Sam is 6-months old today and we’re still not really sure if this has been the shortest or longest feeling 6-months of our lives but it has definitely been a wonderful ride. As far as stats, Sam doesn’t have his 6-month appt for a couple weeks but we did end up at the Dr’s office on Saturday where they weighed him with his clothes on and he was 19lbs 14oz! Yikes, we have a big kiddo on our hands! He’s pretty tall/long, too, so he’s not really that pudgy; just heavy. Everyone comments how big he looks for a 6-month old, but I think it’s just because I’m carrying him and he looks really big relative to me (Erika).
Sam’s doing all the things that one would expect a 6-month old to do –rolling over, sleeping on his tummy, playing with his feet, bouncing like a crazy man in his jumperoo, putting everything in his mouth, laughing hysterically at silly things, smiling at everyone, and sleeping through the night (up to 12 hours) every once in a while… Sleep seems to be Sam’s biggest nemesis; he fights it with all he’s got but eventually he gives in. Sleep training works for a bit but he constantly needs re-training which is heartbreaking for me every time. Tony makes me go for a run if I don’t have the heart to let him scream it out, which is getting me back in great shape! I think I might actually train for a ½ marathon. One thing that we’ve had no problem with is getting Sam to eat. He didn’t care for rice cereal by itself, but as soon as we started giving him fruits and veggies, he was hooked. We haven’t found anything this kid won’t eat. He gobbles down peas, green beans, carrots, sweet potatoes, prunes, squash, applesauce, bananas, peaches, pears… no worries about this kid starving!
Last month we had our first cross-country plane trip with the little guy to visit friends and family on the east coast and the whole trip was a huge success! We flew in to Baltimore where we went apple-picking with friends, then went to Northern VA to stay with other friends and to attend a wedding of a good friend, then we drove down to NC to visit family and more friends. Sam was a super trooper and didn’t cry on any of the 4 planes except when we had to wait on the runway for a while after landing in ATL on our way home. Sam had a wonderful time meeting his great-grandparents in MD and his cousins and Aunt Cheryl and Uncle Scott in NC, as well as lots of friends along the way. Next up is Denver –Tony’s hometown –for Thanksgiving. Since Sam’s an old pro at airplanes and airports, one flight there and back shouldn’t be too bad. There is the possibility that he’ll get to see his first snow as we land in Denver ---BRRRRR!! 
Tony and I are finally starting to feel like we are emerging from the haze of having a newborn. I’m still doing stroller strides and I run about 4 days a week –sometime with Sam in the stroller and sometimes at night after he’s asleep –or while he’s screaming in his crib and we’re trying to get him to sleep. Tony joined a local gym and gets there a couple days a week now. We’ve been out to dinner a couple times sans baby while Aunt Sandy has stayed in to watch Sam after he goes to bed. And, we finally got out for a hike on Halloween. We drove up to Julian, which is about an hour east of us, and did a great 4-mile hike on a beautiful fall day. We used the ergo baby carrier, which was OK, but we just got a new hiking backpack that should make things a bit easier and more comfortable for dad and baby.
Sam is growing and changing so quickly. Tony says there are days when he gets home from work and Sam seems older and more grown up than he was just that morning. We put him in a new stroller today and he looked like a handsome little boy rather than our cute little baby.
