The 6 month letter to baby that is early because

dude, two can play that game of doing everything early and fast and pre-emptory.... (above: 5 months old with Grandmama) I didn't quite get around to the five month letter because for the two weeks leading up to it you sort of started to crawl and quite frankly, I was living the weird world of pride mixed with abject terror. Then, the day before you turned five months, you started proper crawling - the one hand after another movement. So when you turned five months I was too busy telling everyone you were crawling to actually write about it. But seriously, the fifth month was a big month for you. This is what you mastered: - babbling. Lots of "bububububub" kinda stuff, but last weekend, you started going "mumumumum" which means I win (mwahahahah), particularly as you did it and crawled after me. Yes, that behavious has begun. The behaviour in which you follow me wailing "mum mum mum" after me - that means I can't even cut a slash without having an audience once more. - crawling. Then crawling everywhere. In fact, last night, Mum came down and asked where you were. "under my feet" was my reply and I wasn't kidding. You ambled over into the kitchen and basically crawled in and around me. So helpful while I was making dinner... - sitting. This was a bit of an afterthought. Felix was about a month later at crawling than you because he decided to master sitting first. You just went, "Well, I can crawl and then lie down. Sweet." So the tripod sitting started about two weeks ago and with time comes proficiency. Yesterday really marked the first day of proper sitting. Do you know how cool it is to be able to put you down in a sitting position? Way cool. That's what. - waving. I suspected this for a few days and was all "no way, it's too soon". But then last Thursday I turned up at daycare and you flapped an arm at me. "no way, it's too soon" I thought. Again. So all the way home, in the car (Thursday is treat day in that we drive in because Nana and Grandpa pick the bigger boys up on Thursdays so I can pick them up on the way through), numerous crashes averted, I kept turning around to wave at you. And sure enough, you'd wave back. Then, just near Spit Hill, just to test my precision driving skills, you clapped. - Clapping. "No way, it's too soon" I thought. Until you kept doing it that night. And then the next day for Grandmama, and now, all the time. You also know you're doing something pretty special, undoubtedly because we all coo over how gifted you are to be clapping, and make sure lots of people are watching before any clapping will be done. - Blowing raspberries. This cracks.me.up. It also cracks up other passengers on the bus (or freaks them out, which serves them right for not being the one to stand or at least offer me a seat) when you blow them raspberries, or blow them into my ample cleavage, making fart like sounds. Hilarious. - Kneeling - along with the being in the crawling position but putting your feet flat on the floor so it looks like you'll just stand up and start walking - is just freaky. You started kneeling within two days of crawling. Basically, you watched me put the death-threat toys into a plastic container, so you had to kneel to get them back out again. It seems all the bright primary coloured toys that are yours are for pussies. The Bionicles, the lego, the small-choking-hazard toys are the winners. Bascially anything that belongs to your brothers is perfect and highly desired by you. Such as their socks, which I often fish from your mouth as you carry them around in your mouth much as a dog would a bone. Very cute except for the fact they're dirty and often wet-sweaty. GROSS dude. - sucking your toes. You've been pretty interested in these for a while, but not one ot hold on to them or really do anything with them - you've just liked looking at them and laughed a lot when we play "this little piggy". This week just gone - you have found those toes and that poor big toe is getting sucked.to.death. and so it goes on... The eating real food is progressing. The sleeping like a sane, rational human being (as Amalah calls it) is still going on, although there was a 5-day stint a few weeks ago when we had a 3am starting time again - but after bumping up the rice cereal component of your food, ceased instantly. You seem to love daycare and just get in the thick of everything, irrespective of the size of the kids involved. but apart from anything else, you.are.adorable. We are all smitten with you and even as I feel completely overwhelmed by life, you make me stop, smell your head and laugh out loud a lot. You are a gift, and we love you to insy winsy teeny weeny little pieces.