Carter - 6 months

Carter James, you are six months old! How has half a year already passed us by? I was looking through photos from the past six months and pulled together your one, three, and six month photos. You have changed so much! You went from being so uncertain about us and your surroundings to the giggly, cuddly, bouncy boy we know today.

You have started to army crawl across the floor and we know we’ll have to start baby-proofing soon. I’m not quite ready for you to be so mobile but I think if you had it your way you would get up and walk. It’s just a matter of time! You started sleeping in your crib in your room across the hall this month… well, you start out there (while I keep a close eye on you from the video monitor) and after your first or second wakeup I put you in the pack n’ play in our bedroom before you eventually end up in bed with us. I don’t sleep as well when you are in our bed, but you just love snuggling up next to me and I can’t complain about how easy it is to nurse you back to sleep when you wake up. You started eating solid food this month, just a week before your six month “birthday”. You’re still not too sure about what I am putting in your mouth but you love to play with the empty spoons. I can’t wait to see which food you do and do not like as we start to introduce new things to you.

You are such a joy to be around! We love that you reach out to us when you see us and that we can make you smile and laugh. We love that you still want to snuggle with us when you’re tired and fall into our arms when you’re excited. We love sharing life with you and we love you, Bug!

 

Weight: 19 pounds, 6 ounces

Length: 27 inches

Clothes size: You are wearing size 9 month or 6-12 month clothes and we are currently buying some 12 month items in preparation for your next growth spurt.

Diaper size: Size 3

Sleep: At night you go to bed between 8:00 and 9:00 p.m. You usually sleep until 11:30-12:00 and then wake up every 1.5-3 hours in no consistent pattern. You most often wake up during the night because you are unsettled and start rolling around in your bed. I try to settle you back down before nursing and sometimes that works, while other times nursing is the only thing that will comfort you back to sleep. Often times you wake back up when I try to put you back in your crib or pack n’ play so you end up in bed with us (usually starting between 2-4 a.m.) but that makes it easier for us to "side nurse" which lets both of us get more sleep and seems to keep you settled for longer periods of time. Because of this I now have a kiddie rail installed on the side of the bed to keep you from rolling out. Safety first!

Eating: You are such a distracted eater and breastfeed for 5-15 minutes on each side and often stop eating to talk me or pop up to check out what is going on around you. You now have 2 100mL bottles of expressed milk at Carrie's house and we still breastfeed every 2-4 hours any time Mama is not working. You started solid foods one week before you turned six months old. I’m so glad that we were able to exclusively breastfeed for so long before starting solid food. You are still getting the hang of “chewing” and swallowing but you are getting better every day! So far you have had rice cereal, pumpkin and avocado. You have had pumpkin for lunch at Carrie’s house and rice cereal and pumpkin or avocado for dinner at night. We are introducing a new food every 4 days to make sure you aren’t allergic to anything we are giving you and we’re looking forward to expanding your pallet.

 

Likes: Playing with your toys, sucking on your binky, being held, army crawling, watching Gromit, listening to music, taking baths and splashing, going to public places and taking in all of your surroundings, and playing in your Baby Einstein Activity Jumper (which you LOVE!). Favorite songs right now are Going to the Zoo, Wheels on the Bus, Jesus Loves Me, You are My Sunshine, the theme song to “Jake and the Never Land Pirates”, and the special song Grammy made up for you.

Dislikes: Being hungry, being bored, having a dirty diaper, waking up on your tummy, and being overly hot.

Milestones this month: Army crawling around the floor and getting faster every day, pushing up on your hands and knees, starting solid foods, sitting up by yourself, reaching for (and moving towards) things you want or drop, reaching for us when you want to be picked up, recognizing who we are, ever-improving motor skills, and “talking” more and more.

Memorable moments: First airplane ride, first campout (we didn’t spend the night though), first trip to the park, meeting more extended family members, and riding in your front-facing stroller.