Six months just flew by! It’s hard to believe my little girl is already half a year old. It feels like just yesterday I was snuggling up with her in the hospital after she was born. She seems so grown up already, especially when she’s drinking water from her own cup or eating from her own spoon. Today I am sharing a monthly update on CC, including a growth progress photo collage from the past six months. I also talk about what’s going on in my new Mama lifestyle.
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Just in case you missed my delivery post, here are CC’s birth stats: Born December 28, 2015 // 6 lb 6 oz // 20″
CC’s Current Stats:
❊ Age – Six Months (29 weeks now)
❊ Weight & Height – 16 lb 6 oz and 27.3″ (still in the 95th+ percentile for height!)
❊ Eat – We finally started solids! I waited until just after CC turned 6 months old for two reasons: 1) the end of June was very busy for us between travel and family plans and I wanted to start when we were back in our normal routine at home and, more importantly, 2) I wanted to be sure CC could sit well on her own in her high chair, which to me indicated she was ready to process food and enjoy the act of eating. She took to it instantly! I started her on single vegetable thin purees and we’re now working on more pudding-like consistency mixtures. I’ve made all of her food so far, but I’m not opposed to buying some store bought in the future, especially when I want to start introducing dissolvable solids. She’s been a fan of everything I’ve offered her to date, which she gladly gobbles up, spoon in (left!) hand. We’re enjoying the food adventure together and I look forward to introducing her to more tastes and textures with time.
I still breastfeed her 5-6 times a day (depending on whether she sleeps through the night or not, which varies) and don’t have any plans to alter that aspect of her nutrition. I’m with the camp that believes “food before one is just for fun” and that breastmilk should continue to be CC’s primary source of nutrition. I do plan on following her lead with breastfeeding, however, and will let her wean on her own terms and timeline. If that happens to be before her first birthday, that’s alright by me, too. Now that she’s more active I’m really focusing on the cuddly snuggling aspect of nursing her and making it a special connection point for us throughout the day.
❊ Sleep – Once again, sleep has been all over the map. Traveling and staying in a different environment with our family was a much different vibe than we’re used to at home, which definitely threw a wrench in CC’s naps. Then we returned home to a long holiday weekend of parties and family gatherings for the fourth of July. This was quickly followed by her entering the stormy period of a developmental Wonder Week (I stand by that book – it has been spot on so far!). On top of it all, CC’s two bottom front teeth have starting popping through. Her sleep routine has suffered a bit, but I am pleasantly surprised that she has taken this all in stride and for the most part remains her sweet, happy self.
Every couple of weeks she’ll sleep 12 hours overnight and I’ll get excited, but then it’s always back to the usual 8-9 hours with an early morning (4-6 AM) feed and then another couple of hours of sleep. She takes three naps most days still, but the last one of the day is usually either very short or she dozes off during her late afternoon feed. Her other two naps still don’t follow a consistent pattern. Sometimes they’re 30 minutes long and sometimes they’re more like an hour and a half. She still manages to average about 14 hours of sleep a day total. I’m hoping naps and overnight sleep will improve soon especially with the addition of solids and a slower digestion process.
❊ Recent Milestones – Other than starting solids, CC now has two front teeth! I noticed while we were in Long Island at the end of June for a family reunion that she was drooling more than usual and gumming like crazy. After about ten days of this I finally saw one of her bottom teeth just below the gum line. It took about another five days to finally poke through. Tooth #2 is just now popping through as well. Teething hasn’t been as terrible as I was warned about. She’s definitely more prone to irritability for the couple of days when a new tooth starts to poke through the gums, but she manages it well. I knew to expect disrupted sleep and crankiness so those things are not a surprise. Overall she doesn’t seem much bothered by it and is happy to gum on teething toys. I’ve given her Infant Tylenol a couple of times when I felt like no other soothing methods were working and she needed to rest.
❊ Special Moments – Meeting Don’s extended family at the family reunion and going to the beach together. Swimming for the first time, first at the rental house pool and now at home during our twice weekly swim classes. Spending time with my brother’s family who came up to visit for the Fourth of July weekend. Squealing with delight at feeding herself with a spoon. “Flying” with Daddy and playing “horsie” on Mama’s knee. All of the baby giggles.
❊ Daddy’s Experience (in Don’s words) – Interacting with Charlotte has absolutely become the best part of my day. One day last week I was at a work event late and wasn’t able to get home before her bed time and it felt like there was a giant hole missing from what a day is supposed to be like. Her smiles and laughs and giggles are so adorable and heart-warming I almost can’t stand it. Her excitement in discovering new things like solid foods and just touching new objects is beautiful and contagious. At the risk of stating the obvious, Jen and I feel incredibly lucky to have Charlotte in our lives.
❊ Mama’s Experience – Every day I have to pinch myself that I’m so lucky to be this little lady’s mama. She is beyond precious. I love seeing her sunshiny personality shine through more and more as she grows stronger and more confident. It’s still hard to believe that I’m finally a mama, even 6 months in! It is, without a doubt, the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I never could have imagined feeling this much love. It gives me a kind of confidence I never dreamt possible. I feel at peace with myself and my place in the world for the first time in my life. I wake up so excited every day to see CC’s sweet face smiling up at me and anticipate our daily adventures together. I love discovering the world anew through her eyes. Every day is so special now.
Check out this video if you’d like to hear more:
I hope you enjoyed CC’s six month update. This will be my last video update I think until her 1st birthday. I haven’t yet decided if I will continue posting a monthly update here. If not I’ll try to check in at the 9 month mark.
Thank you so much for all of your support and well wishes! ❤
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