6 Months!!

Jaden and Mommy at Schnepf Farms Peach Blossom Festival

His stats:

Weight: 17 pounds, 11 oz (50%)

Height: 27 inches (75%)

Last night Jaden almost slept through the night! I remember waking up at about 2am hearing him cry for a few seconds, and then stopping. This is amazing...Jaden has been sleeping next to me up until a few days ago, when Terry and I finally decided to let him stay in his crib THE WHOLE NIGHT. We knew it would be difficult, but the pediatrician has been telling me for a few months now that he should be sleeping for a full 12 hours at night.

So, on the first night Terry and I laid in bed listening to him sob his heart out. We desperately wanted to go comfort him and finally around midnight I went to save him.

The next night we turned our fan on, which drowned out most of his cries and it helped. We were both really sleepy and just went back to sleep each time Jaden cried. When we got up in the morning we were so proud of him! We couldn't believe he was able to stay by himself the entire night.

Last night was our third try and I was surprised each time I woke up that there was complete silence from Jaden's room, except for the one time when he cried for a few seconds. This is much easier than I thought it would be! I hope he continues to sleep. I am delighted by the amount of extra time I now have to myself in the evenings and mornings. My only regret is not trying this earlier!!!!

Jaden is a chunky little thing. I thought he'd be almost 20 pounds at his 6 month wellness visit and I was surprised he weighed only 17 pounds. He's been wearing the number 4 diapers for a while now.

When I told a few ladies at my Moms Club meeting last week that I speak Chinese they all insisted that I teach Jaden Chinese. I took their advice to heart and speak to Jaden in Mandarin when it's just the two of us. Terry is pleased with this new development but I'm not sure how long it'll last. He's just a baby now and it's easy for me to use simple words and phrases. I started researching preschools and found a few in the area that teach Chinese and there's even one that teaches both Chinese and Spanish, but it's too far away.

It seems silly that I'm already looking for a preschool for Jaden but because the schools here are open enrollment, there are a lot of options and very good schools have a waiting list. Public school? Charter school? I still haven't decided but there's a Spanish immersion program I'm very interested in learning more about. I've also found a Chinese Saturday school for him to attend when he turns three. I would love for him to learn the language and culture of my youth. People tell me they can tell he's mine by his almond shaped eyes. Yes, Jaden will be a heart breaker when he's older!

Jaden loves to wrinkle and tear pieces of paper and tissue. He also reaches for things now and I've already had to wipe up several glasses of water he's knocked over. Sometimes he'll pinch us really hard (he is a strong boy!) and he also likes to wipe his nose in my hair. No wonder I am constantly washing my hair.

The funniest thing about Jaden is that he loves to stick his tongue out and smile at strangers. People love him, they are always commenting to me about how "stinking cute" he is!

Jaden loves his Daddy, who is always tossing him up in the air and letting him fly like superman (when Terry does this Jaden tenses his body and extends his arms back at his sides). They love to spend time together and sometimes when Terry is working out in the yard he'll put Jaden is his stroller so that he can sit outside and watch.

Our little boy loves to be outside and can't get enough of all the sounds, sights and people he encounters on our excursions. The funnest thing for him is when I wear the Baby Bjorn so that he is facing outward and people can't get enough of his smiles and giggles.

It's hard to believe six months has already flown by. Our house is coming together nicely and Terry has been busy planting fruit trees and making plans for our backyard. For my part, I love staying at home and taking care of my boys.