6 months

Well, it is hard to believe, but on November 14th, our baby hit his biggest milestone yet. . .6 months! He is bigger and better than ever and we can't figure out where the time has gone. It is funny how when you are uncomfortably pregnant, the months drag on and on, yet when you have a sweet little baby to love on each day, the time seems to vanish into thin air.

It's no secret here that our baby is growing by leaps and bounds. His official weight this time was a little surprising to me though. I thought for sure he would break the 20 pound barrier, but surprisingly, he was a straightforward, no nonsense, even. . .

18 pounds! Still huge, but not as over the top as I had thought. I guess packing around all this dead weight every day takes its toll and feels like more than it actually is! He is above average in both height and weight and his head is now in the average bracket. Indeed, he is growing and it is showing!

Not only has our boy been packing on the pounds in this past 6 months, but he has also been busy learning some new tricks! He does a funny thing with his tongue, pokes it in and out like a little snake! Who knows why?, but we think it is adorable.

He can sit up completely on his own now and that has made life so much easier. I don't dare leave him without the Boppy tucked around though, he tends to grab for anything and everything in sight and the Boppy transforms his falls from trauma and drama to smooth and sweet.

Once he's down, he rolls all over and I can never keep him contained on a nice clean blanket. I am dreading the days, shortly ahead, of having to keep the floor spotless. We are grateful, for the time being, that he is still pretty immobile and content to play with just about anything within his grasp not excluding his feet and fingers. He giggles and giggles when he is content (small spurts of time throughout the day).

He is still pretty high strung and NOT a home-body (like his mom) though. He much prefers to be out and about. He jabbers away like he is telling us ALL about his adventures! When I am at the store, shoppers always comment on how talkative he is:)

He is starting to inch his way into the "stranger anxiety" phase though. He will definitely let you know if you are invading his personal space.

He's happiest when his mom or dad or even his brothers are around; preferably holding him (making it increasingly difficult to get to that huge pile of laundry in the background there)!

Steve some how brings out the relaxing side of him. He is content to chill on Steve's lap for great amounts of time. He does not do this for me! He is usually more excited and CRAZY when I am holding him. I am not sure what Steve's secret is or what I am doing wrong?, but he pretty much tries to devour me when I am holding him!

Currently we have been using the nickname "Raven Claw" (yes, paying homage to Harry Potter) or sometimes "Razor Claw" because of his crazy need to claw at anything and everything! Eyeballs, hair, our faces are not excluded from his tiny claw grasp. I literally have to clip his nails every other day, it's absolutely mandatory!

The other day a friend of mine asked if he is sleeping through the night yet. I laughed! He is still not even close to that milestone, but I am not stressed in the least about it. He is getting better slowly and I don't mind feeding him in the night. I actually think I am cherishing it this time around. He is consistently waking at around 2 am and again at around 7 am. That's not too bad. Sometimes he'll even go back to sleep after his 7 am feeding letting me get a quick jump start on the day.

He did surprise us on his half-birthday though, with sleeping in his CRIB for the first time evah! We put him to bed in his crib (like we have tried to do dozens of times past) but this time, he ACTUALLY slept in it!!!!! This was huge for us! Up until that day he had been sleeping in his car seat. I guess he finally realized the benefit of being able to sprawl out!

Yes. This boy is crazy. He is particular, even persnickety about funny little things. But we love him, quirks and all! I remember when he was still in the womb and moving like crazy and even getting the nurses to scratch their heads at his above average need to move and groove, now we know why! He marches to the beat of his own drum and is perfectly content to do it!

One thing is for sure. This sweet little babe is just about the best thing that has happened to us in a long time! This year, when we look back on our blessings and start with the counting of them, this sweet boy will be at the top of all our lists! It would be impossible to love him anymore than we already do! Happy Half-Birthday Mr. Brayden!