until he gets to know you) or more like me (outgoing and willing to talk to anyone who will listen). Well, it appears more and more everyday that you are a Daddy's boy, with just a touch of Mom in you. I can't wait to get to know more about you in the upcoming months.

This was the first month that you got really sick, multiple times. At the beginning of this month, Mommy had to go to Girls Camp with the Young Women. So, Dad and Mom decided to start transitioning you to formula. When I was up at camp, Daddy called to tell me that you were sick and had hives on your body. The next couple of days were spent with you throwing up and on Benadryl. Mommy could finally get you into the doctor and that is when we discovered that you are allergic to the protein in milk. This would explain all the times you would throw up a lot if I ate ice cream. Now you are on a hypoallergenic formula and gaining weight like a champ!

The next hard struggle this month was your battle with Croup. It made my heart hurt just watching you try and get sleep at night. I would hear you have a cough attack and would immediately take you into the bathroom and we would sit in there with the hot water running and steam for about 10 mins. As soon as you were able to breathe again, you would just lay your head on my shoulder, stuck your thumb and fall back asleep. All you wanted to do was sleep, but just couldn't breathe. During the first 3 days of Croup, I only got 9 hours of sleep total for 3 nights. Even though this was a big battle for you to fight; you smiled and giggled your way through it. Daddy and I rarely ever heard you cry, you just coughed a lot.

This month:

• You started grabbing and holding your own bottle
• You started giggling out loud
• You decided that you no longer need a binkie (those are for babies)
• You only suck your thumb when you are tired
• You love to grab Lulu's snout when she comes to kiss you
• You know that when you see your Daddy it must be play time! You get so excited and get the biggest smile on your face when he comes home from work.

Even though you had some tough trials to face, you had a wonderful, fun-filled month!

Tummy time is the best time!

Especially when Lulu comes to hang out.

Your cousin Jake came out to visit while Uncle Nick and Aunt Morgan went to Uncle Nick's 10 year reunion. You and Jake hung out together that weekend and had a BLAST! You thought he was so funny and so smart. You would try to do exactly what he was doing. You and Jake went swimming together and took your first bath together.

Who needs boring pajamas these days, when you can be an astronaut?!? You love your new pj's.

"Hey Mommy, I can put my foot in my mouth."

"Wow....I never knew that I had a right hand, until now!" This month you were completely fascinated and in awe with your right hand. Every time you would notice it, you stopped exactly what you were doing and would just stare at your hand. You never really seemed all that amazed with your left hand. Maybe you will discover that one in the upcoming months.

As Grandma Barton has said, "Lucas' Exasaucer is like Lagoon!" You love being in your exasaucer and playing with all of the many toys. You love being able to be upright, and being able to see eye to eye with your doggies. Thanks to your Grandma Grable, you get to have this niffty toy at our house all the time! Thanks Grandma Grable!!!

You and Grandpa Grable are like two peas in a pod. Whenever we go over to Grandpa and Grandma's house, you and Grandpa are always out on an adventure in the backyard. After walking around and looking at his garden, you and Grandpa decided to hang out on the deck.

You LOVED this camp light.

One of your big accomplishments this month was sitting up. You could only do it for a few seconds, but you were able to say up on your own. Good job little man!

After you were over Croup, you started a big growth spurt. Mommy and Daddy had a hard time keeping up with how many calories you needed in a day. So, you got to start eating rice cereal from a spoon! Wow, you are growing up too fast.

You could not stop giggling at your cousin Gage this night. Anything he did just made you laugh so hard that you got the hiccups. You and Gage are going to have so much fun as you grow up!

Fun Adventures with Mommy

This month, you and I had some relaxing and fun times together. One thing that you and I love to do is to sit and relax before your bedtime. You love to snuggle up on my shoulder, suck your thumb and fall asleep. I could just sit there for hours and hold you, I love you so much!

You and I may do a lot of the "calming" and "relaxing" activities together, but I can definitely get you to giggle and smile. You think it is so funny when I blow raspberries at you.

Fun Adventures with Daddy

You and Daddy do all the fun, manly, adventure type of activities together. He can't wait until he can take you to do everything that he does. You and Daddy are going to be best buddies.

Sharing some of Daddy's drink.

Watching the rainstorm together.

Looking at the clouds and trying to figure out what shapes they are.

Towards the end of your 5th month, you decided that you needed to constantly be chewing on something. It didn't really matter what that "something" was, just as long as it was in your mouth at all times. The easiest thing for you to always grab is your burp rags.

Wow, this month was an adventure for all of us. You are such a sweet little boy with the goofiest personality. You are constantly making us smile and laugh. We love you little man.

Love,

Mommy and Daddy