9 on the 9th

Mrs. N from her blog All that Naz has a really fun meme that I am glad to participate in! The rules are simple: offer a list of 9 "tops" on the 9th of every month. So, I'm going to start my list with

9 reasons 6 months is the best baby age!

*They can't crawl yet! I made the mistake with my first son of always waiting for the next stage--this time, I truly appreciate immobility while it lasts! :)
*Toothless grins (from my little Bunkin anyway). They seriously melt my heart.
*Personality. Those 3-month inklings that emerge are in full force: smiles, laughter, personal upsets (you put me down, Mommy?), all are being molded as he watches Bear, cuddles with Mama, and plays with Daddy.
*Physical development. Not to be confused with #1, it's amazing to watch my little rolly-polly roll over (a very recent accomplishment) and "tri-pod" sit up on his own. He is a little lump of cuteness that will fly the coop soon enough, so it is humbling and awesome to see how he grows in Independence.
*No solids yet--this is a personal choice for our family, but while I eagerly anticipated those first messy bites from Bear, with Bunkin, I am glad to be his sole source of nourishment and am not looking forward to the "hassle" of starting solids! Not to mention the decided unpleasant-ness that results in diapers as solids are introduced. :(
*Recognition of Mama. Again, with Bear, it was love at first sight for both mom and baby.. til he hit about 10 months old. It was all Daddy all the time, and I was chopped liver. With Bunkin, I'm still his everything; he knows the minute I enter or exit a room, and his smile lights up the room when he sees it's me (see #2).
*Beginning a schedule. Ahhh, to a control freak, the word "schedule" is magical. I am not pushing one just yet, but am finally seeing one emerge more or less on its own.
*Baby obsessions. Bunkin's are his feet and his tongue. He splutters and drools and "pttth"s all day long, and I think I laugh each time. His feet... little they are not (in baby terms anyway), but so precious, so full of promise, and there is something simply ridiculous about his limber body almost folded in half as he tries to reach his toes!
*Sleep. When I wrote this, I did not think Bunkin would EVER sleep (at night), but alas, 6 months later, he's still in bed with me, and more or less sleeping through the night, which means I'm getting sleep, too. At last.