Half a Year Old!

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!