Six Months Old (1/2 year)
March 19, 2013
Your Monthly Stats
Height: 27 1/4 inches (77%ile)
Weight: 17 pounds, 13 ounces (56%ile)
Head Circumference: 43 cm (39%ile)
Consider this a warning-->PHOTO OVERLOAD. I could not choose. These are the MANY faces of Max that we get to see every day. He has SO much personality--I love it!
Eyes: I think it's safe to say that your eyes are going to stay blue. They look so blue and sparkly in pictures.
Clothes: You're wearing 6-9 month clothes (onesies and stretchie pants), 6-12 month big boy pants (jeans and khakis), and 6-12 month sleepers. Some of the 6 month clothes are getting a little snug, but most of them still fit pretty well. More than anything, you love to be "in the nude". Clothes are for the birds.
Eating:
Yay---We made it to 6 months with exclusive breastfeeding, and I am SO proud of BOTH of us. This road hasn't always been easy, but I cannot even explain how happy I am that we stuck with it. You are strong, healthy, and growing perfectly because of it! This week, we are going to begin giving you solid foods. I've done a lot of research on the "first foods" to try, and I'll be making all of your baby food myself. We're going to be starting with organic steel cut oats. I know that you will LOVE eating food, because you've been trying to grab food off of our plates for a couple of weeks now. Your main source of nutrition will still be breastmilk, and you'll continue to have about 32 ounces a day through nursing. Our ultimate goal is to make it to one year! You also started drinking water out of a sippy cup this month. You make a big mess, and most of the water ends up all over you. But, you LOVE to drink water out of sippy cups, water bottles, or our grown-up cups. You have been a BIG drooler this month too--just salivating over the idea of food.
*Your sound machine-After learning that the Sleep Sheep shuts off after 45 minutes, you began to wake up every 45 minutes. So, we got you a new sound machine that plays continuously, and it's worked like a charm. We also got a travel sound machine that attaches to your carseat. It works wonders when we're on the road.
*Grabbing EVERYTHING! This is pretty self explanatory. You are into everything, and you especially love to grab things that aren't really yours (cell phones, the remote control, etc).
*Sitting in the highchair: We tried this out for the first time at Grandma and Bup's house, and you love being up high where you can be a part of the dinner conversation. We put ours together when we got home from Boston, and LuLu has one at her house too. Now you'll never feel left out again!
*Being tossed in the air--particularly by Daddy. You laugh, and laugh, and laugh. And it makes mommy smile to see you having so much fun with your Daddy.
*Standing outside of Daddy's office door- Notice a theme here? You have become much more smiley and happy to see Daddy. He loves looking up from his chair to see you smiling at him.
*Walks in the stroller-You love the fresh air. I can't wait until the weather gets warmer so that we can do this every day. Go away snow!
*Playing with your friends at playgroup-It's so cute to see all of you starting to interact more. You steal each other's toys, smile and laugh, and poke at each other.
Dislikes:
*naps- You are getting better at this, but we still have some work to do. Even though you sleep in your crib at night, you still don't like to go in there during the day. Lately, you've been taking naps in the swing. I almost packed it up and put it away, thinking that you had outgrown it. Then I tried it one day, and you quietly sat for 15 minutes just chatting to yourself before you eventually fell asleep. We've used it for naps for the past few days now, and you seem to wake up much happier. It's also giving Mommy some time to get other things done!
*being left alone-All of a sudden this month, you decided that you DID NOT want to be left alone. There were several days when you were VERY upset when I even stood up and took two steps away from you. I ended up carrying you around ALL DAY LONG. The past few days have been a little better. If you're playing in the family room, I continue to talk to you or sing to you as I try to do something in the kitchen. This has been okay as long as you're happy to be playing with something. When you are tired, you do not like to be left to play on your own.
*being overtired-We made the mistake of staying out past your bedtime one night last week. I knew you were tired and ready for sleep, but we tried to stretch it out. BIG mistake. You became overtired and then refused to sleep when we got home. I tried to get you to fall asleep for 3 1/2 hours, and eventually we just fell asleep together on the guest room bed. Lesson learned--Don't mess with bedtime.
Social Skills:
We have had lots of playdates with your friends, met friends and family out at restaurants, and made a few trips to the mall. You are a little social butterfly--you get that from Daddy.
Sleep:
Remember when you used to go to sleep at 8:30 and sleep through the night until 7:00 am?? Yea....I miss that. Let's start doing that again. We've had some ups and downs with sleep this month. For the most part, you're showing sleepy signs and ready for bed around 7:30 each night. Then you wake up for a feeding sometime in the middle of the night--usually around 3:00. After that, you're up every two hours to eat. I'm hoping with the introduction of solid foods, we can stretch this out just a little bit longer. Although I'm sleepy when I first hear you stirring in the crib, I don't mind feeding and snuggling you once I'm up. It's our special time together.
*Sitting in the highchair: We tried this out for the first time at Grandma and Bup's house, and you love being up high where you can be a part of the dinner conversation. We put ours together when we got home from Boston, and LuLu has one at her house too. Now you'll never feel left out again!
*Being tossed in the air--particularly by Daddy. You laugh, and laugh, and laugh. And it makes mommy smile to see you having so much fun with your Daddy.
*Standing outside of Daddy's office door- Notice a theme here? You have become much more smiley and happy to see Daddy. He loves looking up from his chair to see you smiling at him.
*Walks in the stroller-You love the fresh air. I can't wait until the weather gets warmer so that we can do this every day. Go away snow!
*Playing with your friends at playgroup-It's so cute to see all of you starting to interact more. You steal each other's toys, smile and laugh, and poke at each other.
*naps- You are getting better at this, but we still have some work to do. Even though you sleep in your crib at night, you still don't like to go in there during the day. Lately, you've been taking naps in the swing. I almost packed it up and put it away, thinking that you had outgrown it. Then I tried it one day, and you quietly sat for 15 minutes just chatting to yourself before you eventually fell asleep. We've used it for naps for the past few days now, and you seem to wake up much happier. It's also giving Mommy some time to get other things done!
*being left alone-All of a sudden this month, you decided that you DID NOT want to be left alone. There were several days when you were VERY upset when I even stood up and took two steps away from you. I ended up carrying you around ALL DAY LONG. The past few days have been a little better. If you're playing in the family room, I continue to talk to you or sing to you as I try to do something in the kitchen. This has been okay as long as you're happy to be playing with something. When you are tired, you do not like to be left to play on your own.
*being overtired-We made the mistake of staying out past your bedtime one night last week. I knew you were tired and ready for sleep, but we tried to stretch it out. BIG mistake. You became overtired and then refused to sleep when we got home. I tried to get you to fall asleep for 3 1/2 hours, and eventually we just fell asleep together on the guest room bed. Lesson learned--Don't mess with bedtime.
Social Skills:
We have had lots of playdates with your friends, met friends and family out at restaurants, and made a few trips to the mall. You are a little social butterfly--you get that from Daddy.
Remember when you used to go to sleep at 8:30 and sleep through the night until 7:00 am?? Yea....I miss that. Let's start doing that again. We've had some ups and downs with sleep this month. For the most part, you're showing sleepy signs and ready for bed around 7:30 each night. Then you wake up for a feeding sometime in the middle of the night--usually around 3:00. After that, you're up every two hours to eat. I'm hoping with the introduction of solid foods, we can stretch this out just a little bit longer. Although I'm sleepy when I first hear you stirring in the crib, I don't mind feeding and snuggling you once I'm up. It's our special time together.
Strength:
You have gotten SO strong this month! You are sitting up on your own for extended periods of time. While sitting, you reach for things and are able to pull yourself back up. You still occasionally topple over, because you've reached too far and can't get yourself upright again. But, it doesn't seem to bother you when you fall over. Usually you're laying there smiling, and you think it's funny. On the exersaucer, you become very frustrated with the "dragonfly" that is a toy on top. You try with all of your might to pull it off in order to put it in your mouth. Several times, you've pulled it so hard that you've smacked yourself in the face with it. You are determined. When we lay you on your belly, you automatically roll right back over onto your back. You're still not rolling from back to belly, but I think that may be because you just prefer being on your back where you can see everything.
Dear Maxwell,
You are half of a year old today. How did that happen? I was watching videos of you today from when we first brought you home from the hospital. You were SO teeny-tiny, and we thought you were so fragile. We were so careful to hold you gently, move slowly when carrying you, and speak softly when around you. Not only have you grown so much bigger, but your face has changed so much. Looking back at those videos and pictures, I remember it clearly, but at the same time I don't. It feels like another lifetime ago. If anyone had tried to explain to me how much I could love a child, I wouldn't have been able to comprehend it before I met you. Now I get it.
Just as the first five months, this month has been a big month for change and growth. Today on your 6-month birthday, I feel like you're growing up way too fast Just in this one day you have:
1. Sprouted two little baby chicklet teeth. You must have been waiting for this special day. We knew it was coming soon, because you've been clawing at your mouth and drooling through several outfits a day. Sure enough, when we were at Lulu's this afternoon, I reached my fingers in there and there are two sharp, pointy teeth!
2. You just put yourself to sleep in your crib. Normally, I put you down at night fully asleep. You don't typically wake up if you're already asleep. Tonight I put you down and your eyes popped wide open. You didn't cry at all. I sat on the stairs watching you on the monitor, and you laid there babbling away to yourself. You scooted yourself all around the crib, putting your legs up on the rails and banging them. I've never seen you do that before. Eventually you found your way back to the middle of the crib, closed your eyes, and fell asleep. That's where you are resting now.
3. You flipped over from your back to your belly twice. You've only done this once before, but today you did it twice without any effort. I'm wondering if I'll find you on your belly in your crib in the morning.
4. Started to do a little army crawl. You were playing with Uncle Tim, and he was letting you push off of his hand while you were on your belly. You kept inching forward trying to get a toy we placed out of your reach.
I'm not sure I'm ready for all of these changes and growing up in one day! As sad as it makes me that you're not a little baby anymore, I'm so proud of you for getting so smart and strong. It's amazing to see every little change in you. I love your Daddy so much for giving me you and letting me stay home to to see all of these exciting changes. It is the best gift ever. I love you buddy. xoxo
You have gotten SO strong this month! You are sitting up on your own for extended periods of time. While sitting, you reach for things and are able to pull yourself back up. You still occasionally topple over, because you've reached too far and can't get yourself upright again. But, it doesn't seem to bother you when you fall over. Usually you're laying there smiling, and you think it's funny. On the exersaucer, you become very frustrated with the "dragonfly" that is a toy on top. You try with all of your might to pull it off in order to put it in your mouth. Several times, you've pulled it so hard that you've smacked yourself in the face with it. You are determined. When we lay you on your belly, you automatically roll right back over onto your back. You're still not rolling from back to belly, but I think that may be because you just prefer being on your back where you can see everything.
Dear Maxwell,
You are half of a year old today. How did that happen? I was watching videos of you today from when we first brought you home from the hospital. You were SO teeny-tiny, and we thought you were so fragile. We were so careful to hold you gently, move slowly when carrying you, and speak softly when around you. Not only have you grown so much bigger, but your face has changed so much. Looking back at those videos and pictures, I remember it clearly, but at the same time I don't. It feels like another lifetime ago. If anyone had tried to explain to me how much I could love a child, I wouldn't have been able to comprehend it before I met you. Now I get it.
Just as the first five months, this month has been a big month for change and growth. Today on your 6-month birthday, I feel like you're growing up way too fast Just in this one day you have:
1. Sprouted two little baby chicklet teeth. You must have been waiting for this special day. We knew it was coming soon, because you've been clawing at your mouth and drooling through several outfits a day. Sure enough, when we were at Lulu's this afternoon, I reached my fingers in there and there are two sharp, pointy teeth!
2. You just put yourself to sleep in your crib. Normally, I put you down at night fully asleep. You don't typically wake up if you're already asleep. Tonight I put you down and your eyes popped wide open. You didn't cry at all. I sat on the stairs watching you on the monitor, and you laid there babbling away to yourself. You scooted yourself all around the crib, putting your legs up on the rails and banging them. I've never seen you do that before. Eventually you found your way back to the middle of the crib, closed your eyes, and fell asleep. That's where you are resting now.
3. You flipped over from your back to your belly twice. You've only done this once before, but today you did it twice without any effort. I'm wondering if I'll find you on your belly in your crib in the morning.
4. Started to do a little army crawl. You were playing with Uncle Tim, and he was letting you push off of his hand while you were on your belly. You kept inching forward trying to get a toy we placed out of your reach.
I'm not sure I'm ready for all of these changes and growing up in one day! As sad as it makes me that you're not a little baby anymore, I'm so proud of you for getting so smart and strong. It's amazing to see every little change in you. I love your Daddy so much for giving me you and letting me stay home to to see all of these exciting changes. It is the best gift ever. I love you buddy. xoxo
Love, Mommy
2 comments:
Megan Max as I tell you all the time is such a beautiful boy... those pictures I could not get enough of them... every picture was amazing to look at. Love all the different faces! Can't wait to see! :)
You are such an amazing mommy and I can tell that Max has so much fun with you! It's funny that he lights up when he sees his daddy because mia does the same thing! It must be their instinct that they know their daddys are their play toys and mommys are their feeding machines and comfort pillows :)
Max looks sooo much like his mommy but there is something there I can't figure out what it is that looks like his daddy... i think it's the lips/chin and the way he looks at you sometimes!
Happy 6 months Adorable Max! Will continue to enjoy watching you grow from across the street :)) xoxo
max sounds like a perfect baby! i love how you're documenting the six-month mark by noting his likes, dislikes, sleeping habits, social skills, etc. i'm inspired to do this with my next baby. ♥ love your blog!
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