Houston, we have a Tooth!

As I was rocking Jaden to sleep tonight, he grabbed my finger and put it in his mouth where I discovered the tip of a tooth!   It must have just sprouted as I felt his bottom gums only recently and there was no tooth.  I'm assuming this is why he has not had an appetite as of late; I've read that they tend to not want to eat when they're teething.   His gums aren't even swollen, which I've heard is a primary indicator of teething babies.  I knew something was up!  

Jaden's Checkup

Jaden had his 6 month well child visit today with his pediatrician.  Here are his stats:

Weight: 20 lbs. 6 oz. (90th percentile)

Head Circumference: Unknown (75th-90th percentile) 

Length 27.5 inches   (75th percentile)

The doctor said he's a big boy!  He said his head girth is normal and nothing to worry about and then proceeded to tell us a story of a baby whose head was so big, the poor thing couldn't sit up or crawl because his small body couldn't support the weight.  He kept falling forward, poor guy!  

The boy received four shots today.  He cried only briefly and when Mike picked him up, he immediately calmed down.  He even managed to flash a smile when we praised him for being a big boy!  Luckily, the appointment went off without a hitch.    

Jaden's hair is growing thicker and longer; he actually has a chunk of long hair amidst a sea of short, fine hair.   I can't wait to see what he looks like with hair!!!

Crawling update: He's still figuring things out.  He IS starting to move his arms more now when he's on all fours and understands that he's got to do something with them.  I foresee that by the time we're in Tennessee, he'll be crawling.  Get ready! 

Jaden's 6 Month Checkup Tomorrow

Jaden's 6 month checkup is tomorrow.  I expect that they will tell me that he is in the 99th percentile in weight and the same in head circumference.  I'm just kidding about the head, but he does have a huge melon - no doubt about that.  I'll post an update tomorrow evening with the details.  He has a cold (again) so his visit should be pleasant.  Wish us luck...

Today, I took the baby for a walk to grab some Starbucks and get fresh air.   On the way there, some asshole kid shouted out of his friend's car that he wanted to fuck my baby.  Who in the hell says something like that???  Too bad Mike wasn't with us, otherwise that kid would no longer have a voicebox to talk.   On the way back from the walk, I was waiting at the crosswalk of a busy intersection.  When I had the right of way on the green light, 10 cars sped right past me, cutting me off from the crosswalk.  I was looking at each of them in disgust and amazement that they felt it was OK to cut off a mother with a baby in a stroller.   After the 10 passed, I saw another car in the distance speeding and didn't want to chance it for fear that they wouldn't stop for me.  To my amazement, they didn't.  By the time the car passed, the light was yellow.  I crossed as fast as I could and it turned red before I got halfway.   I was so pissed at the audacity and lack of courtesy and civility that I couldn't see straight.  It makes me sad that people have little regard for manners and common courtesy these days.  I know one thing - Jaden will be a very well mannered, courteous gentleman to all people when he grows up, that's for sure.

Since my Meemaw checks my blog often during the early morning hours, I wanted to say that there is a chance that Jaden and I will be visiting TN at the beginning of May.   Jaden's Mimi is going on vacation so it may be a good opportunity to visit since we will have a lot going on mid-May, June and July.   We're not 100% sure yet as I need to check on my project timelines at work, but I'm hopeful that the timing will work.  I'll keep you posted... :)

Jaden's resemblance in this photo to Carl Spackler from Caddyshack is uncanny.

Give Peas a Chance

We had a rough night last night as evidenced in this picture.   Jaden was waking every one to two hours, screaming, often half asleep while doing it.  By 5:30AM, we were over it and threw him in the bed with us where he got to sleep in with Daddy.  

Mimi reports that the boy ate peas today and LOVED it!  I'm very happy that our son is taking his first step towards liking veggies.  Now if I can only get Mike to eat them...

Some Pictures from Today...

Solids....

So Jaden's been eating solids for a while now.  His favorite "solid" are cheeseburgers.  (Kidding!)  Pretty much everything that you put up to Jaden's mouth is fair game - even the telephone.  We went to Baby's R' Us today and picked up some organic baby food - applesauce, carrots, sweet potatoes and bananas.  My desire to make baby food over the weekend was sidelined as I missed the farmer's market yesterday morning.  I'm making it a goal for next week - I'm dying to use the Beaba Baby Food Processor and baby food cookbook that Meemaw got us!

Fooood

Jaden loves cereal.    He loves cereal so much that if he sees me across the room with a bowl in my hand, he opens his mouth wide.   Just like a baby bird!

His Mimi noted yesterday that she saw him sucking his thumb.  We've been noticing him chewing on his thumb, but not necessarily sucking it.  He hasn't had a pacifier in months, so maybe he's discovered that his thumb is a good replacement.  

Jaden's been in his crib for well over a week now, and he's doing great.  He's still waking up once or twice during the night, but it's usually brief.  He's still sleeping on his stomach and it helps him sleep longer and more soundly.   Sometimes we find him sleeping on his face.  I've googled it and apparently a lot of babies do it.  It is safe as long as they know how to support their head.  

6 Months

Our big boy is 6 months old today!   Happy Birthday!

The Crib

We've had Jaden in the crib for three nights now.  So far, it's been a success!  The first night was obviously pretty tough; he cried for about 45 minutes and finally fell asleep after I rocked him for a few minutes.  The second night was better - in maybe 30 minutes he was asleep.  Last night was about the same, although he only woke up once, at 3AM.   He usually will wake up at around 5 or 6 in the morning, however, this morning I had to wake him at 7:00 to get him ready to go to daycare!  I've never had to wake him, and frankly I'm not too keen on waking a sleeping baby but I had to head off to work.  

Mimi (daycare provider) is reporting very good things about Jaden.  She is making him take his naps in a play yard so he can continue to learn to fall asleep on his own.  I think this is making our efforts much easier at home, so we're glad she's helping us with it.   He's always in a good mood and smiley and cheery, as the other mothers report at the park!   I always knew he was a flirt...

We've started Jaden on cereal again; since he was sick last week we stopped the solids until he got better.  Mike fed him last night and he loved it!  He's not trying to grab at the spoon anymore and is opening wide for daddy.   If you try to walk away with the cereal, prepare to get screamed at. 

Mimi is going on vacation for a week at the beginning of May so it looks like Lola will be flying out for a week to take care of the boy while Mike and I work.   She's very excited and can't wait to see the boy.  By that time, she will be chasing him around as he will surely be mobile!  

Evolution of the Crawl

Jaden has recently become very interested in resting on his knees, which pretty much completes his crawl position.  Now he just has to learn how to take those steps!

Last night he was in his play yard on his tummy, trying to get to sleep.  I saw him get on his hands and knees and take one awkward step; it wasn't the most coordinated step but a step nonetheless! I woke Mike up to tell him that his son just took his first step towards crawling.  He wasn't surprised because he thinks his son's a genius, anyway...

Here are some pictures of him "practicing."

 

Visit with the Pediatrician

We just got back from Jaden's pediatrician.  Turns out he has an ear infection and sore throat, so he will be on a trial of antibiotics.  He did OK at the doctor's; in fact, he was smiling and talking most of the time.  He did get irritated when he had his ear and throat checked, understandably. 

The nurse weighed him and he's 2 oz. shy of 20 lbs.!   After the doctor wrapped up the appointment, she mentioned that his weight falls in the 97th percentile, meaning that Jaden weighs more than 97% of babies his age.  I asked her if we should put him on a diet, and she said no, that he doesn't look fat; he looks like he has a heavy-set build.   I think he's carrying 5 lbs. in his cheeks.  I can certainly feel what carrying around 20 lbs. on the same hip does to your body - I need chiropractic therapy and massages to relieve the pain! 

Sick Puppies

So, we're all sick.  It started out with Jaden, and then me, and then Mike.  The baby didn't have a fever so I dropped him off at daycare so Mike and I could get some sleep.  I checked in with Lori in the afternoon and she said he doesn't have much of an appetite and that he may have an ear infection, which explains the slight ear-pulling last night.  I made an appointment for this afternoon to get them checked, which should be FUN.   If you will remember, his last Doctor's appointment was disturbingly overwhelming, and if he has any memory of the doctor's table, it will be another traumatic visit.  

I checked in with Christy this morning and she, too, is sick.   I guess I can be thankful that we weren't completely sick when she visited, although this still makes it the WORST possible week to be ill.  My friend, Michelle (Hi, Michelle!) is also my coworker and she will be leaving the company in a matter of days to pursue other career opportunities.  I will be replacing her which will be a huge challenge because I am not in the office to help her wrap things up.   I am at a complete disadvantage but am at least excited as this move will be good for my career (I will be a Business Analyst!).

I hope you all got a link to Christy's Picasa site.  If not, let me know and I'll forward it to you.  It contains all of the pics from Christy's trip.  

I think my husband is throwing up so this wraps up my blog for the day.  Stay healthy!  

Christy's Visit

Hey, everyone...we're back online from a 5-day hiatus.  Our computer died - luckily, we backed up most of our files recently on an external hard drive, otherwise we would have lost all of our pictures of Jaden (phew!)  

Christy visited over the weekend; she helped me a lot with the baby - changing him, feeding him and entertaining him so I could get a couple extra hours of sleep.  We took him for a few walks and ate...a lot.   We went to the beach and took a lot of pictures of the baby - Christy has a new camera so we were trying it out.  Those pictures should be coming soon.   Unfortunately, Christy's trip was quick and by the time she visits again the baby will be crawling.

Jaden's coming down with a cold, we think.  His nose is stuffy and runny and he's a bit cranky right now.  He's in his swing and that's the only thing that seems to calm him besides being held by me.   Other than that, he's doing well!

 

First Taste of Cereal!

Jaden is a couple of weeks shy of 6 months, so I decided that it was time for him to try some big boy food - rice cereal. He's been eyeing our food lately, trying to grab them and put them in his mouth. He's been watching me eat my own rice cereal (Cocoa Krispies) in the mornings with much interest. Lori, our daycare provider suggested trying some cereal to see if it helped with his sleep at night, so we gave it a go. He seemed to somewhat enjoy it! He even opened his mouth wide on a few occasions and didn't resist it. Here are a few snapshots:

Last Night

Last night was quite traumatizing - when I woke up to check on the baby I found him on his stomach in between his "wedge," with the blankets over his head. I thought he had rolled over and suffocated himself. I grabbed him and woke up Mike, and in the process the baby woke up and gave me an irritated look as if to say, "Dang, mom...what did you wake me up for?" I almost passed out from the panic.

Jaden's been trying desperately for a couple of weeks now to roll on his stomach in bed. Because of his wedge, he got as far as sleeping on his side (which he does all the time now). It seems now that he has mastered rolling, wedge or no wedge. He was determined!

Mike checked on the baby after this "incident" and found him again sleeping on his stomach. We'll be transitioning him to his crib very soon so he'll be safer sleeping this way if he insists on it. I know there is a lot of concern nowadays for babies sleeping on their tummies due to the higher risk of SIDS. I've also heard that pediatricians aren't that concerned about the risk if the baby has good control over his neck and head. We are confident that Jaden will be crawling in a month since he loves playing on his tummy and can support half of his body with his arms. We will be watching him and creating a safer sleeping area so if he decides to continue rolling at night he will be OK.