6 Months

Each month with James just keeps getting better and better.  This one started off with my spring break.  Our family spent a few days in St. Louis before heading to our real Spring Break destination- ST.JAMES! You guessed it- we went wild!  It was little man's first time spending the night at the Land.  He woke up one to two times each night, which wasn't out of the ordinary.  One of the exciting things he did was accompany his grandma and me to my favorite grocery store.  He also helped Grandpa B record how many 'shrooms were on each mushroom log.  Most importantly, he found HIS FEET!  Little man found them and couldn't get enough! 

We spent the rest of spring break trying to get on a sleep schedule.  Thanks to the book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, I learned Kyle and I were approaching James' sleep habits all wrong.  Emphasis on: ALL.  Here's a T-chart to give you an idea of our way vs. the right way.

Our Way                                                     The Right Way
keeping James up late                                Put baby to sleep when the sun goes
so  that he would sleep late                       down (usually btwn 7 and 8)
 (works for teenagers....)                            Babies should sleep from sunset
                                                                  to sunrise, starting their day no earlier
                                                                  than 7 am

letting him nap whenever,                          Have baby awake for about 1.5 hours,
wherever  (channeling our                         then let him nap for awhile, for a total
inner Shakira for that philosophy)              of 2-3 naps per day before starting
                                                                    the bedtime routine

put baby in crib sound asleep                     Put baby in crib slightly awake so he
                                                                    will learn to fall asleep on his own
                                                             
So yeah,  the book totally opened my eyes to what we were supposed to be doing!  Now that we're following the books suggestions, James' days are much more predictable and he is significantly more pleasant to be around.  When he does get cranky, I know he either hungry or ready for a nap.  I am so happy to have finally read the book.  Thanks to Bryan and Katie for recommending it!

James started eating solid foods this month!  I wanted to wait until 6 months, but I read an article from the Mayo Clinic that made me realize James was ready.  The article gave these three questions,

• Can your baby hold his or her head in a steady, upright position?
• Can your baby sit with support?
• Is your baby interested in what you're eating?

I answered an enthusiastic "YES" to all of three.  Plus, the Easter Bunny delivered rice cereal in James' basket!  The stars had truly aligned.

James LOVED eating cereal.  The first time eating it, he grabbed the spoon and yanked it towards his mouth.  It ended up being very messy.  Now he just sits there like a hungry baby bird and waits for the next bite. His mouth hangs open and he says, "Ahhhhhh."  Then the spoon goes in his mouth, and he squints his right eye.  I can't get enough of it.  I look forward to feeding him his dinner way more than I look forward to eating my own!

James also started rolling from his back onto his stomach this month.  He used to cause a loud raucous kicking and screaming when he tried to roll over because his arm would be in the way.  Now, he just rolls right over.  This new mobility means we're putting him down on one side of the room, and he'll end up on the other!  We've even come into his room in the morning to find him sleeping on his stomach.   Frankly, as long as he's asleep, we're cool with it.

Happy Half-Birthday, James Eugene!  You're turning into such a big boy!