Happy 1/2 Birthday, Bubba!

Bubba turned six months on Friday, October 10th. Seriously, the very same day it seemed as if I had a different baby. He has been so fussy! I don't know if it's because he's teething or what. Part of my plan for when he turned six months, was to give him rice cereal before bed and really work hard to have him sleep in his crib. Because, I have been exclusively breastfeeding, we have been co-sleeping. It has worked really well for our family until now, because he's so big and so active (even in his sleep). It's just time for him to sleep in his own bed. I decided to try the Ferber method. Dr. William Ferber suggests letting the child self-soothe, but you check on them every so often, give comfort, without picking them up, and gradually increase the time intervals. Supposedly, if done right, the baby should be self-soothing and able to fall asleep in the crib within a week. Last night was difficult. I put him in his crib and he cried and cried. It was awful. I let him cry for about 20 minutes, and I just couldn't take it anymore. I ended up bringing him back to our bed. I tried again today for naptime, and ended up giving in. I just hate to see him cry like that, but I think more than anything I need to disclipine myself. So, as of right now he's sleeping in his carseat. I know, I need to stick with the plan. This is harder than I thought.

It seems like the older kids get, the more challenges that arise. But then again, they become so much more fun, too. Bubba has been much more interactive. He loves to smile and flirt with ladies. He loves to hang out with the boys. He'll sit in his little rocker and watch football with Daddy and his friends. He entertains himself for longer periods of time. He's also almost crawling. He gets around pretty fast by rolling and scooting, but he's almost there. Landon also does push-ups. It's the funniest thing. But anyways, the other day just before naptime when he was so incredibly cranky, I rocked him to sleep. As I was holding in my arms my suddenly quiet and peaceful little boy, I came to realize that, wow, I have been a mother for six months. Half a year has already gone by in my son's life, and it happened so fast. He's already doing so much, and I'm kind of sad. My tiny little baby is no longer a tiny little baby, but I'm excited to see what other surprises he has in store for us. I'm excited to see who he becomes.