James at 6 months!

Wow oh wow, how quickly half a year flies by:  James is 6 months old! 

My mind becomes so overwhelmed when I allow myself to consider where we were 6 months ago compared to now.  The journey James has been on seems so huge to me, so life changing-but in good ways, and in ways that have made our family grow together.  We love James so much and we are so grateful for the blessing he is to our family.  Here's some of the things he's up to this month:

James started just doing sink baths this month.  I realized this is of no huge consequence, but all my other kids have loved the tub-this guy, not so much.  I think he rather enjoys looking in the mirror and the closer confines of a sink. Whatever works-plus, he looks cute!

 James' scar is looking fantastic 6 months post op!  I generally notice the chest tube scar before I actually notice the incision scar.  This month it seems that the scar has widened slightly, but that is probably a result of James growing.  He started developing a rash around it this month as well,but we zapped it pretty quick with some hydrocortizone.  I can still see the spots where the pacers went in, and where they did his pyloricstenosis surgery, but those are very small.

 James is still uber happy when he is happy with huge goofy smiles and wide bug eyes!  He loves, loves, loves to eat his feet-more than any other kid I've had.  He also loves to stick his entire fist in his mouth-I am sure he is going to pop a tooth soon!  James talks all the time, definitely heard some "mama"s in there, but of course, doesn't mean anything quite yet.  James loves toys right now-I mean, loves them so much.  He grabs any toy within reach to investigate it and then eventually shove it in his mouth.  As such, he loves standing in his exersaucer or his jumper to play with toys.  He still loves his swing, and I am glad from that sense that his is still small so he can still use it. 

 James has started to figure out how to put his binkie back in his mouth, which is a nice new trick!  He can sit up suported for a good while, and momentarily on his own.  He rolls both ways now, though not very frequently, and he is getting better at kicking himself around in circles.  He has always been great at craning his head around, and with the exhuberant kicks his legs are capable of, he ends up moving himself around quite a bit.

 Night times are starting to become adenturous for me.  James has had some great nights/weeks this month where he sleeps 5 hours straight.  I have been getting stricter with him about not nursing, rather just replacing his binkie, rocking him, and then letting him fuss back to sleep.  I think its important for kids to learn to self-soothe, and I have to admit, I have definitely catered to James more than the other kids given his heart conditions.  Thus this month has been tricky, especially the last few weeks with James starting to wake up again every 2-3 hours.  For the most part I stay strong and rock him back to sleep without feeding him, but there have definitely been nights where I just end up thinking, fine, eat so we can both go back to sleep.  Jared and I have started to consider when he will move to his own room, I just have a hard time considering this because if he has surgery sooner than later, I am just going to move him back in next to me..Interesting tidbit about James, he is still a swaddler!  I only swaddle him when he goes to bed, and it is very soothing to him, which I love.  I only have 3 blankets that are big enough to swaddle him though!

 James had his first more interactive zoo trip this month-ie, the first time I have really taken him out of his stroller and described animals to him.  Karianna took a turn in the orangutan exhibit! He got to play in the splash pad as well, which was honestly necessary because it was so hot!  There is a reason we really only go to the zoo for the splash pad during the summer...

 James also took his first camping trip this month.  He did so fantastic, I was super impressed with how well he tolerated the cold, took naps, and enjoyed the outdoors.  He is still content enough to sleep in his carseat, which was a lifesaver in terms of keeping him warm!

 Toe Proof.  :)

 James is eating baby food now, and has been since about 2 weeks into this month.  He is now eating twice a day and has started fighting the spoon a little bit-all part of the process.  He is such a wiggleworm, sometimes it is hard to strap him down in a position that will allow me to feed him without making a huge mess!  I usually feed him reclined in my lap honestly, as that's the best way to trap his arms!  James has also started drinking water with a slight bit of juie in it.  Sometimes he loves it and other times he won't touch it.  :)

 James goes to the cardiologist next month, and as of right now, is doing great in terms of his heart.  We still fail to see any difference between him and other 6 month olds until you look at his chest or look at his chart.  His health otherwise has been perfect.  He had his first fever of his life just a few days ago, which went away after a few sponge baths. 

 I'll have updated weight/length stats on James next week when he goes in for his appointment, so I'll come back and update those at that point.  Such a wonderful little boy who we love so much!  Happy 6 month birthday James!