Alex is Six Months Old!

One of my recent favorites, taken by daddy.

Alex has a ready smile these days!

My baby had a half birthday last week!!  I was going to throw a party (everything would have been halves- the food, the decorations)- nothing big, just something to celebrate.  Unfortunately, because we kept it a surprise from the guests, half of them canceled and we had to call it off.  I was really disappointed for a whole afternoon.  I might still do it when my parents are here next month.  We’re having Alex’s church dedication on July 13, his 7 month birthday, so it would be a 7/12ths birthday party.  Doesn’t have quite the same ring to it, does it?  OH well.

attending a wedding

THANKS for helping me stand, Deda!!

Milestones and achievements:

Anyway, my baby.  He’s BIG!  We weighed and measured him tonight: 19 pounds, 28 inches!  He’s wiggly too.  He wants to be constantly moving, seeing things, touching things, putting things into his mouth!  He wants you to hold him while he’s doing all those things, though, so it can get pretty tiring.  During the last few weeks, Alex went through the fussy period for his 26 week developmental week- the world of relationships.  Man, it was the worst one yet!   He was actually a pretty fussy baby, and some days there wasn’t much I could do to fix it.  Whereas he used to be completely content as long as he was held, sometimes that wasn’t enough.  He also began to really protest when he wasn’t allowed to play with certain things- mommy’s papers or phone, for example.  He has thrown some huge fits over that.  Thankfully, though, the leap is pretty much over, and we can tell the past few days that things are improving.

Mommy’s hand is so interesting!

He sure is learning new skills right and left though!  Yesterday he somehow got from lying down to sitting up all by himself!  He was lying on the bed and I was in the bathroom.  When I looked back over, he was sitting up!   Oh, and he sits really well now, too.  Sometimes he falls over, but in general he has excellent balance.  It’s SO nice to be able to sit him on the floor where he can watch me fold laundry or do something really quickly that’s tough to do while holding a baby!  Yesterday he also actually got his toes into his mouth instead of trying but just putting his hand in his mouth while holding his toes.  The other new thing I’ve noticed is the “b” sound escaping his little mouth sometimes.  Consonants- yay!

Alex is working on crawling.  He can roll onto both sides very very well and can get up on his hands and knees.  He’s been rocking back and forth like crazy and he can maneuver himself in a forward direction when he really wants to reach something, but it’s very slow as yet and doesn’t involve coordinated arm and leg motions.  It’s very very exciting for me to watch his crawling develop.  Yes, I know that once he’s crawling I’ll have whole new set of issues to keep my busy, but I know he’ll be so pleased to be able to move about that I can’t help but look forward to it.  🙂

going for gold- that camera!

Sometimes trying to crawl can get very frustrating, especially when Mommy says you can’t have what you were trying to reach!

Those teeth look so cute when he grins 🙂

Alex got his first two teeth!  At first we thought it was just one, but pretty soon we realized it was two.  They are SHARP!  No more chewing on our fingers.  Sorry, Alex.  He definitely drooled like maniac and stuffed everything into his mouth for two months while they were coming in, but other than that it didn’t seem so bad.  Maybe the amber necklace is working?…..  We’ll see how subsequent teeth go. I suspect he’s working on some more now because they drool has ramped up a bit again.  Hmmmm…..   He’s not bitten me while nursing yet.  Not intentionally, anyway.  I have gotten snagged when he latches off in a funny way and it wasn’t very fun, so I hope Alex never thinks to bite me on purpose….

Nursing:

Still nursing strong!  I have no idea how often or anything like that because I basically don’t worry about it anymore, as long as Alex is happy and healthy.  He still nurses a couple of times a night usually.  Once when I go to bed or shortly thereafter and once close to morning.  My biggest nursing issue is actually with me.  I noticed a few weeks ago that my appetite really increased (I think it coincided with a growth spurt) and since then I’ve lost some weight.  I’m sure that the composition of my milk has changed to contain more fat and it’s just sucked it off my body.  That is usually a great thing for most nursing moms, but not for me.  I struggle to maintain my weight as it is, so doing so while breastfeeding is a pretty big challenge.  I’m doing my best to not skip meals, and I’m snacking like crazy.  I had to get measured for my dress for my sister’s wedding and I was embarrassed for the lady to see my so skinny.  😦  I mentioned that I was breastfeeding and losing weight because of it.  She asked how old my baby was and was then shocked that I was still breastfeeding…. at six months??  I then told her that the World Health Organization actually recommends breastfeeding for the first two years.  She didn’t know what to do with that information.  Is it bad to enjoy dropping a bomb like that?  😛

playing with Auntie

Enjoying his cousins and Deda

Sleeping:

This last leap messed with Alex’s sleep big time.  Not naps (although for a few days yes) so much as nighttime.  He still pretty much slept ok at night once he was asleep, but getting there was a problem.  We had some very late nights, and some nights that I just totally gave up and went downstairs and watched TV while Alex sat on my lap facing me and playing with some toys and until he was ready to pass out from exhaustion.  The child would get SUPER upset if we tried to coax him to sleep before he was ready, so to save my sanity (translation: avoid getting angry and frustrated) I just mostly didn’t fight it.  I caught up on some TV, so that was good. Somewhere in there we decided he needed to get up earlier and so we began waking him up at 8am no matter what.  Not good.  He was fussier during the day, super tired and night and would be in bed by about 8:30 or 9:00…. but then an hour or two later- up until after midnight again.  I hated it.  So, we’re back to letting him follow his own natural rhythms.  I know my husband secretly (or not so secretly) believes that my tendency to stay up late and sleep in is causing Alex to be the same way, but I’m pretty sure he’s just taking after his mama in her night owl ways.  He was like this in utero as well, after all.  Stinker.  🙂  Alex likes to wake up around 9am and then (as long as he’s not leaping) go to sleep around 10ish.

Our daily-ish hike

Alex still sleeps in our bed.  Sometimes I put him into the co-sleeper for a couple hours during the night, but he always sleeps better right beside me.  He usually sleeps on his tummy now, and will turn that way after the first sleep cycle.  He’s getting a little better about sleeping in his own spot on the bed, which allows me to assume a sleep posture that’s more normal and comfortable for me.  Ah….

Off to explore the grass

Banana is just so slippery, darn it!

 

Eating:

Alex is eating solid foods!  We actually started this a little before six months, something I never thought I’d do.  Around the five month mark, though, he just seemed so ready. I debated for awhile, but a couple weeks ago I began giving it a solid (no pun intended) try just to see what would happen.  We are doing baby-led weaning (at least I’m trying to explain to my husband and others so they can be on board with it), and I’m really impressed so far.  At first, Alex didn’t really seem to swallow anything.   After a couple of days, though, I noticed the evidence in his diapers.  The kid is getting some food down that throat!  He’s tried a whole bunch of stuff, but his favorites are still the ones that are mushy since he’s still working on the chewing thing.  He loves bananas best and will eat half of one at a time, no problem!  I need to write a whole post about baby-led weaning.  I try to offer some foods at least once a day, but I don’t expect them to take the place of any “milkies” at all at this point.  In fact, I often nurse him just before mealtime so he doesn’t fill his tummy with too much solid food and miss out on the higher-density nutrient content of my milk.  And then he still eats half a banana!  This kid.  He’s not afraid of any tastes, either.  He’s a child after our own hearts.  🙂

Avocado- yum!

Please say there’s more……

I can’t believe it’s already been half a year!  Sure, some parts of it have been tough, but it’s also been really amazing.  Seeing the world through the eyes of a baby is really a special experience.  I think it’s only going to get better.  Alex, we LOVE you!  You are our little guy, our joy.  You are my buddy, my baby, my sweet pea.  Don’t grow TOO quickly, ok?

Reaching for whatever’s in my hand- SO typical! 🙂

There’s that drool!

No more pictures please!