{lion: jellycat via nordstrom // shirt: Carter’s // jeans: babyGap // moccasins: Freshly Picked}
{month six} half of a year? this little one is half of a year. unbelievable!
this past month has been an absolute blast! not that life with eloise hasn’t always been really fun, but developmentally she is gaining so many new skills that are much more interactive. plus, aaron was home with us all of january on paternity leave & all of us enjoyed it very much.
sleep. oh the illusive sleep! we started sleep training at the beginning of january & I have to say {& am almost afraid to say} that sleeping is going really well. it took a few weeks for things to shake out, but a month into it & I have to say that sleep training is the best thing we’ve done. not only is everyone in the house actually sleeping, but eloise learned how to put herself to sleep, stay asleep, & sleep longer! we know that she will consistently sleep at night {12 hours with one early AM feeding} & pretty consistently nap during the day {3 30 to 60 minute naps, sometimes 90!}. it is amazing & life-changing! we are still using a version of the “ferber method” & let her fuss for timed increments before soothing her {3, 6, & 9 minutes}. she usually only fusses for a few minutes, & on the rare occasion she won’t calm down, we blame it on teething & give her lots of cuddles.
eloise is a definite side sleeper these days now that she is able to really roll around & get comfortable. she also likes her lovie to be right up in her face which sometimes is terrifying when you see it on the video monitor. she is still using a pacifier on occasion, but has learned to self-soothe with her fingers or thumb or her lovie, particularly the tag. this kid loves tags & finds the tag on every toy & plays with it. I should probably make her a tag blanket. also, we have discovered that eloise likes to lie sideways in her crib & she will end up that way to sleep whether you put her down that way or not {she is like a little turtle & turns around on her back}. I think it’s because she likes her feet to be on the bars of her crib? just a theory.
eloise is sitting on her own, for moments at least. she is still a bit wobbly & either falls to the side or back, but she definitely likes to sit! we have been sitting her in her highchair, the Bumbo seat, & recently sitting/standing in an exersaucer {we got this one}.
in the past week or so, eloise has started babbling & cooing to herself & her toys. it is the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard. she also has found her tongue & can blow bubbles with her mouth. all day long she is either talking or blowing bubbles. so. much. fun!
other big milestones are that eloise can roll continuously & she has found her feet. rolling means that we need to start babyproofing & watching her when we set her down since she is never in the same spot that you left her. I keep a blanket on the floor near her playmat in the living room, but most of the time she ends up off of it & onto the hard floor. she doesn’t seem to mind though. feet are her newest & greatest plaything, & diaper changes have become interesting. eloise just wants to eat her feet & roll around on her back all day long.
we are going to start solids this week {likely this evening} so wish us luck! I have been making her purees from recipes I found on this great blog: Baby Foode. we aren’t going to start her on the traditional rice cereal, but whole food purees & then eventually will add cereal & grains. I plan on doing a mix of purees & baby-led weaning, but more on that in a different post.
eloise also had her 6 month immunizations today at her doctor’s appointment & she was a champ! I held her & she turned her face into me during the pricks, but not even a peep from this tough kid. the check-up went really well & eloise got a clean bill of health. her weight trajectory isn’t quite as steep anymore & is leveling off which is completely normal for breast-fed babies. her length is 26.25 inches (66 percentile), but her head is 44.9 cm (95 percentile)! also, eloise was discharged from PT at the end of last week {discussed last month here} & is well on her way to a tilt-free head! most people wouldn’t even notice that she has the slightest bit of a tilt, but we are working on some stretching & she’s good to go (even if we did nothing, it would basically correct itself).
{weight} 17 lbs 7 oz (77th percentile)
{hair} dark reddish brown.
{teeth} bottom two teeth are still making an entrance, slowly but surely.
{eyes} dark brown.
{clothes} almost out of 3 to 6 months (onesies). 6 to 9 (or 6 to 12) month are fitting better but still long in the arms & legs. {also, what is with the size 6 to 12 months? that is a huge age range! do kiddos really just stay a consistent size during this period?}
{diapers} full-time cloth {bum genius freetime, pocket, & elemental} & honest company size 3 diapers at night with a bum genius diaper cover.
{feeding} during the day, 3 hour cycles {see our schedule below}. when e gets a bottle, she will take 5 oz except at bedtime when she takes a full 6 oz bottle of pumped milk {though she’s been pretty unhappy the past two nights at the end of the bottle, so I may increase her bedtime bottle to 7 oz}.
{likes} books, sitting, standing (with help), music, bathtime, licking everything, talking, stripes & polka dots (on clothing), (other people’s) faces, feeling/scratching (raking is the technical term I believe) things with her fingers (fabric, toys, the wall. etc.).
{dislikes} teething, getting her face wet, diaper changes if she’s hungry.
{nicknames} Bug{s}, Love Bug, E, Wheezy, Kiddo, Little Love, Bugaboo, Cheeks (this is a recent Papa one!).
for those of you who are curious {I know I am always interested in other mama’s schedules!} & for posterity, here is eloise’s & my daily schedule:
4:30ish AM – feed {& right back to sleep}
8AM – wake-up & feed
{pump around 8:45}
9:30AM – nap
11 AM – feed
12:30 PM – nap
2 PM – feed
3:30 PM – nap
5 PM – feed
{6:30ish PM – dinner}
7:15 to 7:30 PM – bedtime {with bottle of pumped milk}
{pump around 8:45 PM}
{Mama to bed by 10:30ish PM}
if you look at the times, eloise goes down for a nap about an hour and a half after each feeding. going out anywhere & doing anything during the day is tricky since it means we are either feeding or napping on-the-go. feeding is never really an issue {though sometimes uncomfortable depending on where we are!} but naps in the car seat or stroller aren’t the best & if they happen, are super short. this is the most challenging part about being a mama for me since it often feels easier just to stay at home {even though I need or want to get out!}! soon we’ll be transitioning to a two-nap-a-day schedule… wish me luck! {any advice from other mamas on when to do that?}
happy six months eloise!
M