Video Post #19: Bath Time!

He used to hate it, but now Zachary loves his bath time, especially splashing and playing with his rubber ducks. Here he is enjoying himself...

'Snowed in'!

Snow has been the main factor in what we've been up to this week, as we've had quite a bit. Daddy has been off work for a few days which has been nice, so we've all been out to play in the snow covered fields opposite our house a few times. The rest of the time we haven't wanted to brave the slippery pavements, so we've been thinking of things to occupy us indoors instead. 

Firstly, here's Zachary enjoying the snow with Daddy...

Zachary looks tiny compared to this snowman

Having a rest in the snow

Covered in snow but cosy and dry in his snow-suit

Indoors, Zachary has been enjoying watching Daddy play the keyboard, while bashing a few keys himself...

Tuned in to every note

As always, Zachary enjoys playing with his toys, reaching for them and turning them over, watching to see what they'll do. He also rolled over again a couple of times from front to back this week, although Daddy is disappointed that he hasn't yet managed to see him do it. He doesn't usually like going on his front very much and gets agitated, but we keep trying him on the floor to help him learnt to roll over more easily and to crawl. 

Zachary in a good mood (usually whenever I get the camera out); reaching for his little otter

Zachary has also been 'helping' Daddy to play Zelda: Skyward Sword on the Wii:

Zachary loves to eat remote controls!

Here's what happened when we turned our backs for just a moment...

Cotton wool party!

Video Post #18: Zachary's first food!

Here's Zachary having his first meal - pieces of carrot, potato and sweet potato - yum!

Zachary at Six Months!

Zachary is now six months old and we can't believe how quickly the time has gone and how much he's changed in that time. We had a look back at some of his early photos and he looks so thin and tiny! He used to spend much of his time asleep, but now he's alert for most of the day, wanting attention and to play with whatever he can find.

A cuddle with Auntie Phobe when he was just a few weeks old

Tiny at just three weeks old

A chubby 6 month old

 Commence the Weaning...

He has always fed well and we decided to solely breastfeed him until 6 months as recommended. We are now moving onto the 'baby-led' weaning approach i.e. the baby begins with feeding themselves finger foods, then moves on to self spoon feeding. Zachary had his first meal yesterday which was carrot, potato and sweet potato pieces. Carrot was the biggest success, as he squeezed the potato a little hard and it broke into pieces which he then couldn't pick up. He sucked on the carrot in his mouth for a while, bit off a few tiny pieces, then pushed them out of his mouth with his tongue. We're confident that once he gets the hang of it, he'll begin to eat anything and everything, just like Daddy.

Tasty carrot, lots of mess!

Mr Strong!

Zachary is very strong for his age and is now sitting up unaided, reaching for things to put into his mouth. He does occasionally topple over and is momentarily startled but easily distracted from being upset; we put his feeding cushion around him, just in case. The pram has now been converted into a buggy so he can sit up and look around which he loves.  He also loves to stand, and even to be walked along, holding both hands. He has rolled over from front to back several times but doesn't seem to be near crawling (perhaps he might go straight to walking like his Auntie Marilla). He's very flexible, and Daddy found it entertaining to see him chewing on his feet.

Zachary sits up on the bed to help with putting the laundry away

Sitting forward in his baby bouncer; we had to stop using it because he leaned too far and tipped it over

Lack of Sleep

Zachary's night time sleep patterns have varied tremendously over the past 6 months, improving at times, then descending into the realms of a torturous night-long endurance test. Staying with relatives also seems to disrupt things a bit; teething is a possible factor at the moment; he could be too hot or cold but we've tested that to no avail and are hoping he will simply grow out of it (soon!).  However, we've coped well and have adjusted to his nightly average of waking every 2-3 hours; Mummy naps at the same time as Zachary. He outgrew his Moses basket a few months ago and is now in his cot bed which he seems to prefer:

Watching the birds fly around in circles (thanks, Auntie Vickrum!)

 
Personality Profile

Zachary loves people and still enjoys being passed around; he coos away when you talk to him, desperate to talk back. He conveniently smiles on demand when you point the camera at him, anticipating the flash. He now loves baths and loves hitting the water with his hand to make a splash; he also likes rubber ducks floating in the water. We plan to try him in the big bath with Mummy this week, as he'll need practise for going swimming for the first time next weekend. He enjoys looking at himself in the mirror - perhaps he thinks there's another baby smiling back at him?

Admiring his own reflection with Grandad Harry

Zachary plays well on his own when you put toys around him, testing everything out in his mouth. He still pulls Mummy's hair whenever he gets the chance which drives her mad! He loves looking at lights and playing with anything that rustles, especially plastic bags - something to watch out for in the future. He is still incredibly jumpy at times, shocked whenever anyone raises their voice and has a split second of deciding whether to forget it or get upset. We took him to the pub last week to watch the football and he started screaming when Liverpool scored and some nearby men cheered; Daddy always knew he was a United fan.

Shaking a rattle and trying to avoid hitting himself in the face at the same time

I couldn't resist ending this post with a few photos of the snow - Zachary loves it! Daddy had the day off work yesterday so we all went out to play:

Daddy shows Zachary something he's never seen before

 

Walking in the snow

Video Post #17: Giggles

Zachary's Christmas and New Year Picture Book

We had a lovely Christmas and New Year, spending half of the time with Swith's family and half with mine. Here are some of the highlights...

Grandma Jeanette meets a little Santa

Zachary was very excited on Christmas Eve to observe the outrageously bright Christmas lights of two houses in Whalley, Lancashire; Auntie Marilla liked the cat better.

Zachary looks at lights on the ground

We enjoyed visiting Zachary's Great Grandad to wish him a happy Christmas and it was lovely to see him up and about in the day room...

Christmas cuddles with Great Grandad

Opening presents was a delight for Zachary, mainly due to his interest in the wrapping paper, however opening more than a couple of presents in one go was too overwhelming for him. Fortunately, we managed to finish unwrapping his presents before Boxing day.

Zachary attempts to steal a shiny bow without Daddy noticing

Swith's brother, Humphrey, and his wife Amanda came down from Newcastle and we had a nice walk around a nearby lake at Longton Brickcroft.

Chilly but content

Grandma Jeanette put on a delicious meal of dips, venison casserole, salmon and an amazing gateau for dessert while we also enjoyed the company of family friends Carol (poor Mike was ill), Nicola, Martin and the cute 18 month old Archie, who energetically ran up and down (next Christmas Zachary will be that age!).

Cuddles with Carol

One of the highlights of Zachary's visits to Leyland is that he usually gets to play with his crazy Uncle Bar (who argues that Zachary's Daddy is crazier)...

Walking up and down

Grandad Harry was on hand to keep Zachary occupied and happy while we finished off our epic board games...

'Do you like your monster?' asks Grandad Harry about Zachary's robot

Then we began the 5 hour journey down to Exeter for some New Years fun. Zachary had another load of presents to open!

Zachary with Mummy, Grandad Rob and his Santa sack of presents

Shocked to see yet another lovely present!

A trip around Bernaville Nurseries near Exeter gave Zachary a lot to look at...
 

More Christmas lights take his fancy

On a sunny New Year's day we went out with Bumble and her child-minded little boy (Zachary's first time in a double buggy) to show Daddy the house in Exeter where Mummy grew up and the park she used to play in.

Snuggled up in the cosy toes

We travelled to Exmouth for the annual winter sea swim with Uncle Julian and his friends. It was too cold for Mummy and Zachary, but see if you can spot Daddy running along in the second photo below.

Zachary watches as hundreds of dogs run past

Running for glory!

Bumble made a delicious buffet for a visit from Grandad Rob's side of the family; we were delighted to see Auntie Sue (Great Auntie Sue to Zachary!), Uncle Richard and Zachary's second cousin, Catherine, who is expecting her own little boy or girl in April this year.

'Is that my Great Auntie?'

What a wonderful Christmas and New Year! Thanks to everyone who made Zachary's first Christmas/New Year so memorable (...for us, anyway!).

Video Post #16: Last few Christmas videos

Well, sadly, Christmas is now officially over and Daddy is now back at work. Look out for this Saturday's post featuring our Christmas highlights. Here are a couple of videos of Zachary enjoying himself over the Christmas period...