Bittersweet is the best word I can think of to describe watching Nathan grow right now.

On one hand its hard to see my little baby getting so big and so independent and to know that there is no going back. And with the addition of fruits and veggies to his diet, Nathan has started nursing a little less, which has been a hard adjustment for me.

On the other hand, its amazing to watch this little boy learn so many new things. I swear every day he’s doing something new…grabbing at fabric to feel the textures, learning that pushing buttons on his toys means sound comes out. One of the biggest things is that he’s getting better at expressing himself. He has different noises he makes when he wants more veggies or when he sees the dog. And when I try to put him in his carseat now, he often throws his head back and yells, and stiffens up so I can’t sit him down. Also, when he’s reaching now, its more purposeful, like he really wants to tug Gary’s beard or my hair or touch some object that fascinates him, its not just random hand waving anymore. It’s all very amazing to watch and I know its just going to get better and better.

Oh, and have we mentioned that he’s finally sleeping better? Up until a few weeks ago Nathan was waking up several times a night and we were exhausted. We decided it was time to try the cry-it-out method, which was REALLY hard at first. The first time we did it I sat in the bathroom and cried with him. But then it started working, and knowing that even though he would cry at first, he’d be able to calm himself down, it became a little easier to bear. Not EASY, but easIER. Now he generally only wakes up once, or not at all! Its very nice to get more than 5 consecutive hours of sleep again and hopefully Nathan will continue this new sleeping trend.