August 2015 – Peanut Smiles

Dear William,

How is it possible I am writing your 6 month post? How are we already half way through your first year of life? In my mind, you’re still 3 months old and I’m shocked at what you’re capable of. This month felt like a game-changer in your development. You learned to sit up, roll over, fall asleep on your own and through the night and started baby food. You continue to be the happiest and smiliest baby ever. Seriously, when you smile, your whole face lights up and it is the best ever.

//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js

Stats

Height

Weight

Head Circumference

Sleep

This month we bit the bullet and did some sleep training. It was a very random decision. I put you down one evening after lots of fussing and decided on the spot that we were going to sleep train you. After 20 minutes of crying, I went in, put your pacifier back in your mouth, rubbed your belly a little and walked out. You cried for another 20 minutes and then fell asleep. Then around 5, you woke up and I went and fed you and you feel asleep while eating. The next evening, you cried for 20 minutes or so. When you woke up around 4, I just let you fuss and again, after about 20 minutes you fell back asleep. I think part of your challenge with sleeping was you were on the cusp of rolling over from back to front. I would watch you on the monitor and you kept trying to roll and would get 98% of the way,give up and roll back. After 4-5 nights of this, you figured out how to roll over and would then fall asleep without crying as soon as I laid you to down. On average, we’re putting you to bed as close to 8 as possible and you sleep until 6 or 6:30. I can’t tell you what a big difference this has made in my attitude and co-coherence. I wish I would have done it weeks earlier. I feel like I can function again and am just more positive in general. Naps at home are better too. We haven’t swaddled you in a long time and you’ll fall asleep within 5 minutes of being put down and will sleep anywhere between 30 minutes and 2 hours. Although you’re able to roll onto your tummy, you usually just roll onto your side and sleep that way. Sleep at daycare is better but still a pretty questionable. You will fall asleep in your crib, but usually only sleep between 15-45 min. I think it is just too light and noisy in there and have assumed that you won’t sleep well there ever. I would love it if you surprised me though!

Eating

Eating is still great. You switch between bottles and nursing great. You’ve continued to show lots of interest in our food and over the past week or so seemed more hungry or that milk wasn’t enough for you anymore. So I dug out the highchair and mixed up some rice cereal and you loved it! You kept trying to reach for the spoon and would eagerly open your mouth for more. Because it is a glorified liquid, a lot of it fell out of your mouth and was all over your neck and bib, but you did finish the whole bowl. The following day, you tried some squash. You ate several bites and never turned it down or made a face of disgust, but didn’t seem to love it as much as the rice cereal. You’ve also had green beans, pears and bananas. Much to my surprise, two little teeth popped through your bottom gums at the very end of the month. Surprisingly, you weren’t too crabby or didn’t drool a whole lot more than normal!

Development

Two major milestones this month, both of which happened within a couple days of each other. First, you learned to sit up by yourself! Yeah! Such a game-changing milestone and new perspective of the world for you. Being able to sit up with a few toys in front of you makes you so much more content with life. Additionally, the length of time you can sit up without tumbling over has increased very quickly! The second milestone was rolling over both ways. These two milestones have mellowed you out a bit. You seem much more content with life and less of a squirming-worming whenever you’re being held. You continue to love your playmat and exersaucer. You enjoy this toy much more then Lexi ever did, but can still see through us as we often put you in there so we can get something. i.e. make dinner or clean up. Other favorite activities include peek-a-boo. You can be in a full out cry and we start to play peek-a-boo and you are all smiles and laughter. You also LOVE to be tickled, like Whoa! You’re ticklish everywhere and love to laugh. You do talk and babble, but I think Lexi overshadows you a bit in that department and it is hard to talk over all her chatter. You are definitely a mama’s boy. You’re happiest in my arms and am constantly looking for me or follow me around a room when I’m not next to you.

Other occurrences

We went to the cabin one weekend and you did a great job in the car for both rides as well as sleeping. I put you in the ergo several times and I was surprised at how well you did in it! You’re such a little cuddle bug and love to snuggle!

Big sister Lexi still adores you, but is WAY too rough with you. Most of the time she is trying to be sweet, but her ‘love pats’ turn into hits and her hugs turn into laying on top of you. Good intentions, but we need to work on the execution a bit. There are also times, when she just straight up hits and kicks you or rips things from your hands. It often feels like these moments of yelling and timeouts leave me feeling depleted and like I’m speaking to the walls as she repeatedly does that same thing over again. In the grand scheme of things, there are probably more sweet moments than naughty as she really does love you and loves to take care of you. Just yesterday you were fussing in the exersaucer while I was making dinner and she ran into the kitchen and asks where your nookie is because you are crying. There was also a thunderstorm and she gave you her giraffe so you could be brave from the thunder. Then, she was dancing and spinning her windmill around and had you laughing hysterically. These are the moments that I hope to remember and not the yelling and timeouts that often get the best of me.

Happy six months little man! We love you to pieces and can’t get enough of your big smiles, sweet laughter and ticklish little bod.

Love,

Mama

To my two sweet peas,

Daddy and I are six months into the parenting two small children gig and life is a roller-coaster. Overall, life is great and we are so blessed to have both of you.

//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.jsLexi, you’re determination for independence is in full swing. You insist on doing everything yourself and for the most part do a pretty good job of it, it may slow us down a little, which is challenging in the game against time everyday (more on that later) but I’m amazed at how capable you are of things. As part of that independence, I’ve noticed your ‘need’ for me is less. I can easily go upstairs or outside for more than ‘a moment’ and know you’ll be just fine on your own. Just this morning, I was showering and you came into the bathroom for a second, but didn’t insist that you actually be in there next to me like you would have six months ago. In fact, I asked you and you politely said , “No thank you.” Mostly, this gets me excited as it is a great sign you’re growing and thriving, but it is also a great reminder to soak in the moments where you still do want me or my help as there will be fewer and fewer in the near future. //embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.jsWilliam, you have really turned a corner in the past week or so. Now that you can sit up, roll over and sleep through the night you just seem much more content with life. You aren’t constantly squirming in our arms when we hold you and are observant smiling little dude. You smile with your entire face and grace everyone you see with that sweet little grin.

//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js

We love you two to pieces and wouldn’t change anything but boy can days be challenging. I have never felt so disorganized in my life. I feel like I spend all weekend cleaning and organizing from the disheveledness of the week and preparing for the next, hoping it can go a little smoother, but no matter what I do, come Monday it feels like pancakes are flying off the fans. Everyday I feel like I’m racing time. I get up at 5:15 to get myself ready before you two munchkins get up so we can be out the door around 7, but are usually getting out closer to 7:30. By the time we sit in traffic and I drop each of you off at your classrooms, park my car and walk up to my desk, it is 8:45. I have an hour at my desk before I go down and nurse William for the first time, which is usually followed by another session over lunch and then again at 4. It is hard to get work done and be focused with these distractions not to mention the meetings I have between each nursing session. After the last nursing session, I head up to my desk for another 30 minutes or so and then head back down to pick you two up for the day to be on the road by 5:30. We sit in traffic for about an hour getting home at 6:30, rush to make dinner and eat between 7 and 7:30. By then, William is starving and exhausted from not sleeping all day at daycare and goes to bed for the night. We also head upstairs with Lexi to begin your bed routine (potty, brush teeth, read two books, look at our day and you usually throw a tantrum or two into the mix) and hopefully walk out of your room by 8:00, but 8:30-9:00 is more realistic. I then shower and will either open my computer and work for a little to make up the time I missed, maybe watch a little TV, clean up the dinner dishes and be in bed by 10:30. Very often, dishes get neglected for days and I’m only motivated enough to do them because all of my pumping parts are dirty and need to be washed for the next morning. I have this constant battle with time and feel I fail at meeting every ‘deadline’ all day long. I’ve tried to be more relaxed about it, and some days I am, but that usually just means I get to work late, we eat really poor meals or Lexi gets way overtired and makes that evening even more challenging. Sigh. As challenging as the days seem, I try and remind myself that:

Life is pretty darn good when the things I’m worried about are getting to work and putting Lexi to bed at a decent time.
Things change so quickly over three to six months and this morning in the shower was a perfect example of that.

In the grand scheme of things, the challenges we’re facing today will quickly be replaced by new challenges, it is just figuring how to get through tomorrow.

For as many sweet moments we have like the photo on the left, we have just as many as the right. Take it easy on us, OK?

Love,

Mommy

Month: August 2015

William 6 Months

Thoughts on parenting two; 6 Months in