Today was Caleb's 6 month dr. check up. He's 26 3/4 inches, 18 lbs 9 ozs, and his head is 17 in something...I can't remember. Dr. said we'll see his weight increase start to ease up now that he's becoming more active and burning off the calories. He also told us that after the vegetables we can start veggie/meat combos...and that he should be eating food-food 3 times a day, 5-10 tbs. per serving. That's good...cuz Caleb can eat his rice and sweet potato, about 7 tbs. worth, easily. He still has some of that tongue-pushing out relfex going on, but is getting better about opening his mouth and swallowing.

Dr. Sumida had to pull his dingding skin back again...apparently, I need to be able to see the ridge around his dingding when I pull back the skin...if I don't, I'm not pulling it back far enough. Poor guy. At least it didn't look that bad as the last time. Dr. also pulled some yucks out of his ear...it's so gross. But it's not like I can do it, cuz I'm not sticking anything into his ear like that...Dr. has a special tool he uses and he quickly pulls what looks like scabby dirt balls out of his ear.

Right now our challenge is getting him to be able to sleep on his own...when I was home with him during the 3rd quarter, I got it to where he could be put down when he was sleepy, turn on the blow dryer, and he'd go to sleep in about 5-10 minutes. No more...he fights us...he doesn't want to sleep, first of all, then when he finally exhausts himself and does fall asleep (with us carrying him), he'll start to fuss and cry immediately after being put down, or even while we're putting him down. My mom tried to the whole "crying it out" thing...but after he wailed non-stop for 30 minutes, even she picked him up. Then I put him in bed with us, where he played for a little bit and then fell asleep. He's very physically needy, like me...I know that he finds comfort in having me right next to him...he'll touch my face or hair or arm and that will soothe him to sleep...but is that a habit I want him to learn? I told Dave that starting tonight our bedtime routine will be as follows...8:45 p.m. bath time...9:15 in the bedroom with lullaby music and bedtime stories...we'll lie down with him in the room until he falls asleep and then move him to his crib. Eventually we'd like to eliminate the lying down with him part...I just don't think the crying it out works for me, or for him...he gets so riled up and then starts to have separation anxiety problems, so that when he does fall asleep again, he knows when we leave him and will start crying again.

Separation Anxiety...He's been doing that even when he's playing...if he's on his jumperoo or on the living room floor, if we leave his sight, he starts to cry. He also knows the difference between me (and Dave) and strangers. He'll start to cry when a new person, especially a new male, approaches or carries him. He'll get over it, but that newness scares him for now. I know it makes people sad cuz it feels like he's rejecting them, but that's just the stage he's in now.

Right now he's lying on the floor...Dave just changed his doodoo diaper...the doodoo is getting more interesting as he eats more real food. It isn't as bad as I thought it would be yet...

That's all for now...lol...gotta keep this journal updated so I can remember all of his milestones!!!