Happy Half Year Birthday, Hugo!

It's hard to believe that six months have passed since our little New Year's Eve baby came screaming into our lives. I now understand why "it goes so fast" is such a clichéd phrase, and yet how very true it is. I'll save the reminiscing for our 1st Birthday post so I can focus on the amazing things that our little guy is doing right now, as a six-month-old charmer.

This handsome fella now stands nearly 27 inches tall and weighs in at a lean 16 pounds 10 ounces (70th and 35th percentiles respectively). His pediatrician tells us he looks great and is right on track developmentally. In an unscientific poll, we have also determined that his hair continues to be in the 99th percentile of awesomeness, and gets better every day.

His sitting skills are improving daily and he's now able to straighten his back and sit upright for a few minutes, at least long enough to get his toys into his mouth. He's also rolling back and forth between his tummy and back, sticking his little bum up into the air to propel himself toward whatever object of desire is just out of reach. We're keeping close watch on him in case he discovers that he can crawl (watch out!).

Aside from the physical skills that he's developing, Hugo has continually impressed us (and any stranger with whom he can make eye contact) with his sweet smile, bright eyes and dimples. His contagious giggle can brighten any day. In social situations, whether it’s a play date with a group of babies or dinner out with our friends, Hugo is totally comfortable and loves to cuddle with his admirers.

Hugo’s also quite an adventurous eater. I’ve introduced him to rice cereal, avocado, peas, carrots, pears and bananas so far, and we’ve got green beans and apples on the menu for this week. I think he’s more interested in the act of eating food than the food itself, since most of it ends up on his bib, shirt, hair, pants, chair or me. But based on a few recent diapers I’ve changed, there’s plenty getting down the ol’ hatch too.

His adventurous eating is matched only by his alertness and curiosity. He is truly engaged with his world and focuses intently on people’s faces or whatever toy he’s playing with, passing it from hand to hand and almost always to his mouth. With all that excitement, we have a hard time getting our little guy to go down for naps during the day. After a brief meeting with a sleep consultant, I’ve made a few schedule changes and have already seen a bit of progress on this front. I’m hoping that the second half of the year includes quite a bit more napping. For my sake and his.

Clearly we stay pretty busy here at Casa Senn. In the past six months we’ve packed in a road trip to Half Moon Bay, my one hour birthday extravaganza (Hugo was just 20 days old), my first Mother’s Day, Marty’s first Father’s Day, Hugo’s first flight which was to Florida, a dip in the ocean, another trip to La Crosse, fishing with Grandpa, many play dates, a first swimming lesson, music classes, a few adventures in the SF museums and even a bachelorette party in Sonoma.

I can only hope that the next six months will be just as fun-filled and exciting as the first half of 2010.

xo