Likes: Long car trips, Beary, his snail/rattle toy, flying through the air
Dislikes: Waking up unexpectedly on his tummy, long hikes, not being able to crawl yet
Undecided: Solid food
Despite the odd ways in which time seems to manifest itself in 2020, the calendar says we have a 6 month old! (And as a result of a less eventful month than some of the previous ones, Johan’s parents are back to writing these posts, though we have to say Johan did a great job.)
Johan was an excellent traveling companion on our adventure to Michigan and back. Although he often slept in his carrier while we were hiking and looking at the pretty fall foliage, he was sometimes fussy when he would wake up and realize we still weren’t back at the car. On our way home, we stopped in Pittsburgh and Johan finally got to meet some of his distant cousins from both the Redisch and Hirsch families in the flesh (socially distanced and outdoors, of course!).
Johan was also an excellent quarantine buddy, as all the states we visited (Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Michigan) were added to DC’s quarantine list just before our return. Fortunately for him, he isn’t too particular if his outdoor time on any given day is spent on our back patio or on a walk around the neighborhood, so he still had opportunities for fresh air and to enjoy the above average warm weather in recent weeks.
We did leave quarantine to get Covid tests and to submit our ballots for the election. Johan helped us to put our sealed ballots in the drop box, but we can assure you he did not vote in any of the swing states we visited on our long vacation or in DC. That said, his father voted (legally) in an election before turning 18, and we hope Johan registers to vote and exercises his right to franchise at the appropriate time.
Shortly after our quarantine ended, we went to New York City for a few hours to introduce Johan to one of his great-grandmothers, Ria (Oren’s maternal grandmother). Johan got to see some photos of his Daddy from the late 1980s, Johan and Oren definitely share some physical traits! Beary got to come on this trip, and although the bear stayed in the car while we had our visit, Johan was very excited to see Beary again as we loaded the car for the return trip. The moment wasn’t captured on camera, but it was great to see Johan react to seeing his bear. Everyone had a great time, and Johan earned himself another good traveler award when he slept the entire way from Seacacus to Washington on the way home.
We’ve started to give Johan some solid foods. So far, he has been fed rice cereal, butternut squash, apples, green beans, and avocados. Johan always gives a perplexed look when eating, as if he is unsure of what to think or do when he discovers there is something in his mouth other than a nipple, his fingers, his toes, or one of his toys. Perhaps by next month he will have developed some preferences for favorite foods.
Johan also now rolls himself over from back to front and front to back, often without our noticing right away. He is able to put his pacifier in his mouth with varying levels of success, and often sleeps through the night. He would like to think he should be able to crawl on his own, in the past week or so he has begun to move his arms as if he were going to propel himself forward and lifts his bottom up above his legs. Unfortunately for him, he sometimes gets quite upset when he realizes that he can’t go anywhere on his own just yet, despite his best efforts. Fortunately for us, he has yet to figure out how to do all these things simultaneously, but our babyproofing project needs to kick in to high gear before Johan does.
Oren had some time to catch up on photos from the past few months, and quite a number have been added to the site in the past few days. This includes photos from when Johan met his cousin Ella for the first time, our trip to Delaware, our trip to Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, our trip to the ballot dropbox, Halloween, and our trip to New York.