Caden is 6 months!!!

I can’t believe it, but my baby just had his half-birthday!  It seems like just yesterday that we brought him home from the hospital and he was just “this big” (with my hands about 9 inches apart).  I know, I sound just like my mother, but time really does fly!  Despite spending almost his entire sixth month sick, Caden still has changed dramatically and learned all kinds of new tricks.  He is getting very good at picking up small objects and has started gently petting things instead of whacking at them.  He particularly likes to pet the dogs which Sydney likes, but Abby wants nothing to do with him.  Luckily for them he is not very mobile (yet) so they can easily get away.  He is smiling big and laughing.  He also plays shy by smiling at us and then burrowing his head into our chests. Too cute! One thing we have noticed is that he is stingy with his giggles.  They are always one at a time, rarely does he ever run them together.  The one exception was yesterday while we were playing on the rug, Abby sneezed 4 times in a row, and he just thought that was hilarious.  Too bad we can’t figure out a way to make the dog sneeze on demand.

Christmas happened just 2 days into his sixth month.  We went to all 3 sets of grandparents houses and he did great!  He had smiles to last through the end of the day and really enjoyed eating all the wrapping paper.  He got all kinds of new toys and we headed home with the Pilot packed to the brim.  I’m so glad we went for the full-sized SUV instead of the mid-sized!  The day after Christmas is when he started to get sick and it didn’t clear up for a full month.  Halfway through the month he learned to sit all by himself, and within two days he was an expert.  He puts everything into his mouth!!!  He has also learned he can roll and reach to get things he wants.  He treats Adam and I like mountains and he climbs and flops all over us.  Nothing within a few feet of Caden is safe. He will wiggle and squirm until he gets where he wants to go, only to get there and realize he wants to be somewhere else  Near the end of the month he started getting really serious about crawling.  He learned to pick his butt up and move his legs like he is crawling.  My guess is within a week or so he will start to crawl.  He is very determined.  I had to lower his crib mattress because he was using his bumper pad to pull himself up.  Ffrom a sitting position he can get his butt several inches off the ground.  I’m afraid I may be in for trouble soon

His favorite toy is still by far his walker.  He cruises around the house in it.  He has gotten very good at maneuvering and can get through small doorways and into small places like the pantry.  While I cook he follows me around the kitchen ramming into the back of my legs.  His arms have gotten long enough that he can reach things over the side.  I looked over one day and he had his car seat by its handle and was attempting to drag in across the kitchen!  I laughed so hard because the things has to weigh as much as him.  I am now in the process of baby proofing the house!  His swing is the perfect height to chew on while in his walker and much prefers to do that than actually swing.  His feet stick way off the end anyway.  He still really likes his bouncer.  He marches to the music by lifting one foot and then the other over and over again while squealing.  I have  a whole bunch of videos of him playing I need to sort through and blog, so keep checking back.

He is eating all kinds of fruits and vegetables now.  His favorite is still squash, but he also likes carrots, green beans, peas, sweet potatoes, pears, apples, bananas, and peaches.  He is a good little eater.  At his 6 month check up he weighed 17lbs 8oz and was 26 1/2 inches long.  Both put him in the 55th percentile, so he is perfectly average!  He is getting to be so much fun!  I can really start to see his little personality coming out!  Here are some of my favorites from the month…

His Christmas Portraits…

Reading with Aunt Liz

What a big boy!!!

He had a play date with his cousin Aaron who is only 6 weeks younger.

Hey Aaron, can I have a bite of that?

When one baby cries, they both do!  I love this picture!

We’re back with a new trick!

So it may appear we dropped off the face of the planet for the past few weeks.  Caden got sick the day after Christmas and it has just been crazy since then.  He had a cold and ear infection and then had an allergic reaction to the antibiotic he was on.  Poor little guy was covered in hives for a few days.  The day I brought him to the doctor for the allergic reaction he was wheezing so the doctor tested him for RSV which he had.  We did about 10 days worth of breathing treatments.  He was a pretty sick little boy and had me scared for a few days.  He had just gotten over the RSV when I noticed he was pulling on his ear again.  We went in yesterday and the poor kid still has his ear infection  After trying a really nasty antibiotic (because he is allergic to penicillin) that he couldn’t keep down we are going in daily for the next three days to get a shot of antibiotics.  By the end of the week we will have gone to the doctor 7 times in 3 weeks!  Our stupid health insurance only allows 6 appointments a year which I thought would be plenty! Haha! I’ll be upgrading Caden’s policy ASAP!

Even though Caden has been sick he still managed to learn a new trick or two.  We noticed on Saturday night that he was hunched over trying to eat the polar bears on the feet of his footie PJ’s.  We let go of him and he balanced really well.  By Monday he was full out sitting by himself.  By Tuesday he could sit and play his piano.  I think he is a prodigy!!!  :)   Check out the video!