Noah :: 6 Month Update

Dear Noah,

Today you are 6 months old! I am still trying to wrap my head around the fact that you are a half year old. Time is flying, buddy! Just like last month, this month was also filled with many "firsts", which included your first tastes of veggies + fruits, your first "big boy" ride in the shopping cart, your first time sitting in a highchair at a restaurant, your first art project, and your first experience drinking with a sippy cup.

Last month we introduced rice cereal to you as your first solid food, but to be honest, you weren't that big of a fan. I can't say I blame you though...it doesn't look very appetizing ;) After a few weeks of rice cereal, and shortly after you turned 5 months, we gave you your 1st bite of sweet potatoes, which you absolutely LOVED! You've eaten all your fruits and vegetables like a champ, so I can't say for sure whether or not you have a "favorite" food just yet. Time will tell as we begin to introduce more and more flavor combinations to you in these next few months. Just a few days ago we introduced you to a sippy cup, and so far, you pretty much want nothing to do with it, unless Mommy holds it for you. That's okay, bud, we'll keep trying. Practice makes perfect, right? Right!

We may not know your favorite food yet, but your personality is certainly starting to emerge. You are a very happy and playful little guy, but you also have a very sweet shy side to you as well. You love to be sung to, and based upon the huge smile on your face, we're pretty sure your favorite song is "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" (you especially love the hand movements that we do along with the song). You love story time, Mickey Mouse, and Sophie (your giraffe teething toy). You love playing peak-a-boo, bouncing up and down in your exersaucer, and dropping toys off of your highchair and watching Mommy pick them up ;) It seems like over night you began showing interest in things other than your toys. Now, whenever you see Mommy or Daddy with a cellphone, remote, or even a drink, you immediately stop what you are doing and reach for whatever we happen to have in our hand, even if that means diving off of Mommy's lap and into the laptop screen to reach the power cord. You've recently discovered that we have a furry creature living with us, named Teddy. He is our family puppy dog, and you love trying to pet him. Teddy is slowly warming up to you, but we still think he is a little frightened by your love and affection for him ;) 

This month we celebrated Valentine's Day, as well as Daddy's birthday! For Valentine's Day, Daddy bought Mommy a charm bracelet, and you even helped to pick out a charm for it. You chose an "N" for Noah. We celebrated with a nice dinner at Atria's, where you were on your very best behavior. Thank you for being such a good boy so Daddy and I could enjoy a special meal together.

I know I say this in almost every letter to you, but you are really growing up so fast. These first 6 months went by in a blink of an eye, and I imagine that these next 6 months will go by just as quickly. You make our hearts melt every single day. We couldn't be more blessed with a beautiful son. Mommy and Daddy love you to the moon and back, little guy!

Here are some of my favorite snapshots from your 6th month. 

 1st bite of veggies (you LOVE your sweet potatoes!)

 Sitting up like a big boy in your bathtub!

Checking out your farm

You love standing on Daddy's lap :)

 We did some finger painting, and this look sums up how you felt about it ;)

Off to our 1st story time at our local library 

(Sophie comes everywhere with us now!)

Exersaucer fun!

Grocery shopping with Mommy from a new vantage point! :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Someone stole the remote!

Your new "face" you enjoy making (Mommy can't get enough of it!)

BIG smiles :)

The Schmitt boys!

Here are your 6 month stats:

Weight: 17 lbs
Height: 27.25"
Clothing Size: Transitioning into 9 months

I love you,

Mommy

Gymboree Play & Learn Classes

Every Thursday afternoon, Noah and I head out to our weekly Play & Learn class at Gymboree. I get a lot of questions about our classes there; therefore, I thought I would write up a little review about our experience at Gymboree. Noah is currently enrolled in the Level 1 class that is geared for babies from birth up to 6 months. We started Noah at about 2 months old. At first, I had so many questions running through my head. What does a baby even learn in a "class" at this age? Would the other moms be welcoming? Would there even be any other 2 month olds in the class? To my surprise, my "worries" were put to rest within the first few minutes of class beginning. The content of the class fit Noah's age + ability perfectly, the other moms were very welcoming, and there were actually several other 2 month olds (all boys too!). 

In a nutshell, Gymboree's Level 1 class encompasses lots of tummy time, songs, interactive games, bubbles, parachute time, and our good pal Gymbo the Clown (pictured below). It also includes discussion time for the moms, which I think is great. Noah's favorites are undoubtedly bubbles, parachute time, and Gymbo!

Since beginning that first class, I have grown to love Gymboree even more. As a stay-at-home mama, it can get pretty isolating at times. Don't get me wrong, I love my job, but feel it's important to connect with other moms, as well as let Noah have some interaction with other babies. Gymboree has provided us with both. I'm not one to stay cooped up in the house all day (unless of course it's a yucky day weather-wise), so I try to get out as much as possible. Beyond Gymboree, I try to coordinate play dates (I've started a small monthly playgroup), take him to story times, and will be enrolling him in swim lessons later this spring.

Noah will be getting ready to graduate from Level 1 and move up to Level 2 next week (he'll start attending 2x per week). We actually attended our 1st Level 2 class today just to check it out, and I think it's safe to say that Noah loved it. Level 2 is geared for babies from 6 to 10 months, and is quite a bit more active than Level 1. Noah took to tummy "surfing" and baby soccer really well! I wish I would have had a camera handy during tummy surfing...he was grinning from ear to ear! SO.MUCH.FUN! 

So, if you are a stay-at-home (or work-from-home) mom and are looking for something fun to do with your little one (Gymboree offers classes from birth to 5 years), I highly recommend checking it out. Our experience has been a lot of fun, and I am happy to answer any questions you may have about it.