Life with children seems to be measured in milestones, and when the next one is reached, it seems to happen much too quickly. It is challenging for me to come to terms with the fact that I am posting about Garrett turning six months old--a significant milestone, to be sure! It is also with mixed emotions that we celebrate this half-year marker. While I pine for the days when Garrett will sleep soundly through the night (or even for a solid five hours. Is that asking too much?), I realize that will likely come at the expense of the darling, newborn things he is doing now. Yes, I am still trying hard to force upon him the title of newborn!
For instance, Garrett is a noisy little eater. He always grunts, "Mmm, Mmm, Mmm..." with each mouthful of food placed therein. His little noises are appropriately accompanied with hands held high in the air, in constant motion. With his wrists flailing and fingers contracting and releasing, it looks as if he's trying to rev a motorcycle or milk a cow sideways. It is pretty cute! What isn't so cute is the piercing scream of protest when the plate is empty and the meal concluded.
Insert beloved pacifier!
Garrett continues to grow and develop nicely. He is strong enough to pull himself up to sitting position, but cannot sit unassisted just yet. His fine motor skills are also fine tuning as he now reaches for things and effortlessly draws them to his mouth (namely, beloved pacifier). He has a very strong grip. I know from experience and from having to pry his fingers open frequently to free the large amounts of my hair that he manages to grab.
The things I enjoy most about him are the little displays that give insight into his personality. He's kind of a "Mama's Boy." While he tolerates others holding him, he does have his preference (and sometimes he'll make it known). This is my reliable excuse for not getting much done during the day. He likes to be held, and most particularly by me. It is probably also the thing that makes it hardest to watch him grow up, knowing someday he'll want to let go. So, in the meantime, I am enjoying every bit of our precious bonding time together, even if it does come at 1:30 a.m. (and 2:30 a.m. and 4:00 a.m. and....)!
This post authored by Amber
With Thanksgiving on Thursday, we had a reenactment of the first celebration in Plymouth for Spencer's preschool. Spencer assumed the role of Native American (although he calls it "Indian") and Audrey was our little pilgrim girl. We made homemade butter by shaking baby food containers filled with whipping cream. After that, we worked on making chocolate, no-bake cookies ('cause, you know, you always hear about all the "poop cookies" served at the first Thanksgiving) and then we feasted upon delicacies such as deli ham, cranberry sauce, strawberries, Kix cereal, Dora the Explorer fruit snacks, and the like. Sounds like a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving to me. That's fitting, I suppose, since Spencer's cousin, Harrison, has recently referred to Spencer's round head as looking like a Charlie Brown head. 
After a disappointing showing from the Cougar football team on Saturday, we'd like to move on to more pleasant subjects...
Finally the boys were off with Dad to canvas the adjacent streets while I stayed back with Garrett to pass out candy and accept compliments for our 
