First tooth!

It's been a bit over a week since our last post and my my thats a long time in the world of a 6 month old. We've alluded in a couple of posts now that feeding has been getting more and more problematic with Kel not having enough milk and then Elliott being periodically resistant to taking a bottle. So last weekend we made a clean break and went to the bottle. Initially there was some heartache and worry as to whether the little man was getting enough fluid, and looking back he really only took what would be considered the bare minimum for a couple of days, but he's warmed to the challenge and today he drank a massive 830 mls. It's been a pretty tough time and a tough decision (especially for Kel who has loved breastfeeding Elliott), however, looking at it now I think it has turned out to be a really good thing for all of us.
The switch to bottle is not the only big news either... This week Elliott cut his first tooth, hooray! I'm sorry to say that to date we've been unable to get a snap of the pearly white but you can certainly feel it if you run your finger over his lower gum. The second one is also extremely close and will probably be unveiled any day now. At this stage they're probably more like icebergs (90% still under water in the gum) but we figure the initial cutting through is probably the worst bit in terms of discomfort, so that is a relief!

Today, Kel and I went on our first date, since Elliott came along. It's the first time we've both left him for any significant time. Elliott's Grandma and Grandad came down and hung out with him from 11:30am to 3:30pm. It was their offer and suggestion and we are ever so grateful. It was a really nice day and we went into Queens Wharf Brewery and had lunch on the veranda (along with a couple of beers). By accounts Elliott was "good as gold" for them and had something to eat and even had a sleep (there was a midday bath in there for some reason but that probably just added to the adventure for him). As for Kel and I, it was really nice to eat a meal at our own pace... together. Although we were away, we agree that we probably spent about 80% of our time talking about Elliott, so we need to work on that. Oh, and the other thing about our date today was that on Wednesday we had the 9th anniversary of our actual first date, so it was nice to be able to mark the event with some time together... alone.

Other things we've noticed about this week include: sitting on his own for extended periods (for more than 5 or 10 minutes on his own); a lot of poking tongue out action ("frogger"); and mummy got him an outdoor shade for the backyard (on special at Kathmandu). Also, since the weather has been hot he's had much more time letting it all hang out in just his nappy. Sleeping has been going quite well too - he's usually waking once a night for a feed but going back to sleep straight away. This week, though, we actually had TWO nights where he slept through from 7pm to ~6am - WOWEE!


Elliott has started to enjoy playing "peek-a-boo" too. Usually we have to put the sheet/ paper/ hat over his face and he pulls it away but today he started covering his face by himself and then peeping out ... very cute! We bought him a little toy today which we were very chuffed with because we had been looking for something like it for ages - a little bunny that pops out of a box with a squeek. Turns out we think the bunny might be possessed! Elliott found it very frightening and was really quite scared by it. He wouldn't stop moaning until we totally took it away. Poor little guy, we'll try an exorcism tomorrow and give bunny another go.

Finally, many people have commented on Elliott's hair for some time now. In particular his "business at the front, party at the back" style has become a major trademark. Well it appears the spike at the back that has been incredibly resistant to being wet down is now subsiding. We fear that within a couple of weeks there will be no party left (without the assistance of serious product).