Easton is half a year old! Ok.. so he’s 6.5 months now… I’m
a couple weeks late.
Since my last blog post (Easton’s 5 month update), here’s
what has changed…
Sleeping
Overall, Easton’s sleep has drastically improved! He naps 3
times a day, usually going down for his first nap at 8:30 or 9:00. Nap #1
usually lasts 1.5 hours, and his next two naps are about 45 mins each (one at
12:00 and one around 3:00). He occasionally takes 2 longer naps and I think he
is close to being able to do that consistently, but for now, three naps is working
best. His nighttime sleep is also pretty
good. He goes down around 7:00 pm and wakes up once to nurse around 11:00 or
12:00, and then sleeps until 6:30 or 7:00 am! For now, I don’t mind the one
wake up because his sleeping is WAY better than it was a few months ago. He has
also started rolling onto his tummy to sleep sometimes (although I put him down
on his back) which is like his mama! It’s hilarious to look into his crib… he’s
got 6 pacifiers lined up along the back, so he can always find one! He sleeps
in a sleeper with a light cotton sleep sack, hugging his stuffie Moe the
Monkey.
Eating
We started rice cereal and some beginner purees (homemade)
at about 5 months after the go-ahead from his doctor, but then I gave up
because he just wasn’t quite ready or interested enough. We started up again a
couple weeks later and he’s been doing really well! He eats solids 3 times a
day, and still nurses 6-7 times a day. His
favorite purees are pear, peach and squash and he also loves mango in his mesh
feeder. For breakfast he usually has oatmeal cereal mixed with a fruit puree
and some warm breastmilk. Lunch is usually a veggie puree and some rice cereal
with BM and sometimes some plain yogurt. Dinner is usually veg puree with rice
cereal and sometimes some fruit for dessert. He devours mango! He eats finger
foods occasionally, like tiny pieces of bread, potato, avocado, and rusks. He
loves the ‘Mum Mum’ rice rusks.
The only negative of his eating habits is that he refuses to
take a bottle. He took one up until 3.5 months life a champ, and then just
decided it wasn’t for him. This makes it hard to get away for more than a few
hours. I photographed a wedding last week and he was with daddy all day…
stubborn little guy went 10 hours without milk! He was fine, ate lots of
solids, and hardly fussed, but it still bothers me. We’ve tried several
different bottles and nipples, to no avail. He will drink water and diluted
juice from a sippy cup, but once we put milk in it, he just spits it out! Boob
man, til the end!
Growth
At his 6 month check up, Easton weighed 18 lb 10.5 oz and
was 28 inches long. He’s in the 75% for weight and the 95% for height! He’s
wearing mostly 12 month clothes and he’s almost too big for his infant
carseat! We’ve got the next stage one
already (up to 65 lbs), and we’ve been using it for a couple weeks because the infant
carrier is just way too heavy with him in it. Its been working well, the only
annoying part is when he falls asleep in the car, we cant just bring him in in
his carseat like we used to.
Milestones
Since about 5.5 months, Easton has been sitting unassisted
really well! I still put the boppy pillow around him just in case he falls over
(which sometimes happens when he’s reaching for a toy), but I would say, he’s
now mastered sitting and playing. It’s SO nice to be able to sit him down in
his little play area with a few toys and he can entertain himself while I get
things done!
I definitely think he’ll start to crawl in a couple of
weeks! He’s able to go from a sitting position onto his hands and knees, but
hasn’t quite figured out what to do from there. He’ll reach like he’s going to
crawl, but then go onto his tummy. He’s really close though! He also pivots
around on his tummy and can commando crawl (backwards!). He’s starting rocking
back and forth while on hands and knees.. maybe he thinks he’ll just propel
himself forward! He’s a determined little guy.
He also LOVES to stand and hold onto things, and smashes his
hands in excitement while babbling away! He sometimes takes a few steps when
I’m holding his hands, which is pretty cool! He surprises me every day with the
things he’s able to do.
Overall, I am just LOVING this stage of babyhood. Easton is such a happy and laid back baby. He is so full of love, determination and cuteness! He cuddles me at
night, laughs with me when we play together, smiles when he sees me for the
first time, and just loves me unconditionally, as I do him. I never knew I
could love someone the way I love him! Watching him grow up so quickly, master
new skills, and show us little hints of his personality, is the most amazing
thing to see. We love our little man, and although we’ve only known him for 6
months, can't even remember what life was like before he arrived!
