Let him eat cake

The good news is that we finally found something our little picky eater likes.

The bad news? That something is birthday cake with chocolate frosting and sprinkles.

And just why did we feed our refluxy baby a cake with chocolate frosting and sprinkles?

Because it's Jacob's half-birthday, of course. And having made it to the six-months-outside-the-womb mark is cause for celebration around here. (Any excuse for a party, right?) So I baked my traditional half-birthday cake, ignored the fact that he's barely touched his formula or his rice cereal for the past few days, and watched with delight as his dad fed him chunks of cake on a tiny fork.

At six months, he's still just as easy going and adaptable as he's always been. He puts up with being shuffled to and from the car, the exersaucer, the jumpy thing, a blanket in the backyard, and from hip to hip as I go about my day dealing with his much more high maintenance older siblings. He's happily along for the ride in his ergo carrier as I wander through the grocery store, chase toddlers at the park or wade in the creek.

Jacob has always loved people and attention, and he gets plenty of both around here. A glance in his direction is all it takes to put a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye. And a visit from the "tickle worm" (that pesky wiggly index finger) is sure to bring about a major case of the giggles. (Abby and Caleb are experts at tickle worm attacks, and amaze me with how gentle they can be with their brother and how quickly they can pinpoint his most ticklish spots.)

He's a charmer in the church nursery, the doctor's office, and our local hardware store (where they're beginning to know my children by name). With those big brown eyes and that adorable little dimple in his left cheek, it takes just moments for the people he meets to fall in love with him. Jacob is certainly our most relaxed baby, by far, and has made the transition from two kids to three far easier than I had ever imagined it could be.

He's a champion roller, and the fact that he's learned to roll from his back to his belly and from his belly to his back means that anytime I put him down, I'm guaranteed to find him later a few feet from where I left him, and often under a piece of furniture or stuck in a corner.

He loves to reach, hold and grab whatever's nearby, be it a blanket or his sister's hair. The older two are learning quickly to give him a wide berth if they want to maintain possession of their stuff. He loves to snuggle his blankie, and it's the first thing he grabs when we lay him down for a nap in his crib. With his left thumb planted firmly in his mouth, he maneuvers the blankie with his right hand until he finds the silky edge, then transfers it to his left fist where it stays tucked against his cheek as he falls asleep.

Following the tradition of fantastic Fisher babies, he's a great sleeper and a consistent morning and afternoon napper. Sometimes he'll still throw in a little evening catnap between dinner and bedtime, just to mix it up a little, but generally he's too excited to hang out with daddy in the evenings to close his eyes until it's time for bed.

He's truly captured our hearts and it's only taken these short six months for me to forget what life was like without our little Jacob in it.

Happy half-birthday, little buddy!