ben sure knows how to celebrate

Ben celebrated his 6th month birthday by...being really sick. He had a little baby cough and congestion, but no fever. He was acting nuts--crazily bouncing in his Exersaucer, then crying, then laughing, then shrieking. He was so tired, but he wouldn't sleep, and his eyes were rimmed with red. After I put him down for the evening, he woke up an hour later with a panicky cry, so I went in and got him. I laid down on my bed with him and comforted him to sleep. When I returned him to the crib after an hour, he was relaxed and he slept normally. It was the birthday of a lifetime. This morning I realized that I, too, am sick, and me and Ben have been hacking coughs out all day.

Ben can sit for up to 5 minutes by himself without toppling over, and he grabs for toys (and hair and earrings) more precisely. He eats cereal, fruit and vegetables twice a day, but he hasn't slowed down on his formula. (He is giant--as big as the 10-month-olds at his day care.) The newest thing he's started doing is jutting his lower lip out, making him look like Walter Mattheau. He can also emit an extremely annoying high-pitched squeal, and he enjoys doing this to express both anger and happiness.