6 Months Young

Our little boy celebrates 6 months of survival today. Happy half-birthday, Jude!
It seems like time flew by, but at the same time, he is such a part of our family and our daily lives that it seems like he's been around forever. Ted and I were telling him about the day he was born this morning, and it struck me how MUCH kiddos change in such a short time. Six months doesn't do much to adults developmentally, but babies change so drastically from month to month, sometimes even week to week. Since I'm in reflective mode, here are a few things about Jude's personality that I've noticed:
-He is very laid-back. Since he was born, he has been easily pacified and relatively content. He doesn't have to be engaged in something all the time to be happy, which is a miracle. I can set him in a chair or on the couch or the floor if I have something to do for a few minutes, and he is fine just "being" for a bit.
-He's a total snuggler. I love this. To this day, if he's in the right mood, I can pull him into my lap and snuggle up on the couch to watch a movie or something, and he will hang out like that for a pretty long time. At least once a week, one of his naps is right on my chest. My shirt gets covered in drool and at least one of my limbs falls asleep, but I just sit there and think to myself, "This is exactly why I quit my job:)" He also likes to snuggle with Ted and watch football. And lately, he's been humoring me by letting me hold him tight and slow dance to Louis Armstrong christmas music. He's a good stand-in when Ted's at work;)
-His favorite books are Oh, The Places You'll Go by Dr. Seuss and The Very Hungry Catapiller.
-He will sleep anywhere. I'm thankful that he's flexible about that.
-He has a wise look about him. Strangers always tell me he looks like a wise old soul.
-One of the only things that makes him laugh is when me or Ted quack like a duck. Nothing else is funny to him, at least funny enough to laugh at. He also doesn't laugh very often, so when the mood strikes, I go to town, no matter where we are. We had a recent episode in the corner of Williams-Sonoma, complete with furious quacking and Jude's squeals! Totally worth it.
-His favorite "real" food is butternut squash. He also eats bananas, sweet potatoes, pears, and apples.
-He is addicted to his first 2 fingers on his right hand. They're in his mouth all the time.
-He LOVES Jack. He will stop jumping in his Jumperoo or freeze from whatever he is doing when Jack walks through the room, eyes wide and smiling until he's gone.
-He likes to sing in the car. But he hates it when I chime in. He will stop until I stop singing, and then start again.
-It is becoming more clear that his is a boy. (yes, I knew this). But babies aren't really masculine or feminine at first, and lately I've started noticing boyish stuff that he does. I can't put my finger on it, but its in the way he moves and responds to things sometimes.
-He is sweet. I can already tell he will be a sweet boy, and a sweet and loving man. He appreciates praise and looks genuinely remorseful when I tell him no or stop. I imagine this will change when he's a toddler;)

I also want to celebrate the fact that we've made it 6 months with breastfeeding. He was a natural long before I was, which made it much easier! After some thought, I've decided to continue as long as it makes sense for both of us, reevaluating along the way. He is becoming more interested in his enviroment, which makes it a little trickier, and a weekend girls' trip sounds so great to me right now, but I am OK with waiting a little longer. We go for his 6 month checkup and shots tomorrow, so I'll report back on how he's growing! We are just so proud of our little man in every way, and so thankful for the lessons, challenges, excitement, and smiles that he brings into each day. He brings out the best in both Ted and I, and its just been such an awesome journey. I can't wait for the rest of it. He adds so much to us, and I swear he is always teaching us more about life than we are teaching him. WE LOVE YOU, JUDE!