one week old:
six months old:
EAT:
Still nursing approximately every 4 hours; usually 5 times a day. That 5th time is anywhere between 2 and 5am, it never seems to be at the same time. Then she goes back to sleep until around 7, or sometimes earlier when Millie wakes her up. I know I should try to get rid of that 5th feeding in the middle of the night...she doesn't need it. But goodness, she is the stubborn one....our little Taurus. My goal is to have that 5th feeding gone by her 11 month post. ;) I am so pleased that I've been able to nurse her this long. I never had a specific length of time in mind because after my experience with Millie and her biting, I knew I would need to be flexible. Since Syd has exactly zero teeth, it has been such an easy road....and I plan to do it as long as I need to. Hopefully, we can transition her straight from breastfeeding to whole milk after her first birthday. I really want to avoid the formula bottles with this one.
One of her bouts of stubbornness is showing with the sippy cup. She took it great for a couple of weeks with her pear juice, then she decided she was done with it one day and hasn't taken a drink since. I've tried changing up the sippy cups and still no luck, she pushes it away. However, I still always put a sippy cup full of water at every meal, I can only assume that one day she'll be thirsty enough to take a drink. I've moved her probiotics to her morning bowl of oatmeal and fruit puree, which has worked out well because she eats every last drop.
New this month is finger foods! She very daintily picks up a piece of food with thumb and forefinger...and then shoves her entire hand in her mouth. Such a lady. She loves puffs and cooked pieces of carrots and peas. She's also had some mushy pear and apple bits, and (surprise!) some avocado. She still makes a strange face with the avocado, but at least it's not coming back out.
Nighttime sleep still the same as last month...still getting up once a night for a quick bite. She's definitely down to only 2 naps a day now: morning nap around 9am and afternoon nap around 1pm. This usually works out okay as long as she takes at least a 2 hour nap in the afternoon. If she wakes up earlier than 3pm, then getting her to wait until 7pm bedtime is tricky. I've had to curtail some of Millie's morning activities though because Syd won't always nap in the Ergo carrier anymore. And if she does, it isn't a good nap for her...so I've tried making sure I'm home for morning nap time the majority of the week. This has really put a wrench in my plans for those precious MDO days. :) She's great at being flexible though and isn't really the meltdown type of baby at all, so it doesn't give me anxiety to take her some place during nap time like it used to (still does) with Mills.
PLAY:
The biggest milestone this month was Syd becoming a walker, but I guess she's decided to hold off on that for awhile. She walked quite a bit for about 3 days, then I think she got tired of the falls because she doesn't walk much anymore...certainly not unless we stand her up and have her walk to either of us. She prefers to cruise around and crawl, and she's so fast at both! There is no limit to her cruising around, she goes from fireplace to door to wall to activity table to couch and all back again. But even if it would only take her a couple of steps without holding on to something to get to her destination, she's now choosing to get down and crawl. She really is laid back about the whole thing. Funny to remember when Millie took her first steps and how she never looked back...she was a walker from that point on. At least Syd can say that she walked at the same exact point as Mills: 9 3/4 mos old..neither one gets the bragging rights ;)
Syd has also started dancing this month, which is crazy adorable. She won't do it on command, she just does it on her own when there is a song with a good beat playing. I've noticed that she seems to do it the most to Pharrell's Happy song, so that has been on quite a bit at our house lately. She has a jerky head bob thing going on. I hope to get some video of it soon.
Other things she enjoys:
She gets the biggest smile on her face when I sit down to read to her. We've had a slow start with reading because for the longest time, she wouldn't quit trying to eat the books. She also loves to swing at the park. She loves anything to do with Millie, and she'll happily play alongside Millie almost anywhere in the house. She really loves bath time with Millie and playing in the big tub. She's discovered that the play tunnel can be fun, and she really enjoys clearing all of the play food off the shelves of Millie's little fridge. We are always amazed at how long she can entertain herself. She does the funniest thing that my explanation won't do justice to its cuteness: whenever she's standing at something (fireplace, bench, etc.) and someone comes towards her while talking to her, she starts stamping her feet and doing a little jig while squealing...she's sooo excited that someone is coming to play with her.
Things she does NOT enjoy:
getting lotion-ed and dressed after bath time, having her face wiped after meals, diaper changes, not being allowed to eat if others are eating
tiny strawberry birthmark on her left side of abdomen
Dear Syd Pid,
This month you've really found your voice and are constantly babbling, screeching, talking, laughing, and making all sorts of sounds. And all of those sounds are so LOUD! You love to jabber away to me when you've finished nursing...something I want to remember forever, such special moments between you and me. I treasure the small amount of time you let me hold and snuggle you these days, you'd much rather be down and getting into something. However, it's different if daddy picks you up; you actually let him hold you and walk you around. You've learned to speak up and let it be known when you don't like something or need a change of scenery; you're especially quick to pitch little fits in the car seat by letting out some ear piercing shrieks. They don't last long, and it makes us laugh most of the time because it's obvious you are just testing out those lungs to see what they can get you. I have a feeling you're going to get what you want a lot in the upcoming years...you're smart about being an angel most of the time until you really want something. It shocks us so much, we're quick to give in. We love you little miss smartypants...sweet, beautiful baby of mine, you are loved way more than you'll ever know.
