Crosby - Six Month Update

stats:

18 lbs 12 oz (71 percentile)

25 3/4 inches (23 percentile)

wearing 6 month and 6-9 month and 6-12 months sized clothing & size 3 diapers...although 6 month clothing is about maxed out and wondering about the diapers too! the diapers say they go up to 28 lbs - but b he has several blowouts a day and i'm wondering if its the diaper?? 

drinks 6 oz bottles - between 4 and 5 times a day - depending on whether he sleeps through the night or not (and "needs" a 3am feeding).  he had oatmeal for the first time on 1/31/15 and his first bites of baby food - squash! - on 2/8/15. we fiddled with a daily schedule a bunch throughout the month as we introduced solid foods and baby food over time and increased the size of his bottles. over the past week or so we've come up with this daily schedule for the time being (which is usually tweaked  slightly each day depending on what's going on):

7am - nurse/bottle

8am - oatmeal + fruit

830am - nap

11am - nurse/bottle

1pm - nap

3pm - nurse/bottle

4pm - rice cereal + veggie, sippy cup

5pm - catnap

630-7pm - bottle (formula)

6-630pm - bath

7pm - bedtime

feeding update: there was a point during this past month that i wondered if we were at the end of our nursing days :( i was consistently only pumping 2-3 oz at a time and crosby started nursing for shorter periods of time, which made me wonder if he just wasn't getting enough from me anymore. so i was all prepared to start weaning (i even texted my sister for a "pep talk" about quitting) and cutting back on pumping (which i wont be sad to stop - hehe). i even purchased two containers of formula to get things going. well...then i started pumping 5-6+ oz at time and when i offered crosby a small bottle after he nursed a few times he refused it. so it made me think that maybe he is just getting more efficient at nursing and doesn't need as long to get what he needs/wants and pumping has it's phases/cycles with me apparently. we haven't given anything up yet - and the only real change i've made is that i don't get all too worked up if i only get to pump once while i am at work throughout the night. so we are just going to keep on this breastfeeding train for a little while longer...

sleep update: ugh! we are getting there!! croz started the month getting up between 4-5am and then reverted back to 3am wakeup calls - but also going back to sleep afterwards for several hours. then just recently he has been giving us a few nights where he will sleep in until 5:30-6:15am. so nothing consistent yet...but, like i said, we're getting there! we've stopped with the swaddle completely though (as of 2/11/15) and he always sleeps in his crib. we let him sleep on his tummy (which is why the swaddle disappeared for good) and he did ok. right now, our routine is to lie him down on his back with his blankie toy, Clarence, and he might fuss a little and play for a few minutes, but then eventually falls asleep. Clarence seems to be helping him in the middle of the night too when he wakes up - he cuddles on him or chews on him for a few minutes and will then fall back asleep. i know, i know - stuffed animals in the crib is still a "no-no" until he's over 12 months. but it's helping! and the toy is made out of muslin (aiden + anais brand) so i know it's breathable. so we're going with it....

we are also working on getting in one "good" morning nap and one "good" afternoon nap during his daily routine. he doesn't love to nap (never has) - and since he does fairly well sleeping at night, i don't usually push it too much. but his morning nap is usually around 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 45 minutes (when he's at home). the afternoon nap is hit or miss (usually miss).  he also does not nap well at day care - but for god reason i am sure. the kid LOVES to look around and observe what's going on - so i am sure there is just too much commotion at day care to really relax for a nap. i think he's in a fairly good mood though while he's there despite the lack of sleep - so his teachers are accommodating

crosby's first tooth popped through on 2/8/15! it was his lower left tooth and we discovered it when he was eating squash for the first time. the second tooth popped through right next to the other one about a week later on 2/14/15. he's been fairly comfortable with the experience - and we only give him some tylenol at night if we think the teeth are bothering him before bed. 

crosby got another ear infection - this time in the other ear. we were concerned because he seemed to get pretty upset anytime we'd lay him on his back. i brought him in and they checked him out and prescribed a different antibiotic. i am not really convinced that he had an ear infection this last time - or even the first time either. or at least not enough of one to warrant antibiotics - i fear that the doctors were just trying to appease me since i brought him in and they thought that i wanted there to be something "wrong" (which is not how i felt at all). but it is what it is and now we are all back to healthy! (minus a pretty consistent cough and runny nose - got to love day care for that)

some of crosby's newest discoveries...other people's faces (he loves to grab your nose, lips, cheeks), his feet (he can now pull them into his mouth), his name (he will look towards you when you say his name), his wiener (he likes to grab and pull on it during his bath), kicking his legs (on the floor, the changing table, in the bath) when he is happy!

he can sit up without assistance after starting out the month having to be propped up and watched pretty closely. we can now confidently leave the room (for a short period of time) and let him sit on the floor while he plays with his toys. we also got him in his stroller forward facing for the first time on a trip to Homemakers - he loved it!

his favorite toys...shapes blocks, the red plastic box they come in, Timmy the dog, rattles (anything he can shake and bang), baby Einstein "cell phone", piano toy that he can sit and play, mommy's chew necklace

loves:

splashing in the bathtub

foot/leg massages from mommy

playing peek-a-boo

raspberries on tummy from daddy

music

light up toys

sitting in high chair

reading "Goodnight Moon" before bed

hates:

when mommy and daddy walk out of sight

putting clothes on

getting mouth/nose wiped