Xander @ 6 mo, Mama @ 33 yr.

We love each other.

Xander, liberated

Look at that floral diaper!  It's because he's not hung up on prescribed gender roles.  He told me so herself.  

Xander post-nap

He looks a little manic here, but trust me.  He's just thrilled that he's so well rested.

Big cheese

Look at that face!

No, look at it.  LOOK AT IT!!!

THAT is the face of my adorable baby.

He turned six months old this weekend.  I won't lie - I choked up a little.

One for the wallet

Here's the closest I could get to snapping his mega-watt grin.  

I know everybody thinks their baby is adorable, but my baby really is adorable.  Look at that hair!  Those eyes!  I challenge you to tell me he's not adorable.  

And if you tell me that, you're clearly lying.  And then we'll come to blows.   That's just how I roll.

He likes it

On a whim, I started introducing Xander to solid foods.  Surprising absolutely no one, it turns out my boy likes to eat.  Carrots?  Good!  Peas?  Good!  Sweet potatoes?  Good!  Cool Whip?  Awesome!

I'm saving the fruits for last because I know they will blow his mind.

When he first tastes a food, he gets this really big grin, which I keep trying to capture on camera.  But the red "on' light distracts him every time.  

When he's finished everything in the bowl and licked the spoon clean, he'll pick up his bib and suck all the dribbles off it.  The boy is loving this new phase.  It's adorable.

Grandpa Jim and Grandma Betty

Xander and I stopped by my dad's place the other day and snapped these pics.  Look at that greenery in the background!  That's the real deal, folks!  No Sears Portrait Studio backdrop for us!  Seriously, their garden is amazing.

Xander as monkey

I like to dress my baby up in animal costumes.  Don't judge me.

Fun family portrait!

Here's the three of us looking much more relaxed and far less cult-y.  

Scary family portrait

A few weeks ago, our friend Ann had a cocktail party where everyone was required to dress up.  Chris and I thought this would be an excellent opportunity for us to grab a family photo of the three of us looking our best.  We dressed Xander in our homemade tuxedo onesie, got into our finery and entreated a party guest to take our picture.

That's when things went horribly awry.

Somehow, our glamorous photo came out making us look like we were the new pastor and his family of one of those churches where they don't let the women wear pants.  Note the glazed, could-be-brainwashed stare of both me and Xander.  

Three month grin

Xander is getting a lot more smile-y, but I've had difficulty capturing his smiles on camera.  As soon as he sees the camera, he gets this wary expression on his face.

But here's a picture of him from way back in May - when he was a mere three months old - that captures a bit of that Alexander J. grin.   

I still can't get over how different he looks after only two months...

Mother's Day

Here's Xander and me on Mother's Day.  (I meant to post this way back in May.)  Look at how much he's changed since then!  He's like a different baby!