6 Months Old

Happy half-birthday, Sydney!!

one week old:

one month old:

two months old:

three months old:

four months old:

five months old:

six months old:

 

EAT:

Syd is still nursing every 4 hours, 6 times a day...no nighttime break for momma.  She's really been enjoying the solid foods.  Twice a day, she gets 1 Tbsp of baby oatmeal.  She also gets some fruits and veggies; so far, she's had avocado, sweet potatoes, apples, and bananas.  True to her chill personality, she really takes her time eating and chews and swallows each bite before asking for another.  Quite the opposite of speed demon Millie when we started spoon feeding her and couldn't shovel it in fast enough.  A couple of days ago, I introduced the mesh feeder (see pic below) to let her chew on some bananas...she loves it!

SLEEP:

Nighttime sleep has been a disaster.  I have no clue what is going on, but there are nights when I'm up with her every single hour.  Two weeks ago, we took away the pacifier because that seemed to be making things worse when it would fall out in the middle of the night.  Plus, it never really soothed her when we tried to put it back in.  She hasn't seemed to miss it, but sometimes I'll catch her sucking on her fingers to go to sleep.  Sidenote: I do keep a couple of pacifiers in the car because she still gets upset on long car rides; so I guess it isn't 100% banished from our lives yet.

Her pediatrician said one reason she could be waking up in the night is because she isn't getting enough to eat during the day.  She said when babies go to a 4-hour schedule, they often start waking during the night to feed.  That makes sense because her nighttime sleep problems did begin right at 4 months old when we went to a 4-hour schedule.  Although, it doesn't explain why she would be waking up every hour...so I'm not completely convinced.  I guess we need to endure it and hope it's just a phase.  She still gets the best baby award for the waking hours though.  And her napping is going great!  Still two long naps and one catnap most days...and I don't have to do anything other than lay her down in the pack-n-play and she goes to sleep on her own.

PLAY:

Lots of playing going on these days.  She's awake for longer stretches of time, so I've had to start getting more creative and pull out some of Millie's old toys.  She can stand at the activity table for a short amount of time now, but it has so much going on that it heads to overstimulation pretty quickly.  She still plays on the activity mat after eating, where she usually ends up having to share space with Millie.  She spies something she wants and grabs for it...often times getting her hands stuck in Millie's hair, resulting in some panicked yells for help. ;)  She's sitting on her own now and rarely loses her balance.  She can drag a toy off the ground and into her mouth.  Everything goes in her mouth and gets messy with drool...even her toes.  The jumperoo is still a big hit, but I think she is done with the indoor baby swing.  She loves to watch Millie and Beansie.  Tickling and peekaboo produces pretty big belly laughs.   

She's moving out of the 3-6 months clothes and into 6-9 months.  She's wearing a size 3 diaper.

Friday was her 6 month pediatrician appointment.  It was pretty routine, which I suppose is good news.  Stats: weight 17lbs, 1oz (70th percentile); length 26 inches (55th percentile); head 42.5cm (50th percentile).  She received 4 shots though, which is never fun.  However, 6 months in and I've yet to see her shed real tears.  I know she has the ability because I've seen her eyes well up when I've picked her nose a few times. ;)

Dr. Averitt said she seems to be right on track with all of her milestones and skills.  One skill she asked about was if we've heard Syd say any consonants.  I replied that I didn't think so.  Then Dr. Averitt handed Syd this stick to chew on and Syd said "dadadadada" for all the world to hear.  We cracked up and she marked that skill off the list.  High five, Syd.

First time in the playground swing!

Dear Syd Piddles,
I'm sad that my sweet baby is already 6 months old....and what a fun 6 months it has been!  You bring so much joy to our little family.  You aren't shy at all, so you share that joy with others, as well.  I love how you'll smile at anyone who stops to say hi to you.   And I love your deep, throaty laugh.  And I LOVE how you'll let others hold you, which might not seem like a big thing, but it is!  Unlike with my first child, I'm not anxious at all handing you over to someone else.  You are just the chillest (most chill?) little thing...so content and happy to let big sister have the spotlight.  I can see how this partnership between you two is going to work out...each fulfilling a different kind of role in life.   I can't wait to see your bond grow and develop into a real friendship; she already can't get enough of you.  We all fall deeper in love with you as each month passes, Syd.  You just keep getting better.  Baby of mine, you are loved more than you'll ever know.