6

I was just talking with Alvaro this evening about this feeling that time has never gone faster than it's going right now. Half a year today, college graduation tomorrow? I'm sure this is typical of new parents. Even though being a parent to Nikhil is now integral to our lives and souls, there are so many exciting and new experiences that we are part of on a daily basis.

So, the six month update. He is really quite a fabulous little boy, so much fun to be around. People constantly stop to check him out, and he always provides his sweet smile. He has a lot of personality. Never a dull moment with this one! He is very, very, very active. I joke that we should figure out away to channel his kicking into something similar to a hamster wheel so we can power our house. This one will definitely need sports as an outlet for all that energy!

Nikhil's become more conscious and reactive to the world around him. He's very perceptive of our moods, so we are especially mindful to let our love for him be the first thing he sees, whether it's 3 a.m. or p.m. He's also starting to figure how the world works a little bit. Just this evening, he was entering his fussy, grey hour and started wailing as I walked out of the room to grab his vitamins. When I returned, he was perfectly content hanging out in his play area, like nothing had ever been wrong. So I think he's making the connection - crying = attention. It was bound to happen.

Milestones...he is so mobile now. It's been a long time coming - he's been able to roll for so long, but he never quite connected the dots in terms of using it as a way to get it around. But he is definitely creeping now - we have to barricade his play area off with pillows, otherwise he's on the hard floor within seconds. He is doing a great job of pushing himself up on all fours and sometimes will make a move that looks like crawling before he goes back down on his stomach and pulls himself forward with his arms. No teeth yet, though those seem like they've been coming for a long time as well! I can clearly see one of the front teeth poking out from the gums, so I think that it will actually come through in the next few days. He's certainly been experiencing more pain, though he seems to be handling it remarkably well. He sleeps through the night some times - even when he doesn't wake, I usually do out of habit and end up checking in on him. Nikhil is doing a good job with sitting - at this point, I think he can do it for as long as he wants, but this has happened at the same time he has become mobile. So, usually he'll sort of dive from sitting onto his stomach fairly quickly. He can push himself up quite a bit on one arm from the ground. We haven't started solids yet, but are planning to do so in the next week!

Oh, and did I mention that we are in Brazil now? So he has gotten a passport and visa and is now a bonafide jetsetter. More on this later! He'll have his 6-month well-child visit when we get back next week, so I'll update this post with his stats. He does seem to be heading towards peak chubbiness, and it's quite adorable!