Sand, School, and Boogersnots :: Chase at 6 Months

The Rookie has been a busy man. Size-wise, he is now a modest 28 inches long, and a rugged 22 pounds, both of which are staggering compared to how he started-out. Those stats pale in comparison, though, to the leaps and bounds he's made in his development, and the new adventures he's been on.

In his 6th month, Chase experienced the Jersey Shore for the first time-- a must for any Frantzen/Boer offspring. "Well, if he loved the pool, he must've loved the ocean." Wrong. Now, the ocean wasn't that big of an issue-- in fact, he was nonplussed by it. No, it was the combination of sun (which, as we know, is not a friend of Chase) and sand (fun to play with-- not fun to put in your mouth) that sent him whining and grunting his way back up to the safety of Aunt Kris's deck. All was well though, because he had plenty of company in his cousin Ella (who taught him just how much trouble crawling can get you into... also how fun it is), his cousin Sofia, his Uncle Kris and Aunt Becky, and, of course, Mum-mum and Pop-pop. Yessir, outside of the dastardly sun and just plain unappetizing sand, Chase had a great vacation.

The Rookie also started "school" when Justine went back to work, and, all things considered, his parents had a tougher time transitioning than him. His teachers have fallen prey to his charms, and he's making new friends, and spreading more and more of his drool everyday. Of course, where there's other babies, there's germs.

And that's the tough part. Chase has had not one, but two colds in his 6th month. He's soldiering through them very well, but it breaks our hearts to see him cough, or sneeze, or sniffle. We just have to tough it out, and make sure we have enough bibs and rags to deal with his seemingly endless supply of boogers and drool. Disgusting? Sure. But it's amazing how quickly one can become so desensitized to gross bodily fluids when they come out of your own son. I haven't had a day of work in a long time without a small to large drool/vomit/booger stain. That's life.

Other than that, Chase is just becoming less and less of a baby, and more and more of a little boy every single day. He sits up on his own without help and he rocks back-and-forth on his hands and knees, threatening his nervous parents with becoming a mobile menace. His days are filled with flirting with everyone from the daycare to the grocery store, and his weekends are filled with visits with Grammy and Grandpa, Mum-mum and Pop-pop, and his many, many aunts and uncles. Not a bad life, if you ask me. Here's to another great half-a-year!