Gideon, version 0.5

Our little boy is 6 months old today! That's a whole 0.5 year! I can't believe how fast time has flown by. It feels like just yesterday we were on our way home from the hospital...and now he's already half a year old. I am so thankful that the Lord has given me this much time to spend with him at home. I have been blessed with the gift of time. I have been able to watch him grow, reach milestones, and do silly little things that only a mother would treasure.

To celebrate Gideon's half birthday, I made him a red velvet cake that he can't eat (hehe!), we gave him two brand new toys that he's having fun with already, and we took him to Golden Gate Park and put him on grass for the first time. I think he was a little puzzled by the weird green thing he was sitting on (grass) and also bewildered by the many cars driving by, but it looks like he may have also had a lot of fun as well. We also started him on solids a week ago. He's still learning to swallow instead of pushing the food out of his mouth with his tongue, but food has been going down for the most part. So far, he has had rice cereal and mashed up bananas. I think we'll keep it on these two for now.

I can't wait to see what more fantastic and wonderful things he does and learns to do in the coming six months as we approach his one year mark. I know time will fly by again and he will grow astoundingly fast, so I will enjoy every single minute of it!

Here are some more things Gideon does now (I'll update later with his stats):
**rolls over by himself (favors his right)**
**reaches up for things in front of him**
**recognizes his name**
**loves to squeal and play with his voice**
**eats (and spits out) rice cereal and bananas**
**sits up by himself for about 30 seconds at a time**
**most likely teething, judging for the amount of drool everyday**

Six month stats:
**Weight = 20 lbs, 3.6 oz (89%)**
**Height = 28 inches (92%)**
**Head circumference = 45 cm (82%)**

A truly rolley!!

What a wonderful end to an eventful day! Gideon rolled over from back to tummy for the first time! He has been trying to roll over for a few weeks now, getting better everyday. Then, yesterday, while playing on his mat, he rooollllled right on over! I was so excited and thrilled!!! Although, I'm sure this means everything else will just happen very quickly now. Sigh. But yay!!! Gideon rolled over!!! (You can hear me scream in the background from excitement.)

Pumpkin fun

If you know me, you know that I am not one to celebrate Halloween. But, this year's a little bit different with a wee one in the family. Putting Gideon into a little monkey suit is just too fun and cute and makes too many picture opportunities!

We went to the Clancy Pumpkin Patch here in San Francisco last Wednesday to pick out our first family pumpkin and to get Gideon into the fall spirit. I don't think Gideon quite understood what was going on. He probably just thought his parents were doing silly things with him again. But Eugene and I had lots of fun posing Gideon for pictures and finding the perfect pumpkin. Hopefully Gideon will have more fun next year.

Then it was time to carve the pumpkin. What better thing to do on a rainy Sunday afternoon! It was Gideon's first time in the kitchen and our curious little boy couldn't help but look around at EVERYTHING with amazement in his eyes. He got to touch the pumpkin, watch Eugene cut and carve the pumpkin, and he even accidentally got to taste a little pumpkin!! (Gideon grabbed at the mess of pumpkin seeds and juice in Eugene's hands and then quickly put his hands in his mouth.) Luckily, Gideon did not grab a seed. Boy...little babies are QUICK! It will be interesting to see what will happen next year when Gideon's more mobile.

5 months big!

Our little Gideon is 5 months big today!! This has been an eventful month. We've gone to lots of places...from Golden Gate Bridge to house parties to the Presidio to Half Moon Bay's Pumpkin Festival. No matter where we've been though, Gideon has enjoyed every bit. I wonder if he will remember all the places he's been to when he grows up. If not, he can always refer to this blog!

Gideon now:
**sits better on his own (although he tips over occasionally)**
**loves to strip and change into his PJs**
**loves to jump around in his jumper**
**can probably recognize his name...or our voices...**
**continues to love babbling**
**has some acquaintances at play group...hopefully friends soon**
**has ticklish spots**
**weighs a ton!!!**

Pumpkin Festival

We went to the pumpkin festival in Half Moon Bay today with our cousins, the Chins, and had fun walking around, soaking in all the sights. There wasn't much for Gideon to do, but we got to see our little nephew and niece have fun. Gideon got dressed up (by his parents) as a monkey, but he may not have liked being the car seat for so long in his costume. We were hoping to get some pictures of him with pumpkins, but go figure...no pumpkin patches at the pumpkin festival! It was really crowded though and were quite tired, so we went home shortly after lunch. We will attempt again another day to get some fun pictures of Gideon with pumpkins.