Kaden at 6 Months

We spent a few minutes taking pictures for his six month pics.  He was only good for a minute.  His smile is a little drunk and goofy, but that’s pretty typical actually.

He’s a very sweet baby most of the time, but he has his cranky days and those ones are pretty miserable.

He was barely starting to sit up when we took his pictures.  That was just like Sadie was too.

He loves Mom and will get mad if I don’t come pick him up when I get home.  He tries to jump out of other people’s arms to get to me.  But he does love Dad too.  He will be playing happily on the ground and Ryan will walk by and Kaden will get so mad that he just walked by and didn’t pick him up!  One of my favorite things is when he wraps his tiny arms around my neck, and then he usually grabs my hair in both hands and tries to gnaw on my chin.  Dylan used to do that.  He was rougher, though.  Kaden has two teeth now, and he doesn’t bite much.  Sometimes he bites.  Sometimes when Kylee’s holding him he will bite her shoulder.  He eats hair a lot too. 

He is very smiley and likes to give anyone smiles who talks to him, which makes strangers at the grocery store very happy, as well as people at church. 

I was a couple weeks late getting him to the Dr for his six month visit.  We were late for four months so we had to be late for the six month shots too.  When the Dr examined him, he said, “he seems to have a really good disposition.”  True.  He is a really good baby.  As evidenced by the trips to the water park and lake. 

He weighed in at 16lb 11oz = 23%.  Height was 27.5 in (not really, his head wasn't even touching the top when she measured him) = 68%.  His head is 18 in = 93%.  He doesn't seem like his head is that big, but it's not surprising.  He does resemble Kylee and she had a large noggin.  The Dr said his BMI was like 10% or something, but when he was looking at him he said he doesn't look scrawny.  We decided most likely he wasn't as tall as she measured, which would raise his BMI if he's shorter.  He's got a few rolls and he is doing just fine size-wise.

He is SO very inconsistent with his sleeping and eating schedule.  I think by the fourth child you kind of have to be laid back.  I think this would have drove me crazy with my first two kids.  But now I know it will eventually get to normal and I’m not worried.  Though it is hard for me, as someone who likes to plan and have schedules.  Even his night-waking is really inconsistent.  He goes through phases where he will wake around 5 or 6.  Then a few days where he sleeps until 8 without waking (those don’t happen much anymore, and I can only imagine it’s because he’s growing but I don’t know).  But lately he has been wanting to wake once earlier and then again around 6 or 7.  I have let him fuss a few times around 1 am because I just don’t think he needs to be eating that early.  I would prefer he not wake until 4 at the earliest.  He never put up much of a fight.  He just fussed a little and then went back to sleep.  One time he was still crying after like 20 minutes so I went in and fed him.  Occasionally he will wake when I put him down for the night and start fussing, but I know he’s tired so I let him fuss.  He doesn’t get that upset, just fusses for a bit and then goes to sleep.  He takes his pacifier less than half the time at night and for naps.  But if he’s fussing he will take it.  He loves his blanket and will rub it on his face when he’s tired.  He still naps in his swing.  Occasionally when I know he is tired but he’s not falling asleep while nursing, or it isn’t time to nurse and I’m just rocking him, I will set him in his swing with his blanket and pacifier and turn the swing on.  He falls asleep and then I go in and turn the swing off and let him sleep.  I think it’s funny that he sucked his thumb for a few days a couple months back but it never stuck.  You would think he would’ve liked that and kept it up.  Oh well.

I guess my point is that he is not a terrible sleeper, even if he does wake at night.  He doesn’t fight sleep, which is so, so great.  It is SO frustrating to have kids that hate sleep.  Kylee never wanted to sleep, but she didn’t scream about it so much.  Dylan kicked and screamed and really hated sleep.  Sadie and Kaden have both been much easier with sleep.  Which is why he was able to fall asleep in my arms at the lake and stay asleep when I laid him on the towel in the middle of all of us.  That would not have happened with Kylee or Dylan.

Kaden still spits up.  Not huge amounts usually, just sometimes.  Mostly just a little bit all the time.  He’s also very slobbery so he’s always got a wet shirt.  Dylan was like that too. 

The kids sure have a lot of fun with him.  Kylee LOVES holding him and walking around with him and being down on the floor playing with him.  It’s helpful that I can hand him off to her when I need both hands to do something at the store or at home too.  The kids all love to make him laugh and Dylan and Sadie give him more kisses and hugs than you can imagine.  Like, I’m trying to send them to bed and they keep coming back for more hugs and kisses, and Dylan also has to rub his head a little.  He’s one loved baby for sure.