Hope Still Flies

 

• He is 19.75 pounds and 29.5 inches long! Tall boy.
• We've kinda gone back to size 3 diapers... using 3s and 4s.
• Everything is mostly 12 months or 12-18 months now, except for the brands that run big (H&M, Children's Place, some Circo)
• 4 bottles a day... the three early ones between 6 and 7.5 oz... his nighttime bottle is around 8 oz. 3 meals a day... 
• We're moving much more into "people food". He's really good at eating with just his two teeth, and he'll eat pretty much what we're eating as long as it's not too spicy, or it has something he can't have yet. Still doing a puree once or twice a day, and pouch purees especially if we're on the go. But he loves chicken, turkey, cheese, yogurt, bread... all kinds of things.
• Babbles all kinds. Mama and dada are pretty coherent. And what we're pretty sure is "All done". He talks with all kinds of emotion now, it's hilarious.
• Oh, sleep. Sleeeep. He mostly sleeps (maybe waking once or twice briefly) from 7:15 until 2 or 3? Maybe 4. Somewhere in there he wakes up and doesn't want to be in his crib anymore. It's unfortunate. And then he decides he's starving, so he's eating his first bottle anywhere from 3:30 and 5:30? It's ridiculous. I'm not sure what else to do. Most days he goes back to sleep for a few more hours. One or two naps a day. His naps have actually been longer recently, usually at least an hour.
• Loves playing with his toys, but gets bored easily. He's started mixing his toys... trying to get his ring to go down his racetrack, putting different balls in his basketball toy. Truck on his ring stand
• Also loves to play with things that aren't toys - Bookshelves, water bottles, internet routers... If we say his name and tell him no he looks at us seriously with big eyes and a slight pouty lip... and then goes back to what he was doing. Try to redirect him, buuut
• Can stand indepently for... up to 10 seconds? He'll attempt to take steps between me and Michael, but mostly just falls forward.
• He bobs to music, especially the songs Scout sings.
• Loves when we chase him. He'll crawl away and if you say something along the lines of, "I'm gonna get you" he screeches and speed crawls away.
• Anything/everything on the floor is food. 
• I know the whole safe crib is a bare crib.. but he won't sleep in there without having a blanket he can rub/cuddle with. I'm confident in his abilities to move around, and he still wears his breathing monitor at night... I still feel some great omnipresent power is judging me.
• Our house is constantly a wreck now. He spreads his toys everywhere. I try to pick up nightly, but. Yeah.
• One of my new favorite things is his fake laugh. He kept trying to put his truck on his ring stand and then looking at me and fake laughing like he knew that wasn't where it went, but it was funny.
• Expert crawler/cruiser. Loves crawling his cars around.
• Loving, sweet boy.
• Gives high fives! And thinks it's hilarious.
• Things he thinks are hilarious: When you stick your tongue out at him, petting my hair (?), clapping, other people laughing.

• Haven't checked height/weight lately. Definitely still growing. 
• Size 4 diapers, though we forced him into size 2 the other week (free samples at Target!)
• Nothing 6 months fit. Some 6-12 months does. Mostly 9 and 12 month shirts. 12-18 month pants. Size 4 shoes?
• Four 7-8 ounce bottles a day. Two puree meals, plus some Cheerios in the morning, and snacks throughout the day. As long as we're eating something he can eat for dinner, he gets some. Otherwise more puree. He's mastered feeding himself the finger foods.
• When he whines now it comes out as "mamamamam" taking it as "mama" as he usually follows me around when he does it
• Sleep... he goes down pretty well now. He'll wake up a few times and need his paci. Occasionally if he's really awake he comes back to bed with me. Up at 5 pretty much every day, then goes back to sleep until 6:30 or so. Two naps a day, usually 0.75-1.5 hours each.
• Still learning! Can now put his rings back on the stand. Knows when things on the TV are changing that we're using the Apple TV remote (his favorite toy)
• Speaking of toys... basically everything that isn't a toy he likes playing with. Anything on the coffee table. Door stops. Good thing he's cute.
• He thinks we're hilarious. Enjoying it while it lasts.
• Other things he thinks are hilarious: Peek-a-boo, fake sneezing, flying, the theme song to Gilmore Girls?
• He's just a revolving door of colds it seems. This last one has a nasty cough. Fingers crossed his immune system is the best one in elementary school.
• Pulls to standing on everything. Couch, coffee table, walls, pant legs. His crib. That's how he keeps himself awake at night. When he fights sleep it's now a fun game of laying him back down every few minutes. He's also learned how to fall correctly onto his butt. 
• Loves being read to. He doesn't seek out his books, but when you sit down with one he smiles through the whole story.
• Loves playing with the basketball. He'll push and chase it around the house.
• He found the bookshelves. Gulp.
• Enjoying this time before he's walking. I know it's coming. And nothing will be the same.

• 17 pounds, 12 ounces as of Wednesday. Not sure his height, but I think he recently got a little taller.
• Installed his convertible seat, so now he has one in both cars. He seems to like it. Though I miss being able to carry him inside if he's sleeping, for the most part he transfers really well.
• Finishing up these size 3 diapers and probably switching to size 4.
• No more 3-6 month clothes. Pretty much any onesie doesn't fit under 12 months. Some 6-12 month stuff still fits... but still has the problem of shirts being too short and pants that are long enough not fitting in the waist.
• Still loving food. He has four 7.5 oz bottles a day (sometimes a little more thrown in) and eats about 3.5-4 oz 3 times a day. He seems to like every food he's given, which is a blessing. We seem to have found the right combination because he doesn't freak out when he's done eating anymore. Still give him puffs and baby cheetos to work on his motor skills. Loves to hold his bottle by himself.
• Starting to be more vocal again. Learning different combinations of sounds. It's funny.
• Sleeps well. Mostly through the night. Sometimes wakes up at 3:30 and thinks it's time to get up. Sometimes sleeps all the way until 6 (wakeup time). I like those days. 2-3 naps a day still.
• This morning he actually waved hi/bye to me. <3 li="">
• I love seeing him concentrate on his toys and figuring out how things work. Today he took one of the balls from one toy and decided to put it down the ramp of his car track. And it actually worked. I think I was more impressed than he was.
• Has started doing the shy thing where people will say hi and he'll smile and bury himself into my shoulder.
• A little clingy the past week. Not sure why. Won't complain.
• Recently started crossing his feet in the car. Cutest.
• Any time we throw a blanket over our shoulder when holding him, he buries his face in it. Not sure why, but I love it.
• Had a super rough congestion weekend, so we went back to the doctor Wednesday. I think he has allergies and was mainly looking for an "okay" to give a little Benadryl on days where he can't breathe through his nose at all. She said it might just be a recurring cold, but he shouldn't be getting sinus infections yet, and they don't like giving babies allergy medicine until after 1 year. Said to keep doing what we're doing.
• Such a light of mine (and Michael's) life. He's hilarious and beautiful and most days I still can't believe he's mine. 

 

 

It's so much fun to pull up my blog and refresh on what I wrote last month so I can give updates. So this month - Food! Sitting! Sleeeeep!

Mister independent is still growing, both physically and mentally, so fast. Definitely still a cuddler, and just the most smiley kid on the planet. Really, unless he's hungry (or Heaven forbid you take his food away) or overly sleepy, he's a happy guy. Of course, as I say this, he caught Michael's cold this past holiday weekend and he has been super whiney baby. Can't really complain because he's fanatsic the rest of the time. I just want him to feel better.

STILL NO TEETH. THEY'RE NEVER COMING. EVER.

I have no idea where Thad gets his dramatics.

After this past long weekend, I've decided, again, that daycare really is a great thing for us. While it is so, so, so hard to send him there every day, he is learning so much, and he absolutely loves his teachers. And they're wonderful, caring, loving people. Let's be real, I'm not the most social person, so it's great for him to go socialize with other people and babies. Not to mention toys galore! So while it's really difficult sometimes, I know that it's a great thing for us. The guilt I feel isn't what it used to be.

On a lighter note, Thad has decided he doesn't like anything in its place. Stacking rings? Can't be on the pole. Cars for his racetrack? Can't be in their parking spaces. Blocks? Not in their container. Don't even think about putting them back. He thinks it's a fun game.We're working on putting things back where they belong. (Hahaha)

No other super major happenings this month. Mike started his first year of his PhD program. It's an adjustment, but we'll make it. And I'm super proud of him. I can't stop watching an Australian show called "Offspring" on Hulu. We're getting together with our other mom and baby friends this Saturday. Bought a bunch of fall/winter time clothes in SIZES THAT ARE JUST TOO BIG FOR MY NEWBORN.

Denial. It's strong.

 
At six month Thad is...

• 17lbs 6 oz. (46th%), and 28 inches (94th%). hahaha. HAHAHA. Done my research on convertible seats and bought a Diono for the Camry a few days ago. He's just too heavy for this no-upper-body-strength ma to carry around his bucket seat anymore.
• Size 3 diapers still. We've switched to a size 4 at night because pee was coming out of top of the size 3s, even with all the proper precautions.
• Done with the 3 month clothes. Anywhere from 6 month to 18 month clothes. Baby clothes are like womens jeans. Every brand has a different idea about size. 
• Got the okay to start solids since he was drinking about 45 oz of formula a day. He's had avocados, apples, bananas, mangos, peaches, sweet potatoes, squash... favorites are avocados and apples. Though he gobbled the mango/sweet potato combo last night. Found a great website that has recipes that include spices, which I thought was awesome. So bought a Ninja. Am making 95% of the baby food. He gets two meals of a cube of whatever and oatmeal at daycare, and then 3 cubes for dinner. Once he gets teeth I might try a bit more baby led weaning, I'm just a little wary with the no teeth thing. 
• Oh, 5 6-7 oz bottles a day now.
• Working on the finger coordination with some puffs. Because after he's done with his dinner he still wants ALL THE FOOD. So I throw some puffs down and that makes him forget he's apparently starving.
• Stares us down when we're eating. Hardcore. No smiling-why-aren't-you-giving-me-some.
• His daycare teachers swear he holds his bottle by himself. But when he's at home he'd rather just us hold it. We're working on it. Same goes with the spoon feeding.
• From laying down he'll pull on our hands to sitting, and insists we hold out our hands so he can pull to standing. Thankfully hasn't figured out he can pull up on furniture yet.
• Put him on his hands and knees and he rocks back and forth. Sometimes moves his hands a bit. And then very dramatically flattens out and screeches.
• Doesn't talk as much. Learning new consenants like "mmmm". Michael likes makes weird word noises at him.
• Once he realized he liked being on his stomach, that's where he sleeps. Through the night for a couple weeks now! Since this cold kicked in he needs his paci a couple times a night, but still... not bad.
• Switched to a 2-3 naps a day schedule. It's weird how one day he's just like "nope! Two one to two hour naps and that's it!" Kids, man. I tell ya.
• Recently started laughing more. It's always been difficult to get good laughs, but it's happening more now. 
• SUPER ticklish. 
• When he's wearing long sleeves, he prefers his sleeves to be over his hands. 
• Gets scared by super loud noises. And (we discovered today) laying down on the table at the doctor. I think he knows that's where he gets his shots.
• Learned to move his wrists. Trying to make him understand it's called waving.
• For as fearless as he thinks he is, he still is cautious. When standing, if we let go of one hand, he's quick to move that hand to the other so he's still holding on with both hands.
• He's started to reach up for us when he wants picked up.
• Getting verrrry close to moving. Figured out how to go from sitting to on his hands and knees. And from sitting to climbing over my legs. Scooches around a bit. Eeeek.
• Absolutely refused to straighten out his legs for his rug picture this month. And then he rolled over. 

                       

• As of 2 weeks ago was about 15.5 pounds and 26 inches. I measured him at 27 inches this morning. He seems to have slowed down the vertical growth this month a little and chunked out a bit. Not much, but some.
• Size 3 diapers. Anywhere from 3-6 month clothes to 12 month clothes. Since he's skinny I can force some 3-6 month clothes on him. 9 month fit pretty well. Wore 12 month jammies last night and they actually fit decently.
• Drinks between 36 and 40 ounces a day. I try to do cereal once or twice, but he really doesn't like it at all, so only get several bites in. 
• Are officially waiting until 6 months to do veggies/fruits, but we had an avacado around for lunch so I gave him some and he loved it. Full on shaking/trying to grab the spoon with both hands when I was feeding him. Might do a little more avacado a bit this month.
• Definitely prefers to be sitting or standing with help now. He loves to faceplant for fun when sitting. Whatever works.
• Favorite toy is his stacking rings. Followed by every toy on the Exersaucer.
• Pushes up on his hands while on his tummy, and (if in a good mood) will stay there for about 10 minutes and turn himself in a circle.
• Recently begun to think he's teething? Between slight temps, shoving his whole hand in his mouth, trying to eat my arm, and more  drool (which I just didn't think was possible) it's a maybe. We'll see.
• In his crib all night and for naps at home now. (Yaaay!)
• Still not much of an exact nap schedule. Usually 3-4/day depending on how long he sleeps.
• I got one full night of sleep, but since he's discovered rolling over, he's ususaly awake once a little after 3 before waking up for the day between 5 and 6.
• Still so smiley.
• At home he doesn't do well with sleeping unless he can cuddle a blanket.
• New nickname - grabby hands (Paper especially)
• Still hasn't quite got rid of whatever he has. Really starting to think it's allergies.
• Is currently trying to get to my keyboard.

• Is now up to right under 15 lbs and 27 inches (nurse measured him at 70 cm [27.5 in], doc had in her system that he was 26 inches... but I measured him between 26.5 and 27 so...]. Really didn't think I'd have to buy him his next car seat until he was a year old, but the height limit on our infant seat is 30"...
• Size 2 diapers, though I bought a size 3 box because tall
• Finally put all the 0-3 month clothes today, and had to start putting some 3-6 month away... only to realize we really don't have many 6-9 month clothes. Time to go shopping.
• He went through some growth spurt recently and is drinking 36 ounces a day. That seems like a lot to me.
• He likes laying flat on his back less and less. Will lounge in the boppy, loves sitting in the bumbo, and loves his exersaucer. It's fun to watch him learn how to work the toys on his exersaucer.
• Speaking of toys, he very much likes playing with them now that he can grab and kind of manipulate them. I bought a frappuccino from S-bucks the other day and he really liked feeling the cold of the cup.
• When he does play on his play mat, he likes to grab toys with both hands and feet. He pulled on the elephant that played music so much its batteries died.
• He's doing a lot better with tummy time now, and will even push up and play with toys.
• His hands are always in his mouth. Bought an amber necklace and that seems to help some with the waterfall of drool that he emits.
• He's definitely a talker. A lot. It's adorable.
• He and Michael like to talk to the baby in the mirror and he thinks it's hilarious.
• He smiles all the time, but it's harder to get him to laugh. His laugh is currently more inhale-shriek. Michael got him to belly laugh the other day.... but he also might have just been crying. He was going beween the two.
• He really can be quite dramatic. Sometimes after he sneezes he kinda says, "ahhhhhh!" and talks about it.
• At bedtime now, after he's finished with his bottle he usually wants to be put in his crib rather than cuddle. Sometimes though I give him his paci and he turns into me for more cuddles. Sometimes when he's ready for naps he doesn't want to be held and would rather lay in his play pen... but then before he falls asleep he whines to be picked up again. A conundrum, but I love it. 
• Definitely knows when he sees his bottle now. The other day he had finished it and I sat him up and put his bottle down. He was staring at it so I was going to let him work on holding it and getting it to his mouth, but instead he flung himself back to laying down like he was ready to eat again. Silly.
• He loves being outside and going places. 
• Has discovered his feet and likes playing with them, but he has my flexibility (which is none at all)
• He's also discovered things happen when he touches my phone. So it begins.