This last month has been a whirlwind with so much going on. It seems that time is flying by and Bella is growing right before our very eyes! How in the world has an entire half of a year gone by already!?!? If you know a secret to slowing down time, let me know!
Today I looked at her and thought, "Wow, she really isn't a baby anymore is she!?" And yes, she is still a baby, but not in the newborn, helpless, tiny little baby way. She is growing into a little lady with a definite personality, and we are growing to love her more and more every day!
Happy 6 Months Isabella Rae!
6 Month Highlights
-You got your second set of shots this month, and took them like a champ. The first poke you cried for maybe 2 seconds, and then after the second poke you cried for about 6 seconds, but mostly you were looking at me like "why did you let them do that again!?" Once daddy picked you up and gave you Moo Cow, you were fine. And this time you were not nearly as irritable and miserable the rest of the day as last time (probably b/c we were more proactive with the Tylenol this time!).
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| Cute little happy naked baby...with no idea what she is waiting on! |
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| 2 more badges of courage to be added to the scrapbook, both in sparkles! Daddy loves consoling you! |
-You got to meet your cousin when she was 6 days old! You weren't entirely thrilled with her but we know that will change!
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| These 2 couldn't be more spitting images of their fathers! |
-You rolled from your back to your belly for the first time, and then promptly right onto your back. You really do hate being on your tummy! You were playing on your play mat and really wanted to get the far toy...you swung that leg a little too aggressively, but it was so cute to watch!
-You graduated from the pack-n-play and slept in your crib (yes, a real crib!) for the first time on November 28th (24 weeks). I'm pretty sure you loved the mattress because you slept great (for you!) that night!
-You started sitting on your own over the past several weeks. At 25 weeks, you sat for 5 to 10 seconds on your own before you wobbled over. At 26 weeks, you have a bit more stability and are tripod sitting to hold yourself up longer.
-You are getting better at taking out and putting in your Moo Cow...thank goodness! Frequently you can't get the paci part in your mouth, but are still happy when you can get in his tail : )
-On the day you turned 6 months, you had your first tastes of solid food. Well, at least we tried to give you your first tastes. You wanted nothing to do with it! As soon as the spoon came towards your mouth you turned your head, grimaced, and ultimately cried when I tried putting some on your lips. Apparently avacado wasn't your thing!
Sleeping: Sleep definitely improved over this last month, until last week and we started to back slide again. That being said, we aren't back to waking up every single hour every single night...and good thing, b/c I am not sure I could have taken that anymore! Bella goes to bed around 6:30 pm and sleeps until about 6 am, usually waking up several times a night, but now only needing us to replace the paci about once or twice. We did a gradual cry it out method once we moved into the new house when she was 22 weeks, which consisted of letting her cry for 5 minutes before going in to replace the paci for about 3 nights. Then every 3 nights or so we would increase the cry time by 5 minutes. We got to 20 minutes and she really figured it out after that and the next night slept from 6:30 pm until 5:10am!!
This last week she really didn't do well with sleep, waking up about 6-8 times a night, and needing rocking, paci and who knows what to get back to sleep. Hoping that this next month shows some long lasting improvement!
In terms of naps, we are getting more into the groove of the morning nap which is generally from 10 to 11:30 or noon when we are lucky. Then usually there is an afternoon nap lasting about an hour, but the start time could be 1, 2 or 3pm. Just depends on her mood!
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| Of course I never have the camera phone on me when it actually happens, but this is the general movement that gets her onto the belly. Swing those legs girl! |
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| The morning after your first night in the crib...I think it's safe to say you loved it! |
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| With the boppy, she can sit and play for a long time! |
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| One day I heard you fussing at nap and you had taken out your paci. Two minutes later you stopped, and I looked at the monitor to find you had put it back in, and put Moo Cow on your face : ) |
-On the day you turned 6 months, you had your first tastes of solid food. Well, at least we tried to give you your first tastes. You wanted nothing to do with it! As soon as the spoon came towards your mouth you turned your head, grimaced, and ultimately cried when I tried putting some on your lips. Apparently avacado wasn't your thing!
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| It initially looked promising... |
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| But no! Oh well...tomorrow we try again! |
This last week she really didn't do well with sleep, waking up about 6-8 times a night, and needing rocking, paci and who knows what to get back to sleep. Hoping that this next month shows some long lasting improvement!
In terms of naps, we are getting more into the groove of the morning nap which is generally from 10 to 11:30 or noon when we are lucky. Then usually there is an afternoon nap lasting about an hour, but the start time could be 1, 2 or 3pm. Just depends on her mood!
Breastfeeding: Oh, such a love/hate relationship I have with breastfeeding. I love being able to give my baby a perfect meal 5 times a day. But it is not easy! This month we have had to up our breastfeeding game b/c Bella decreased to the 5th percentile in weight again. I am taking Fenugreek 3x/day, drinking mothers milk tea (yuck!), and pumping after 2 or 3 feeds and an additional pump before bedtime. We are also trying to feed her at the breast, and then offer a bottle of the pumped milk to see if she will take additional volume. So far, she is generally not all that interested in more volume. She has no problem with the bottle, just doesn't want to take more than 3-4 oz at a time most feeds. The other issue she has is that she eats quickly with the let down, then gets frustrated once let down is over. Rather than work to get the hindmilk, she would rather just stop. We shall see where her weight goes in a few weeks. Her eating schedule is pretty consistent though- 5 feeds a day usually at 6am, 9am, noon, 3pm and 6pm, and it takes about 10-20 minutes, now eating on both sides twice to make sure she really is getting a good amount of the hind milk.
Isabella Loves:
-Flying in the air
-Rocking and being sung to
-Snuggling
-Piano play mat
-Moo Cow wubanub paci
-Bath time in your pink tub
Isabella Hates:
-Socks! She kicks them off the second they are put on! Makes for really fun time watching her try to work tights off!
-Still not loving tummy time : (
6 Month Stats:
Weight: approximately12 lb 10 oz, according to our scale (10th percentile)
Height: 24.8 in (almost the 50th percentile)
Head Circumference: 16.2 in
Isabella's Firsts this Month:
-First time rolling back to belly (November 25, 2014)
-First time sleeping in a crib (November 28, 2014)
-First time sitting without any assistance (December 1, 2014)
-First time eating (trying!) solid foods (December 13, 2014)
This Month in Pictures:
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| You can be super fussy in the evening, but then smile the second you get put in the tub! Love it! |
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| Pretty girl |
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| Big girl sitting on the couch just reading a crinkle book |
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| Happy baby : ) |
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| We love our quiet mornings on the front porch |
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| Mama and Bella time on a girls day out with Mimi, Tia and Dani Leigh |
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| This girl loves her daddy so much, and he is certainly wrapped around her tiny little finger! |
