Otto is six months old!

...and I'm starting this new blog to try and record something of him each month. Mike and I may even feature occasionally too!

These six months have flown by - or at least the latter part has, and I lost March in the newborn haze! Our tiny, dark haired, arm-waving baby has turned into a sturdy little fair-haired chap weighing almost 18lb. He's such a lovely baby, so good natured and friendly. He loves music and clapping, his favourite toys being hedgehog and an unattractive striped rattle with bells in, filched from Granny's toddler group. He loves cuddles and milk, being carried and being at the centre of the action! He has a fascination with fabric that has dated from as soon as he could use his hands, he loves to feel and really inspect people's clothes. He's a very dextrous baby, and currently is working very hard at delicate movements - like getting a toy's whiskers between his finger and thumb, or turning a label over. He also always has a smile for his friend Mirror Baby, and Mirror Baby's parents, Mirror Mummy and Mirror Daddy. He's beginning also to recognise other actual babies, especially his friend Maisy.

He also has developed some very decided opinions. He doesn't like the feeling of being tired at all, and needs a lot of help to switch off for a nap - though milk, the car or a sling or buggy ride can all do the trick. He very cutely expresses disdain by blowing raspberries! This used to be just with his lips, but he's now got the hang of sticking his tongue out too so the razzers are louder and wetter. His best raspberry moment was when his mobile fell off the ceiling onto him in his cot - a brief cry followed by some long and loud raspberries! ;-)

He's recently started noticing Herbert more and more (most notably when I was trying to get him to record a birthday message for his Grandmop!), and he was very taken with my friend Beck's cats too.

He's just beginning his adventures with food - we're letting him lead his weaning by offering him what we're eating as finger food, and letting him play and experiment with it. I'm a fan because it means no pureeing or spoon-shovelling games! He'll continue to have as much milk as he likes for at least another six months, so it's no problem if he choses not to eat for a while, or isn't a fan of the food he's offered at any particular meal. He's only had one go with food so far - sweet potato, courgette (we have these coming out of our ears at the moment!) and raspberries. I'm not sure how much food actually went in, and the raspberries were NOT a hit - but he enjoyed the experience. I'm sure he enjoyed it more than I did actually, I found it quite hard to let go and let him make his own discoveries - especially as it involved a bit of gagging. There's plenty of evidence to show that self-feeding is safe though, and that the gagging is an important part of learning, so I shall just have to learn to trust my boy. The first of many slightly painful (for me!)steps towards independence I suppose!

I'm trying out a few methods of sharing Otto's life and progress a bit more. Obviously there are plenty of pictures on facebook, but I also now have a YouTube account (makes me feel young and trendy!), if you search youtube for mouselovinlady I shall try and regularly upload the silly little videos we take. I'll try to get his back catalogue (so to speak) up there too. I will share a few of the more special/important pictures and video here too - hopefully without playing too much havoc with Granny's download limits!

This is a photo-montage I put together to celebrate Otto's six month birthday - it was a quite a landmark for me, as in the early weeks I wasn't sure how I could survive, never mind thrive with a baby! The music is by Mercury Rev, and is called "First Time Mother's Joy (Flying)"




And this is my favourite recent photo - in the bath the night before his six month birthday:



Right, must go as Otts has given up playing and is razzing at me from the playmat. Think we'll share a nectarine!

:-)