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Baby M turned six months old a couple weeks ago, but we’ve been so busy in
month seven that I’ve hardly had time to blog. Six months felt so much more
eventful than months four and five; there’s so much to share!
For starters we kicked off the month alone with S away for a trip after
having only been home for a couple days after his previous trip. There was
another trip in the middle of the month, but PawPaw and Mamie came to stay with
us for a week, so we weren't really alone. Baby M and I have solo momma & Maddox time down and we don’t
mind it one bit now :) He is SUCH a happy baby!
Sleep
On the very first day of month six, baby M woke up two times at night
and would not go back to sleep without nursing. He hasn’t nursed at night since
month one, with maybe a night somewhere in between. I went to be early the next
night in preparation for a new routine, but he slept his normal 12+ hours from ~7pm
– 7:30am.
The paci fairy came once a night at least half of the time. She swoops
in, sticks a paci in baby M’s mouth and stumbles back to bed barely waking up
in the process. Sometimes the paci fairy doesn’t even remember that she visited
when she wakes up in the morning.
Early in the month I tried to put baby M to sleep without his swaddle. He’s
been napping without a swaddle for a while so I thought he might be able to
handle it at night. I was wrong. After an hour and a half of fussing and crying
and no sleeping, I bounded up the stairs hollering, “don’t worry Maddie,
mommy’s coming, mommy will fix it!” And swaddled him up nice and tight.
I decided to wait two weeks to try again. I planned to give him two
hours to fall asleep before I’d give up and swaddle him and if it didn’t work,
I’d just keep trying every two weeks. I don’t know any three year olds who are
swaddled, so I figured that eventually he’d be ready and there was no need for
me to force it. Two weeks later when S was away on another trip, on M’s 25 week
birthday, I put M down to bed sans swaddle. He grabbed his lovey, rolled to his
side and fell asleep. And woke up at 7:30am. On the next night I watched him
reach for and find a paci and then stick it in his own mouth. The paci fairy
retired. I guess that’s what ready looks like.
During his sixth month, baby M also quit taking the 20 minute micronaps
that he started taking sometime in month three. Back are the days of hour long
plus naps. Their length isn’t quite predictable yet, but without fail, he’s
down for a nap within two hours of waking in the morning and will take a second
sometime in the afternoon. He’s also able to put himself to sleep when we put
him down in his crib at night.
Eat
I started to use my frozen milk stash at daycare this month. In doing
so baby M started to get six ounces at his lunchtime instead of five. The first
few days he didn’t drink it all, but after a week or so he started to down it
all in no time flat.
We also started sending him to daycare with a 2oz snack bottle to have
at 4pm just before we pick him up. He’s a much happier baby when we see him at
4:30 and helps to tide him over, if S gets stuck in traffic on his way home.
Midway through the month I sat baby M in his highchair and gave him a
quarter of an apple to gnaw on. He used his bib to hold it up to his mouth and
loved it! Right around 26 weeks we started Baby Led Weaning. Baby M tried all
sorts of foods including peaches, sweet potatoes, toast, scrambled eggs,
oatmeal, melon, and corn on the cob to name just a few. He even shared a little
taste of french toast when we went out for brunch on my birthday.
He loves to play with his food; mmmmmm it's sooooo good!
Play
Baby M can twirl around 360 degrees on the floor on both his tummy
and back and does his “pony hops” to get around. It’s where he’s on his back
and lifts his bum off the floor and slides across the carpet on the back of his
head. He’s worn a bald spot from the friction of the carpet!
We started a baby yoga class this month. Baby M squealed and laughed
the entire time and then zonked out as soon as we left. Two of the other moms
said “wow, he’s so active, you must be exhausted” I kept it our little secret
that baby M plays hard, but sleeps like he’s got a case of narcolepsy too. He's super active, but it
all evens out.
Baby M attended his first birthday party this month – for one of his
daycare friends who turned 3. There were gaggles of kids! Baby M’s head bobbled
around watching everyone and everything. He wore his special cupcake bib that I
made for him and even tasted a bit of watermelon while everyone else enjoyed
cupcakes.
This month we took our first trip to the kiddie pool, it was a huge hit!
That very afternoon we went to Nola & Grandpa’s house on the Bay
where they surprised baby M with a special red tree swing. It was also a hit!
That evening the Pack n Play was not a hit (worst night since he was first born) and I went and ordered a
special replacement travel mattress the very next day. The PnP sleep was much
better during his next trip. Whew!
Went to the zoo with Mamie and Pawpaw. Baby M found the animals quite interesting
and liked being in the pocket sling, kicking his legs around while I walked. He had his lunch
by the orangutans under a cover because the zoo was a total zoo and he needed a little privacy. The next day we went for a long walk at Great Falls for
mommy’s birthday and baby M slept in the Ergo on daddy’s chest for nearly the
entire hike.
Misc
Mid-way through the month baby M stopped drooling but didn’t get a
tooth. I think it’s because I made him dozens of drool bibs. Not to worry, they’re
great for lifting slippery food into his mouth too.
Baby M had what we thought was his first stomach bug the day after a
playdate with a bunch of babies his age. There was a whole lot of throwing up,
but then after several hours he was fine. Two days later it happened again at
daycare except it was much more violent. We could barely get him into the car
seat and his daycare momma had to go to the doctor’s with us so that he wouldn’t
be throwing up in his car seat in the back without someone to make sure he was
ok. It was very scary. His doctor thought it might be a lingering stomach bug,
but when it happened a week later, she said it’s probably a wheat or gluten
allergy even though he'd eaten toast several times before. He will have bloodwork done in September for a final diagnosis.
Baby M is starting to become cautious of new places and holds on tight
when I’m holding him and he’s unsure of his surroundings. He gives strangers
big smiles when they say hello to him, but wails if I pass him off to be held.
His BumGenius diapers are still on the smallest rise setting and the velcro
touches in the middle. The snaps have one row of snaps open. At night he wears
size 2 disposable diapers.
At his 6month check-up baby M weighed 15lbs, was 26.5” long and has a
big head. He’s in the 18th percentile for weight, 25th
for height and 65th for head circumference. He has six-pack abs that
S and I both envy.
He's so active that all of our monthly photos are like out-takes now. And Mr. Elephant's ribbon is so tasty.
Happy half-birthday, little buddy!
