Happy Half-Birthday! SIX Months Old!

Little Jacob

 you are 6 months old!

At six months, you-

 

• weigh around 16lbs.  That means that you've gained 2-3lbs in the last month.  CRAZY!  We don't worry about your weight any longer.  You're definitely chunking out!
•  are wearing size 2 diapers
• are wearing size 6 month clothing
•  still reliably nap 2x a day, with a "sometimes" nap in the evening.  It seems like you don't need this nap as much as you used to.   The nights you skip it are a still a little rough, though.
• have continued getting up 2-3 times a night except for the last week.  You started eating 3 small solid meals a day and we found that this seemed to be the extra push to get you to the point where you were only up once a night.  And then yesterday you came down with a cold and were up pretty much straight from 10pm-7am.  I'm hoping that once you're feeling better, we go back to once a night... or even less!
• decided overnight that you no longer wanted to be swaddled.  It was, of course, the week your Daddy was out of town on business, so we had some tough nights while you transitioned, but you're completely done now.  You still sleep in a sleep sack sometimes, but if I don't have one clean, or forget, you'll sleep without it, too.  
• the same week you decided you were done with swaddling, you also decided you no longer like to be rocked to sleep.  Taking away the swaddle means you can now sleep in your preferred position...on your tummy.  And since I can't really rock you to sleep on your tummy...you no longer want to be rocked.  This is a good thing, in the long run, but it's a little sad, too. .
• want so badly to crawl, but so far all you've accomplished is getting rug burn on the end of your nose and your knees.  You can get up onto your knees easily, but you can't figure out what to do with your arms, so after a bunch of rocking, you tip over to the side or face plant.  Once you figure out the arms, there'll be no stopping you.
• are most definitely teething.  We've seen alot less spit-up, but replaced it with drool.  You can soak a shirt in 30 seconds flat. Can't see anything yet, but I can feel the ridge under your gum.  It'll be coming in soon!
• started trying  more solids this month.  So far, you'll happily eat oatmeal, apples, squash, and green beans.  You like peas, too, but they seemed to upset your stomach.  And rice cereal and sweet potato are a definite NO. 
•  are almost, but not quite, sitting independently.  If I put you in a sitting position, you can hold it for a few seconds, but then you tip.
• are still taking prescription strength Zantac twice a day. We go back to the doctor's tomorrow and we'll see what she has to say about weaning you off.
• have been wearing a DOC Band for 3 weeks now.  We had a little bit of a rough start with some pretty nasty heat rash, but we've been able to resolve that and after about a week's time, you didn't even notice the band anymore.  While it was a little bit of an emotional decision, we're already able to see progress, and we're happy we decided on the treatment.
• had your first visit to the pool and loved it.  Hooray for summer!

While these first six months have had their share of challenges, I cannot believe that we are already halfway to your first birthday.  Where did that time go?!?  This past month, especially, we've seen you grow and change so very quickly.  You are moving, thinking, busy little boy.  You think your sister was born to entertain you, love rolling around with your Daddy, and reach for your Mommy anytime you are even the least bit upset.  You have the biggest smile and flash it often.  While you're still very young, already some of the "baby traits" are disappearing as you grow more interactive with the world around you.  It's going to be a very busy summer around here!


We love you, Baby J.  You're showing us something new every day.