Happy 1/2 Birthday!!!

Brayden turned 6 months old today! What a big boy he has become. I don't have his doctor's appointment until next Monday so I am not positive of his stats. According to our home scale and measuring tape, we think Brayden is about 20 lbs and 29 inches (give or take a smidge). He is a sturdy boy. He started rolling over last weekend and is now a rolling machine. We have trouble holding him still sometimes (foreshadowing what's to come I'm sure!) Today he started sitting up unassisted for a few minutes. He is still quite wobbly but managed to do it for a while.

On Brayden's 3 month birthday I made a list of my top 10 favorite things about him. Now that he is twice that age, I am making a new list. So as of 6 months, these are my favorite things about my adorable son!!!

1. Giggling- It is so much easier to make Brayden giggle these days. The highlight of my day is getting some giggles out of that cute little face.

2. Smiles- Brayden is smiling all the time now. My favorite smiles come when I haven't seen him in a while and he sees me walk in the room. I get these when I come home from work and when I lean over his crib when he wakes up. It is amazing how a smile can make you feel so loved.

3. Feedings- Brayden is a pro at his solid feedings now. He LOVES his food. I really enjoy feeding him solid food, in fact, for a while at the beginning, I scheduled his feedings so that I could do all of them.

4. Sleeping- I love when Brayden sleeps in my arms. This doesn't happen very often anymore now that we have him successfully on a sleep schedule (in his crib). Sometimes while rocking him to sleep I hold him and remember what it was like when he would sleep all morning in my arms or on my chest.

5. Rolling- Brayden is much more mobile now. I love how excited he gets when he rolls over. He worked really hard to learn to do it and finally figured it out. He is such a character.

6. Mornings- He is still a morning person just like dad. I am still learning to be nice in the morning. ;-) Now that we have had some nice weather, we spend our warmer mornings outside playing with toys and watching the garbage truck, mailman and school bus.

7. Reading- I am so glad that Brayden enjoys being read to. I am teaching him how to turn the pages and I am hoping he will be able to soon. We read books when he wakes up and he sits and listens for 10-15 minutes. I really hope his love of reading stays with him.

8. Distractibility- Brayden is a great baby but he does have his fussy times. I am really enjoying that he is getting easier to distract. He loves music so I have found that if I start singing, he will stop crying. I never would have thought that MY singing could do that. ;-) We have also been able to distract him by taking him outside. He loves his walks in the stroller and the bjorn.

9. Bath time- Brayden now gets bathed every night due to his eczema. It has really helped it clear up. Although a bath every night is work, I really enjoy watching Brayden enjoy his baths. No matter how fussy and tired he is, he still loves his bath. He is now starting to play with his bath toys (his bath books are his favorite), and splash around. He outgrew his baby tub months ago, so he is in the regular tub.

10. Watching Brayden and daddy play- Jeff is finally able to "play" with Brayden. They play airplane and Brayden LOVES it. Jeff lays on his back and holds Brayden over him. He then flies him and makes airplane noises. Both boys are enjoying this "big boy" game. I think Jeff will continue to love this game until Brayden pukes on him. ;-)