James at 6 Months

Length = 29.5 inches (99th percentile but that's only because that's as high as percentiles go. Check out the graph, below.)
Weight = 21 lbs .3 oz (94th percentile)
Weight for length = 45th percentile

Length for Age Growth Chart:

Here's a quick primer, if you aren't familiar with these. The curved lines represent the growth of a child over time (months, seen on the x axis). The bottom curve is that of a child in the 5th percentile and the top curve is the 95th percentile. You can't see the label on the left (y axis) but the height is listed here in centimeters. You might wonder why they are using a chart with centimeters when they actually measured his length in inches and there is a readily available chart in inches. You should ask them because I certainly can't tell you the answer.

Long story short, not only did James start above the growth curve, he's continuing to grow at a rate higher than other boys.

Possible future family portrait:

 

Rabold Family Singers

What we lack in talent, we make up for in heart.

April 2012

It's almost time for the May wrap-up and we're just getting around to recapping April, so we'll keep this brief. We had a couple of milestones, the biggest of which involved James. He started daycare a couple of days a week (whaaa) and his massive size led him to outgrow his infant car seat, a full 12 months earlier than Ava did. Tallest. Baby. Ever.

We spent lots of time outside...swinging, sidewalk chalking, partying, painting and, on one occasion, searching for dyed Easter eggs. James is starting to become more mobile and Ava is starting to become more independent, so it looks like Spring should be fun.

6 Month Birthday Edition - 25 Things About James

1. James still sleeps in two-hour increments.
2. The only place you can get a hand around James's leg is at his ankle. If you have bigger hands than us.
3. James wears 12-month clothing.
4. James sleeps in our bedroom because of item #1 on this list.
5. James has brown eyes, like both of his parents.
6. He has one tuft of hair on the top of his head. There is just enough to make a fauxhawk.
7. This boy LOVES his sister. He smiles even when she is dragging him across the room by his head.
8. James has a fold in the middle of his bottom lip that you can only see when he sleeps.
9. James also has folds everywhere else.
10. His cheeks are perfect for kissing. They are big and squishy.
11. He can pretty reliably sit up by himself. Until Ava pushes him over because "he wants to be on his belly."
12. James has achieved forward motion in his scooting and seems close to fully crawling. He has started tucking his knees under him and is ready for action.
13. James eats lots and lots of food. His most impressive feat was eating two apples in one sitting. He also loves pears and green beans, but could go either way on carrots, peas, avocado, and sweet potato.
14. You have to eat quickly around James. He will steal your food. While sitting on Helen's lap, he once pulled her plate towards him, grabbed her fork, and stuck it in his mouth in the time it took the family to gasp.
15. Overall, James is a very happy fellow.
16. James knows the sign for "feed me" and likes to use it when he can.
17. James hates the feeling of grass.
18. He just moved into his big boy car seat and promptly threw up on it. It has lost its new car seat smell.
19. Ava's classmates are always happy to get a visit from James. They like to pat him on the head and hold his hands.
20. James has never left the city of Portland.
21. Our boy is too heavy to hold for any length of time. The physical strain has aggravated past injuries of Helen's and created new ones for Brian.
22. James likes to hear Helen sing.
23. James likes to hear himself shriek.
24. Ava is James's stylist. She chooses his outfits to match her own and is very disappointed when he is wearing something that she can't find in her own closet.
25. He likes to play with a beach ball, which Ava rolls to him and he kicks back to her.

 

I Am 1/2 Today