Kanan is sooooo close to being fully mobile. Check him out in action here!

Yes, Kanan has officially caught his first cold. And of all the times to catch it, his symptoms arise exactly 24 hours after his dad Mike left for Mexico for a week on a surf trip. “Call him” you might say. I would if his phone worked that far south but that is not the case. And he has his number forwarded to his business partner Brad. Meanwhile, Kanan is sneezing gallons of snot, he is coughing, he can’t sleep well because he can’t breathe and he can’t eat well for the same reason. When he is not eating or sleeping, he has moments of happiness if I can distract him from his misery with live puppet shows and tickling. He woke up at 3 am last night and finally fell back asleep after crying for an hour and half because he was miserable. At first, I wasn’t sure why he was so upset but then I heard his congested breathing and figured it out. I finally put him in his infant seat (poor baby is so big, his legs dangle off of it from the knees down and the safety harness won’t even fit him) to keep his head elevated and squirted saline in his nose to break up the snot and he finally went back down. Of course I set up the infant seat in my bed so he had me next to him to comfort him if he needed it.

Today his room is set up for sick mode. He is napping in his infant seat right now, which I placed in his crib with the vibration on. I have the vaporizer plugged in to help him breathe and a Vicks Vapor Plug In, which emits menthol vapors into the room to help also. He won’t let me aspirate his nose so I have to hold his arms with one arm and hold his head with the other while also trying to use the aspirator with the same hand and keep from crying myself because he is screaming and crying real tears. He has eaten a total of 8 oz in the last 6 hours which is half of what he normally drinks. I have to go to work tomorrow and thank god, his day care provider Bobbi is willing to still take him in but only because he is the only kid she has right now so she won’t have to worry if he is contagious. But if he develops a fever or he becomes too much to handle, I will have to get a substitute and take care of the little boy during the day myself because his Dad won’t be here to help. Regardless, I know I will have to wake up to help soothe my sweet, sick little man multiple times tonight and perhaps the next few nights until he feels better and I will not be able to have Mike help me with shifts. “Give him some cold medicine” you might advice. Well I looked into them and all the ones they have for infant nasal congestion have pseudoephedrine in it. Sure that stuff will clear his nose, but it will also make his heart race and make him hyper, not sleepy. So cold medicine is out of the question. So after little sleep, I will have to wake up extra early to get ready for work, feed and get Kanan ready for daycare, drive him there, and be at work by 715. Then after work, race back to Bobbi’s to pick up the little boy and be mommy nurse until he goes to bed, at which point I will have to work on grading and lesson planning. Thank goodness I have coffee. Boy will I deserve a back massage when Mike gets back. Wish me luck! And by the way, single mommies out there, how do you do it?

He is 6 months old, weighs 18 lbs, hasn’t gone in to get his 6 months shots but will in a couple of weeks. He is sleeping through the night consistently now, just hit a growth spurt a few days ago and drank like 40 oz within a 24 hour period. Overnight he reached the milestone of being able to hold himself in crawling position and rock back and forth. I tried catching it on video here, but it only shows a quick glimse at how well he can rock. I suspect crawling will be here within the month!! I better start locking my cabinets and putting plugs in all the electrical outlets! Ah…just one more thing to add to my busy little life.  I’m absolutely exhausted and flying by the seat of my pants, but I am happy. So I suppose despite the chaos, life is good.  Click HERE for photos too!

This last month has been our favorite by far. One thing all those books I read that is for certain true is the magic date of the 4 month birthday. Kanan has really developed into a little boy this month and remains a greater joy than ever before. This last month, we have gone to the beach,  daily walks around the neighborhood, grocery shopping and out to eat. We even went on a 5-day vacation to Rock Creek near Mammoth and Kanan loved it there. He did an amazing job handling the altitude and the 6-8 hour drive there and back. We have tried to give the little boy many fun experiences from which he can learn. We think he is really enjoying his little life and it is an honor to be the ones to introduce the little things we take for granted but he finds amazing— the smooth texture of a flower petal, the softness of the satin edge of a blanket, the circular movement of a ceiling fan, the laughter of children at play, the refreshing water beads that condensate on the outside of a cold beverage, or even the sweet and earthy taste of peas. For pics click HERE! For videos, including one of Kanan discovering his tongue, click HERE!

Communication–Kanan has really grown into a little boy. He cries only if he is hungry or really tired and instead whines to communicate his frustrations. He loves to “talk” and makes the most interesting noises. One that he say’s often for some reason is “elw” and “amy.” He will sometimes say “mum” but not as much as he used to. When he doesn’t want to be in a certain place or position he communicates his desire to move by arching his back and reaching his arms out for us to pick him up. When he does want something he is excited about, he kicks his legs over and over, purses his lips out, widens his eyes, and squeels.

Sight–Kanan can really see now and is very aware of the little things because of this. He discovered the dogs this month and is facinated with them. He just stares and watches and them when ever they cross his vision. He has tried to pet them, but just seems to want to pull their hair, which of course doesn’t make them happy, so we are often flattening his hand and running it over their coats and saying, “nice touch.” During our walks, while Kanan still notices the flowers and trees, he has now gained a sense of appreciation for signs and people. He studies people very carefully and will twist his neck to continue watching them. This of course, just gets everyone smiling and talking about him.

Taste–We are working on those little taste buds since Kanan has begun trying out solids. We are not giving him full on meals but just having him get used to the spoon and different foods while waiting 3 days before we offer him something new. He is indifferent to rice cereal unless its mixed with something. He loves peas, likes green beans, loves sweet potatoes and pears, and is moody about bananas.

Physical Development–Kanan is a hair shy of 17 lbs (16 lbs 14 ounces) is 27 inches long and remains in the 90th percentile for his age. He wears size 3 diapers 6-9 month clothing. He can roll from back to tummy and tummy to back. He can sit up with his boppy pillow supporting him and loves to sit in his high chair because he can play with multiple toys that way. He can transfer his toys back forth between his left and right hands and can take his pacifier out of his mouth and put it back in. He loves his jumparoo he borrowed from his 1-year-old friend Nolan and jumps in it everyday. He loves it.

Sleep--Kanan naps fairly well through out the day. He normally takes two long naps and one short nap and goes to bed between 7 and 8pm every night. He has slept through the night about 6 times in the last 2 1/2 weeks and even did last night after his vaccinations, which surprised us because he woke up a billion times the night of his 2 month vaccinations.