Mason Shoma

I tried lettuce today. It wasn’t raw and leafy like the way Mommy and Daddy eat it. It was boiled, chopped, and mushy, just the way I like my food. That’s actually the only way I can eat any food right now since I have no teeth. It was pretty good. I tend to like my green vegetables.

In the morning, I’m usually very content to just sit with Mommy and Daddy as they eat breakfast, drink coffee, and watch the news. It’s nice to have a relaxing morning, especially when there is a lot planned for the day.

I’m just playing with Mommy and as you can see I’m all smiles!

Mommy and Daddy like to treat themselves to something called “Starbucks” every once in a while. I don’t know what they are drinking, but it sure looks tasty. Especially because of those cups. Very festive. I wonder how I can get one of those.

We put our Christmas tree up! When I say “we”, I mean Mommy and Daddy took turns keeping me away from the tree and all the ornaments while they decorated the tree. I’m sure I’ll have my chance when I’m older. Right now I’m just planning my strategy to get those twinkling lights and shiny ornaments.

We took some Christmas photos and they turned out really nice! It took a lot of shots because I was easily distracted by the tree. I was also distracted by the pictures on the TV. Daddy set up his phone on a tripod and had the pictures show up on the TV when he took them so that we could check them without moving from our positions. But I picked up on this and eventually started turning toward the TV after every shot to see how I looked. That made getting me to look at the camera again a lot harder. But we got the shots! If you’re curious, the pictures that didn’t make the cut are below.

Oh, by the way, remember I told you I was coming up with a strategy to get to the ornaments. Mission accomplished!

Even though I’m loving all my solid foods, I still love being nursed. And I still dream about nursing from time to time.

Just checking to see if we have enough diapers. And…yep, that’s enough.

Recently, I’ve been pooping a lot when I’m in my high chair. I don’t know if it is because I’m sitting up so gravity helps, or if it is because I’m eating and have to make room for more food. Whatever the reason, I’ve been pretty regular on my high chair. Mommy and Daddy know I’m pooping because I tense up and grunt a lot.

Today I was chatting with Grandma and Grandpa over FaceTime and showing them what a good eater I was when I stopped eating and started grunting. Then I surprised everyone when I started to push really hard. I was grunting so loud that Grandma and Grandpa did think it was me who was doing it. It is not the kind of sound you expect to come from a 6-month-old baby. I was pushing so hard that my nose started turning really red! I was like Rudolph!

I think when I’m older I’ll have to learn how not to do this at the dining table in front of other people. But for the time being, it seems like the right place and time. The funny thing is that for all that strain, effort, grunting, and nose reddening, it ended up being a very tiny poo, about the size of an almond.

Update: Half an hour later I had a very good bowel movement. I guess all the effort paid off.

I still try to get at Daddy’s bedroom slippers whenever I can. Usually I try to grab them when they are just lying on the floor. But I also try to get them when Daddy is still wearing them.

I had some radish leaves today. I can’t say that it is my favorite food. It was a bit on the bitter side. But I still ate all of it.

I am a very observant baby, and that can make things difficult for Mommy and Daddy. I discovered that our padded floor mat is actually interlocking floor mat. You saw how I found the edge of it and managed to chew on it. I also noticed that the top layer is peeling, so I helped it along by pulling at it whenever I can get a grip on it. With my sticky little fingers I can grip it even if only a couple of millimeters are exposed. I overheard Mommy and Daddy talking about ordering a new mat that is not tiled, so I better enjoy as much of this one while I still can.

My sleep training is going well. It has been a week and I have been able to put myself to sleep every night so far. I still start off crying every night, but I manage to calm myself down and put myself to sleep. I’m always asleep within the hour. My best record so far is about 15 minutes. I don’t drift off to sleep peacefully and quietly. I cry, roll around, explore the borders of my crib, and just keep moving until I fall asleep. I found that I fall asleep much easier on my tummy. When Mommy and Daddy check in on me, they either find me awake on my tummy or asleep on my tummy. I also rotate around a lot too. All that activity naturally leads to some sweating and that leads to my funky hair.

Overall, I’m sleeping a lot longer than I did before when I was rocked to sleep. It’s probably because I now know how to put me back to sleep. So all the little things that woke me up before are just minor interruptions to my sleep and I put my head back down and go back to sleep.

I even fall asleep faster after my midnight feeding. I usually don’t cry at all when I’m put down after my bottle. I just lie there and drift off to sleep. It’s very different than when I’m initially put to bed.

Mommy and Daddy are very proud of the progress I have made in my sleep training. They are actually surprised with how well it is going. They are checking in on me a lot, even after I’ve completely gone to sleep. It is just so quiet, that they want to make sure I’m okay.

I’ve gotten so use to being in my crib, that I often wake up in the morning and just wait in my crib until Mommy picks me up. Sometimes I’ll cry out if I’m especially hungry or need a diaper change, but otherwise, I’ll just wait patiently.

There are a lot of things that make me laugh. Fun games do it all the time. Peekaboo and tickling tickle my funny bone. Fun activities and huge smiles do it too. Like I said, there are a lot of things that make me laugh. One of the sure fire things is funny noises paired with funny faces. Mommy was making popping noises with her mouth and it was cracking me up. It’s just so funny!

Even though I’m a big boy for my age, I am still very little in Daddy’s arms. I’m glad. I don’t want to think of the day when I’ll be too big for him to carry me. I’m sure he also hopes that day never comes. No matter how big I get, I plan to always be Daddy’s little boy.

It is getting colder these days. Winter is really creeping in. We have the heater on, but sometimes it just feels more comfy on the couch with a blanket.

I’ve been having more fruit lately. Today I had grapes. They were pretty good. Very sweet! Not tart at all. I think they may be one of my favorite fruits right now, but I think I still prefer my rice and veggies. I think I just like more hearty food.

Even though I still haven’t mastered crawling, I still manage to get around. I either swivel around until I move or push myself around in reverse. It allows me to be up to no good, so it’s good enough for now.

For some reason, without being taught, I drink from my bottle with my pinky up. I don’t know why I do that. I sometimes hold other things the same way. Pinky up just seems to be more delicate and proper. It turns out it is not. I found out that I should not have my pinky up like that. It might be a hard habit to break considering that I don’t know how it started.