Happy 6 Month Birthday Jack!

Each month that passes always poses the same question...how did it go so fast? 6 months is a big milestone in my mind and I am definitely asking that question right now. Jack is such a big boy and I feel like we're on the verge of a lot of changes.

6 month thoughts...
*"That boy's got a lot of face!" We say this to Jack out of love because as he catches up in weight, he shows it all in his face:)
*We're a big boy now and proof of that is that he can hold his own bottle. He's been doing it for a little while now, but he's only gotten better at it.
*Oh the spit up! We thought we were in the clear the first few months of Jack's life with this, but it was not so. Turns out, the reflux begins to show itself around 4-6 months and it definitely has shown itself with Jack. He's as cute as can be, but be sure to have a burp cloth when you hold him.
*Jack's new love language? Patting and smacking. It's truly adorable. He just puts his little hand on you/your arm/your face and pats away. It's such a sweet little gesture.
*First self-inflicted injury this month. I thought he needed new toys this last month, so I bought him 6-12 month toys to play with. Most of these toys are just a bit harder than his other toys and since he's used to being able to just fling things around, it was inevitable that he would fling one into his little face. It really was so sad! He was happily playing and then he bonked his head, paused, then wrinkled his face and started screaming. Cause and effect is still a little lost on him, so I'm sure this won't be the last time it happens, but hopefully we'll learn quickly.
*Another sad first, Jack's first cold. I suppose I should be grateful that it took 6 months before this happened, but mostly I was just on edge about it. It wasn't serious, but it was the most pitiful 4 days for sure. Poor baby was all stuffed up, so he couldn't sleep (which also means I couldn't sleep), he was sneezing all the time, and just looked all around sad. But we got over it quickly and all is well now.
*Some happier firsts...first trip to the beach! First time swimming in dumpster pools. First time celebrating Alan and my birthdays. First time sleeping 10 straight hours. First time in the BOB stroller.
*We still LOVE to kick. Something about this just makes us so very happy. Soccer player? Maybe.
*We don't like to be held like a baby and we don't often like to sit still, but we always like to stand. It's actually a full proof way to know if he's tired too, if he's cranky even when he's standing it's time for bed.
*So many new sounds. We're exploring our voice everyday. We can scream now (and we do). We talk a lot. And we have this sort of breathy exhaling sound we do pretty often too.
*We sleep on our stomach now. The big no-no of infancy matter no more since Jack can move and decide how to sleep on his own...and he chooses to be on his stomach.
*He still is such a happy baby! We are constantly falling more in love with him each day.