6 months!

Augie hit the 6-month mark today, which is astonishing only in that we've been able to keep him alive this long. And not just alive - this kid is happy! I think what makes him happiest is dancing with his parents.

Here's the development update: Augie is sitting without help for minutes at a time; he's rolling every which way; he's trying to crawl, and sometimes has success going backwards; he seems to wake up working on his aspirated consonants; he has two teeth; and he laughs and smiles most of the day. Recently he's taken to eating grass; grabbing our faces; and napping for up to two hours. (For those wondering, the nights are still difficult: he goes anywhere from 2 - 5 hours between feeds overnight, but usually closer to 2-3 hours. I still take solace in him being rather large for his age (he's growing out of 9 month clothes), which almost justifies the frequency of nighttime feeds. But at least we aren't alone - 2-3 feeds per night is normal for his age.)

For those of you who don't know, on Friday we leave for Sweden. We will be there until 12 July, when we will head to England until 22 July. Then we'll be back to swelter in what remains of the New Jersey summer. Augie will be better traveled at 8 months old than most adults I know; and he won't even remember it!

Special thanks to everyone who's been able to leave comments - I love it. I know it doesn't always work (and I can't figure out how to make it easier), and I'm sorry if you are trying to comment and cannot. You can always send kudos and quips to my email.