You are getting more and more fun every day! Not that a newborn who blankly stares at the wall is not fun, (still loved), but you are a little person now! You interact, grab toys, laugh and smile all day long. Well, the laughing is still little treats. I would say they do not even happen daily, (belly laughing out loud). But smiles are ALL THE TIME! Love!
However, we discovered that you do laugh at children! You are amused by their likeness in short stature or something! A couple days ago, we were at your cousin's house, and you watched Sonora run back and forth and jump up and down, and just laughed and laughed for maybe 10 mins straight! You turned your head to keep up with her, laughing all the way! Then we later had you in your bouncy seat and Sahara came up to greet you and you just started laughing at her! It was special!
We have found though, that your laughing is still most often (or easiest attained!) when you are tired! It's that delirious/tired stage that you are not sure to laugh or cry! (and laughing wins! Yay!)
Two days ago we had to say goodbye to your cousins and aunt and uncle. I knew it would be hard at the airport, but did not know it would be hard all day. The crying came in waves off and on all that day. Felt like I was grieving. We really got to know Sonora and who she is as a little person. She was a part of our lives and we love her and Sahara very much. They are family! Then to have them plucked from our lives, the play time and interaction gone for four years, the sadness was overwhelming. I don't know how losing family for 4 years could not be overwhelming. Yes, there is the internet and telephones, etc, but anyone who tries to talk to an active 3 year old on the phone knows that is obviously not the same as getting to hug and squeeze and kiss and play with them in person! It's also the thought that it is not just a short while, a few months to say good bye, but 4 YEARS. They will be different children when they return. Grown children. I can't even imagine. I was also sad for Sonora, because as much as she was a part of our lives, we were a part of hers! She LOVES to see Meme and Grampa. She had so much fun every time our family got together. Meme is so wonderful about having some amazing craft for them to do together every time they went over. I'm sure she has already asked to see them since they arrived there. She does not understand this is long term.
Well, that is the sad part of our lives recently, but of course, you bring joy to us all!
You are rolling! You prefer to roll to your right. So that has made breast feeding on that side interesting! I have to try to make sure there are no distractions around that may warrant your attention! (Or else you roll and milk is everywhere!) Breast feeding in general is easily interrupted if the TV is on, or some noise is going on in the background. I try to feed you in a quiet place so you are sure to eat a good meal!
For Christmas, I received your baby food maker! I can't wait to use it! I think I will try maybe this weekend! You have come to enjoy your oatmeal feedings, so I think you are ready to move on! Just the other day, you lunged at the spoon with a big open mouth! That was so fun to see you wanting to eat like a big boy! (no pacifier persuasion needed!) :)
**However! That particular night, since you downed your 1st small serving of oatmeal, I made you some more, and you ate that 2nd helping great! Then we put you down to sleep and you woke up a bit later, so I got you up and was holding you on the couch when all of a sudden you spit up. Then you continued THROWING UP 4-5 times! It was sad, weird, and eery! You just stared at me, helpless, not understanding what was going on, while you continued to heave all over me. Absolutely COVERED me in milk and oatmeal! You are not sick, so I just assume it may have been because your tummy was too full?! It was so sad. Daddy came and took you and changed you and cleaned you up and said "I'll take care of him, and you take care of yourself." So off he went with you, and I looked down, DRENCHED in throw up, and did not know where to begin! To top it off, you had just gotten a bath that evening, and I had JUST sat down from getting out of the shower myself! So I peeled off my shirt and pants and took a 2nd mini shower! It was cray-zay!
So that was your first time to throw up! Fun!
I am not sure what you weigh now because we do not go to the doc this month, and our home scale has always been off from the doc scale. We did measure you though and you are 26". Grew one inch last month! (go to the doc next month!)
Your 6 month size clothes fit best in disposable diapers. (were in disposies a lot this month with staying at Birdie's for Christmas, and then at Aaron and Nanette's before they left!) But in your cloth, you are totally in a 6-9 and really a 9 month size is comfortable on you. (I spent all day yesterday reorganizing your dresser and washing/putting away your 9 month clothes to be worn!)
I always feel silly washing and hanging clothes for the next size up because it feels like a long time until you will be able to wear them, and then before I know it, you have out grown the current size you are wearing! To me, size 6 months clothes should still be too big for you, but you can easily fit in to size 9 month! So cray cray.
Some current events for you are:
- when do we start you in your big boy car seat?
- when do we start puree veggies/fruits..... (SOON!)
- Weaning/formula!!
- ditching the swaddle to sleep at night... cry it out... getting you to sleep all night!
As for the weaning, Daddy and I are taking a little getaway for our 10 year dating (!) anniversary in March. You will stay with Meme. We will be gone for 4 days and that is a perfect time to wean. To be honest, I feel like any day now, I could be happy to wean. BUT! Then when you are actually latched on and nursing, I know I will miss it so much. It is totally 50/50 on advantages versus disadvantages. It is convenient to nurse at times, (don't have to carry bottles/formula!), but then inconvenient if you are in mixed company to excuse myself to go nurse you alone in a different room.
I know the bond trumps it all though. Knowing that you need me and no one else in the world can do for you what I can. I love just the feeling of you latched on and getting your nourishment, and .... just that bond! I don't know how to put it in to words.
So I don't know, I go back and forth, but I will be happy to make it 6 months of breast feeding. I know many women think you should for at least a year, or heck, I breast fed until I was 2! But I do think it will be harder to wean, the longer I wait and you are aware, because you will know that life is different and you are not attached to Mommy's chest! (and you may want to still be!)
I don't know why I'm feeling like your time on the breast is up. I know it is the best nutrition for you. It does help that you are at the age where you will be interested in other foods, so I am not taking away your only source of food that you require right now. I also know that if the date of when to wean were up to me to randomly choose, that would be hard as well, so I am glad that we are taking that trip in March, and that gives me a deadline. Sort of takes the guilt off a bit, of when to bite the bullet.
My tentative plan is to start mixing formula with breast milk in bottles around your 6 month b-day. Then that gives me 6 weeks before our trip to get you totally weaned and solely on formula. I already bought the formula the other day!
Oh, the swaddle. We are going to have to go cold turkey I think. I have tried numerous, numerous times in the past to get you to sleep without a swaddle. I would make a single attempt, you'd cry, then I'd give up and swaddle and you'd sleep. But it's to the point now that it's a no-win situation. Without the swaddle you cry, but in the swaddle, you are too big for it now, so you eventually (without fail!) wiggle your way out, so you end up waking up crying anyways because you wiggled out and your arms are loose! So you still wake up at night. Really, on average, we are down to just about one wake-up per night, right around 3 am. I feed you at that time, then re-swaddle, and you go right back to sleep until around 6:30 or 7. Then Daddy still brings you in to me in bed (because Daddy gets up every morning at 6:30 to start his day), and I feed you in bed for a short bit.
Last night however, you woke up crying 4 times! Just swaddle issues! I'm ready to try to cut it out, and then see how we do about sleeping through the night. We'll have to have some tough nights ahead with cutting out that last middle-of-the-night feeding as well. Momma is ready for a full night's sleep! After 5 months, it is honestly to the point that I HAVE NO IDEA what that is like. I have forgotten! I expect every single night to wake up in the night. It's just a part of my routine, no big deal. But.... 'twould be nice to get some sleep around here!
However, your day time napping has become amazing! We always knew your nursery gets a lot of light in the day, but I still napped you in there because you would sleep. But about a month or more ago I tried napping you in Mommy and Daddy's pitch black bedroom on our bed, just to try it, and you slept for 2 hours! (compared to 45 mins!!!) Mommy can get A LOT more done during your naps now! :)
So now all of your naps are on our bed! We also have a white noise machine in there, and I give you a paci, wrap up your body in a blanket, with your arms tucked in, (in lieu of a swaddle), sleep you on your back, and surround either side of you with pillows (since you are rolling!), and you sleep away for 1.5 - 2 hours! (right now you are napping, hence the time to blog!)
My pillow is contoured, with an indention for my neck, so I use that pillow for you, so your head can rest in that nook. You love (just like your Daddy!) to rub your face on the pillow or blanket to help you fall asleep. You nuzzle and snuggle and get comfy. So I usually turn you on your side so you can nuzzle my pillow. I think the fact that the pillow smells like Mommy probably helps as well! :)
You take 3-4 naps a day. (worky time for Momma!)
You have discovered blowing raspberries! So cute. This just happened maybe a week or so ago. I could not believe my ears to hear that coming from you! It's like a real sound! Not just baby babble. I also think it's funny that you remember how you did this, and do it randomly during the day! You are a baby. One would think you'd do something accidentally, and then forget how to re-do it! (but not our smart boy...)
You open your mouth when we hold up your pacifier! So cute! You know where that goes! Also, sometimes you will grab your paci out of your mouth and chew on it, and put it back in yourself!
You are a jumpy guy! If a loud noise goes off behind you, you jump! Random things will startle you, and not always the same thing! You jump high!
Sometimes if we start up a loud conversation, you jump, but sometimes not! Always though...ALWAYS, you HATE the vacuum! If I'm not holding you while I vacuum, you definitely cry! I have learned to put you in the baby carrier if I vacuum, or else you fear for your life!
You also do not like to have your face covered. You don't like putting on a shirt, (covering your face), or having a blanket or toy cover you! (a good thing!)
We have just noticed how long your hair on top of your head has gotten. It's really coming in! It looks long enough to have a part to the side. Also looks like it will be blond!
Oh! And your eyes are officially "hazel"! They are sometimes blue, sometimes gray, but mostly green. Like an olive/army shade of green. The very center of your eye, by your pupil has a light shade of brown in it. So beautiful! Mostly, in pics, your eyes look like a dark blue-green. Love that they are unique!
Your ear hair is gone! This made me curiously sad. The hairs on the outside of your ear were your newborn hairs. They stayed for a long time and Daddy feared they were permanent. (he was happy to see them go!) :)
Just made me sad because that was a part of you as a newborn that is now gone. The last newborn part!
You really love to lay on the ground on a blanket and kick your legs and flail your arms. You love the freedom! We have many toys on the ground for you that you play with and chew on. If you are held for too long, or in your car seat for too long, it is obviously a relief to you when you are finally put on the floor to stretch out!
You are getting so long that we are having bath issues. You do not sit up, so you need your baby bathtub, but you are too big to bathe on the kitchen counter anymore, (water gets everywhere!). We have tried putting your tub in the hall bath and me lean over the bath tub, and we have also tried putting your tub in the bottom of our master bath shower and me doing it there, but both were uncomfortable. I think we have decided that we have to join you now! Probably put your tub in the hall bathtub and either Daddy or I sit in the tub with you and bathe you easier that way! (until you can sit anyways!)
You "tripod" sat at Birdie's house over Christmas (on 12-27-11)! All by yourself! Too big too fast! It's fun, yet oh so heart breaking to watch you grow. Each new phase does bring more fun things out in your personality, but it's incredible to look back at your newborn pics.
Christmas was wonderful! We spent Christmas Eve at Daddy's family's house with aunt, uncle, cousins, 2nd cousins, etc. Then Christmas morning was just us 3 at home!
Then we loaded up and headed to Meme and Grampa's for the day! Everyone was there. It was a beautiful day of opening gifts, eating a delicious meal, and enjoying family time.
The next day we really loaded up, 2 dogs and all!, and headed to Birdie's for 2 days. We spent the night that night and played Spades with Daddy and Aunt Mary and Birdie, then opened gifts once Uncle George arrived (had to work that day), and ate delicious food! The next day Birdie babysat you while Mommy and Daddy went to a movie! (We forget, but we think that was our first movie since you were born!!) We saw Sherlock Holmes 2. We enjoyed the date time out, but we came back to a very sad baby. Birdie did a great job with comforting you all she could, but you were past the exhausted point and needed comforting to fall asleep. You were back to yourself after a nap!
We've brought you to friend gatherings lately and we are just getting used to how our life has changed in that regard. We do not know if you will be hungry or tired once we arrive, (to some degree, we do, but not the exact time you will need something), so planning a get-together time with friends is hard, BUT, what we hear most from every single person that meets you is what a good baby you are. We can be at a friend's house for a couple hours and nary a peep is heard from you. You sit happily, staring around, and are just content! You are TRULY a miracle baby. You have such an easy, happy disposition. I can run errands with you in your car seat, and you (for the most part!) just hang out happily! It's to a fault sometimes, (my fault!) because since you are such a happy baby while we are out, I forget and stay out too long, then once we are in the car, we get the I'M EXHAUSTED cry because we have pushed you too far. That's not fair to you, and I try not to! You are just too good!!!
:)
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