Emmeline: 6 Months

Oh Emmy....I should be writing up your 7 month update, but here I am, writing your 6th an entire month late! Just know, I did in fact take the photos on the day you turned 6 months! But finding time to sit down and write has been challenging lately. I just want to spend all my time with you and your brother! :)

So what's new in your sixth month? Well, you're still our little peanut - you had your immunizations on your 6th month birthday and weighed in at 12lbs 3oz. You're trucking along on your own curve and we aren't worried at all about how petite you are. Secretly (or not so secretly), I love that you are tiny as it lets me enjoy the baby phase for that much longer. It also makes it a lot easier to hold you when I'm trying to do things around the house, or wear you in the ring sling when we are shopping. You're still wearing a mix of 0-3 month and 3-6 month clothing, depending on brand and what it is (onesies seem to fit forever in 0-3 month). You're still also wearing size 1 diapers - I tried size 2, but they just seemed way too big, so we will wait on moving up for now.

Not much has changed in the sleep department. You still have a long nap 2-3x per day, depending on how on the go we are that given day. The car usually puts you right out, but you most often wake up as soon as we get to wherever it is we are going. I thought by now I'd be trying you in your crib at night, but I haven't been able to bring myself to do it! You seem so little and I just love having you sleep beside me. Plus, it makes nighttime feeds so easy! You're also our last baby and I know these days of sleeping together are limited, and since you still are content to sleep in your Dockatot at night, I shall let you be.

We will be starting solids with you this month, and up until now, you're still exclusively breastfed. Thankfully, we did finally find a bottle that you love so that's been handy for when I need to be away for more than a few hours.

You've started rolling over all the time, but you get SO mad when you roll onto your tummy. It's kind of funny and sad at the same time. You are able to roll from tummy to back as well, but I think you get too upset to even try and fix the situation you got yourself into in the first place! We're working on sitting up though, which you enjoy since you can see more of what's going on around you. We've started putting you in the jolly jumper as well, but you just kind of hang out in it and haven't caught on to the jumping part of it. Your tolerance for being in it and the jumperoo are limited though!

I find myself thinking back to this time a year ago, when you were growing inside of me and it's hard to believe how fast time goes. I know that's the most cliche saying you will ever hear, but that's because it's the truth. A year ago, I had no idea who was inside of me, what little person would join our family and complete it, and now that you are here, I am thankful every day for you and the joy and love you bring all of us! Just the sight of you lights up my mood, and watching you and your brother interact more and more is the best thing in the world.

Happy Half Birthday, Emmy!

xoxo
Mommy


*affliate links have been used

A Day in the Life of a 6 Month Old

I know - a day in the life of a 6 month old - riveting! But you know how when you have a baby to take care of and from the moment they wake up, it's go go go and you barely get a moment to pee in peace, yet when your husband comes home from work and he asks, "what did you guys do today?", it's hard to answer him because what DID we do all day?

I'm un-showered, the dishes are still in the sink, groceries un-bought, dinner not made, but I kept your baby alive! And fed! And in clean diapers, and relatively happy. And sometimes those four things take up your whole day. So in response, I want to scream EVERYTHING AND NOTHING! Because that's how it feels to raise a baby.

And so, I have for you, the day in the life of one little 6 month old. In case there was any curiosity to what it is we do all day.

*****

7:00 - I hear Sully awake on the baby monitor. He's cooing and babbling loudly to himself. Jim rolls out of bed to start getting ready for work, but first he goes to Sully, changes his diaper and brings him to me. We nurse and then lounge in bed together.

8:00 - 9:15 - Nap time. I am not a morning person (but, I'm working on it!) so most mornings, I have a nap with Sully. He snuggles into me and we doze off for an hour or so.

9:20 - Sully has a quick "snack" and then another diaper change. Then into the jumperoo he goes so that I can jump in the shower. If I don't shower and get ready now, it probably won't happen until tomorrow. Thank god for the jumperoo! We have one upstairs in the front of a mirror and Sully loves looking at himself while he jumps.

10:00 - 10:30 - Sully has reached his limit in the jumperoo and I am now ready for the day ahead of us. We head into his room to get dressed and another diaper change. I realize he's pooped through his sleeper which means I have to go check the jumperoo for poop. Yup! Quick wipe down of the jumperoo seat. Sully nurses again.

We have a play date scheduled at Cafe O'Play for 11:00 with my best friend Karen and her 3 kiddos. Everyday is a little different: some days we don't go anywhere, save for a walk outside. Once a week we have dance class, and weekly music class is starting soon too. Some days we have plans in the afternoon to meet up with a friend. We're still working on figuring out dedicated nap times, so for now, we work around our plans.

10:40 - Head downstairs and I hear Sully fill his pants. I lay him down on the rug in the family room while I quickly scarf down a bowl of cereal.  Sully loses it during the diaper change and I consider not meeting up with Karen so that Sully can have a nap. My needs selfishly outweigh Sully's needs today as I don't get to see Karen very often and making plans with someone who has 3 kiddos in tow can be tough! I risk taking a cranky baby out of the house (wish me luck!).

11:00 - Finally leave the house. Sully is clearly tired and I'm hoping he'll fall sleep in the car. Of course, he doesn't.

11:15 - Arrive at the Cafe just as Karen is pulling up. Good timing! Sully is surprisingly calm for the next 45 minutes as there's so much to distract him at the over packed Cafe. He loves people watching and the little girls swoon over him.

 

12:00 - Nurse Sully. He still doesn't want to fall asleep. I've ordered myself a large coffee and a breakfast sandwich because all I've eaten so far is a bowl of cereal with almond milk. Sully is grabbing at my food so I give him a piece of pita with some hummus on it that Karen's daughter, Mikayla has so graciously shared with him, and he happily chews on it.

13:00 - We pack up to leave so we can get home from a nap, but Sully falls asleep in his car seat before we even get up from the table so I decide to stay a bit longer to continue my visit with Karen as her kids are still playing. I know well enough that Sully would only sleep the length of the car ride home anyway.

 

14:15 - Sully is awake, but calm. We finally head home. He's babbling happily in the backseat so I tempt fate further and stop at Safeway pharmacy to pick up his last dose of the rotovirus vaccine.

14:45 - We're finally home! We head upstairs to nurse, but first a quick diaper change. Sully has a little melt down because how dare I change his dirty bum before nursing him!

15:00 - I lay Sully down in his crib for a nap. Something he fights until the bitter end. He's exhausted and he'll never make it to bed time if he doesn't have an afternoon nap. I sit in the rocking chair listening to him protest the nap. I vow he will not win this battle!

15:15 - I've let Sully try to "figure it out" on his own for 15 minutes. I intervene once he starts full out crying and is borderline hysterical. I do pick-up/put-down 3 times before he finally falls asleep.

 

15:30 - Finally sleep, I head back downstairs, surveying the bomb that has apparently gone off in all corners of my house, choosing to ignore it's damage in lieu of making myself something to eat. I'm starving! I also warm up my coffee that I never finished from our play date. Instead of tidying up the house today, I read a few blogs on my lap top, start a list of things to pack for our trip in a few days and make a new list of errands to run tomorrow seeing as we didn't get to any of them today.

16:15: Sully's been asleep for 45 minutes. This is that pivotal moment, where one sleep cycle is about to end, and if I don't get in there before it does and help ease him into a second sleep cycle, nap time is over. I race upstairs and my damn cardigan brushes against the console table outside his room and one of the buttons makes a stupidly loud "PING" noise. Of course, Sully is wide awake, in perfect Yoga cobra pose when I open his door. I attempt to shush and pat him back to sleep, but he's not having any of it. We read a book in his room before heading back downstairs.

16:30 - 17:00 - We practice sitting in the family room. He's practically a pro now! It's still an hour until Jim is due home from work (longest hour ever, amiright?!), so I decide to take Sully for a short walk in the stroller to get the mail.

17:20: We start to take the long way around the pond to get the mail, but decide to make it short when we see the dark, looming clouds above us. The last thing I want is to be caught in a huge thunderstorm with Sully in his stroller. As we round the bend, I can see that the mailman is just now dropping off today's mail, so we sit on the park bench for a few minutes until he is done.

17:35 - We're back home and Sully wants to nurse again. We watch the clock until Daddy gets home.

17:50 - Daddy's still not home and bedtime is looming nearer and nearer. Since we leave for vacation in  three days, groceries are scarce so cucumber, pear and hummus on toast is what's for dinner for Sully. He couldn't get the toast with hummus in his little mouth fast enough!

18:00 - DADDY'S HOME!! Sully is losing steam. I am losing steam. We all head upstairs for a quick bath. Hummus on toast is messy.

 

18:15 - 19:00 - Fastest bath ever. Sully's quickly fading and crying. We get him dressed for bed and then I remember the rotovirus in the fridge and run down to get it. No time for a story tonight, Sully is MAD! We nurse for a few minutes, but he's rubbing his eyes and just not interested. Into his crib he goes. Minimal protestation until I flip him onto his stomach and pat his back. He's out right away.

19:40 - Sully's awake and I go up to pat his back. He's back asleep a few minutes later.

19:50 - I run out to make a quick return at a store, leaving Jim to man the baby monitor.

20:20 - Jim sends me a text of him and Sully watching Peter Mansbridge on his laptop. Sigh.

*No beer was consumed by the baby (that I'm aware of).

21:00 - I arrive home and Sully is miraculously asleep in his crib! All it took was a bottle and come cuddles with daddy.

21:00 - 23:30 - Jim and I spend the evening watching How I Met Your Mother on Netflix and talking about our days. We are habitual night owls and rarely go up to bed before midnight.

06:50 - The sound of Sully babbling to himself comes through the monitor, waking me up. He's slept through the night. Jim gets up to shower and afterwards will bring Sully to me in our bed. And here another day will start. Except maybe today we will stay home and work on our naps. Or do some laundry. No promises though.

Sullivan: 6 Months

Dear Sullivan,

Happy half birthday, or halfy birthday, as I've heard other people put it! I spent the better part of one of my evenings looking at all the photos and videos from when you were first born and I am amazed by how much you have changed in just six short months. It scares me how fast this first six months went by because it means we'll be celebrating your first birthday before we know it. And that, my dear son, I am not ready for.

A lot of big changes happened this past month. You are a pro at rolling over now, both front to back and back to front, and this often makes diaper changes super challenging! It's amazing how quickly you can roll yourself across the rug you play on in the family room. When you roll onto your stomach, you look up, searching for either myself or your daddy, with the most proud look on your face. We clap every time and you grin ear to ear before putting your head back down and rolling back onto your back. You have also found your feet and love shoving a toe or five, into your mouth. This is one of my favourite milestones to date - it's so entertaining and adorable to watch you play with your own feet.

The biggest change this month though, is that you have been sleeping in your crib every night for the past month. It just sort of happened, and while I miss you dearly in bed with me, it's pretty obvious that you really like being in your crib. We are both sleeping for much longer periods now so I know it was the right decision to let you keep sleeping in your crib. You still come into bed with us in the mornings to hang out, nurse and snooze until we get up for the day. I know that when you are older, these will be some of my most favourite moments with you - those quiet mornings in bed, listening to you babble, watching you play with your feet and kicking your little legs. We also started a bit of sleep training with you because getting you to fall asleep at night was becoming a huge challenge and you are still protesting daytime naps like it's your job. We joke that you suffer from FOMO: Fear of Missing Out. Which is something I used to suffer from, so it doesn't surprise me all that much!

Teething has kicked into high gear, but no teeth have made an appearance yet. It's hard to watch you suffer, especially when the only thing you want to chomp on is your little fingers. We've bought you countless teething toys, but your fingers are your favourite.

You had your 6 month check-up this month and your doctor is more than pleased with your growth. You now weigh 16 pounds and 6.5 ounces and are 26.5 inches long. That's an almost 9 pound weight gain since birth and a 7 inch gain in length! You're still our little, lean baby, but you've got some seriously strong legs. And the kicks to prove it! We won't be starting solids until you are in your six month, so your meals consist exclusively of breast milk. You are a speedy nurser now and easily distracted. I often have to ask your daddy to leave the room because you would prefer to watch what he's doing instead of eat. I still nurse you on demand, usually every few hours, but sometimes you want a snack sooner. You are wearing mostly 3-6 months clothing now, depending on the brand. Some pants still fit you better in the 0-3 month size because of your lean torso.

We had a lot of new outings this month. You attended your third bookish event - book club in Red Deer - and had your first "sleep over" at your cousin's house. You slept between your Daddy and I in bed there with no issue. We were so proud of you for just going with the flow that weekend. You really are the easiest baby. Your daddy also took a week off of work to spend time with us at home. We went to the zoo, took you swimming for the first time, and went to your first music class. Getting to do new things with you as you get older is so much fun and really makes us excited for all the things we will do as a family in the months and years to come.

Sully, watching you grow from this tiny little newborn into such an adorable, delightful and fun baby has made this the best six months of mine and your daddy's life.

I love you to the moon and back,
Your Mommy xoxo