Yesterday, we went to Max’s 6 month wellness check-up. Ahh, the moment of truth!
Weight: 18lbs, 1oz (54 percentile)
Height: 27in (64th percentile)
I say “the moment of truth,” b/c Max is still primarily breastfed, with a few solids here and there. Like I have written before, I am SO glad I chose to BF. But I doubt myself a lot . . . Am I really meeting his needs? Does he need to eat more? Brook would reassure me I was (based on wet and dirty diapers and how his growth was staying constant on the charts.) So, seeing his weight and height and hearing the doctor say we are doing everything right was a HUGE relief. It hasn’t easy, don’t get me wrong. I worked hard to make sure I produced enough milk for him . . . I pumped after feedings, ate lots of oatmeal, drank water like it was going out of style, made lactation bars, drank tea, increased my protein intake and so on. The hardest part is that every time I exercise (lately), I notice my supply drops. So, I guess those last few pounds will just have to stay there until he weans.
Solids . . . at about 5 ½ months, we introduced sweet potatoes. He did not like those at all! Then, avocado. Did not like that, either! So, I waited a few weeks and gave him oatmeal with bananas (the 2 foods Brook can’t stand). He loved it! Couldn’t get enough! Unfortunately, his digestive system didn’t like that combo. So, we are now doing oatmeal with applesause. And tried giving him sweet potatoes again – 2nd time around, he liked them! I’m relieved. I don’t want a picky eater. But he’s still having trouble digesting them, So, the plan is to stick with breastmilk and add food here and there. I’d like to keep BFing through the winter months (to get through flu season.)
He goes to bed for the night usually between 7 and 8 and wakes up happy almost every morning at 7:30. It’s so cool to be woken up by him blowing bubbles and babbling to himself. When I’m home in the morning, I race Brook into Max’s room to be the first to get that huge smile of his. Best. Thing. Ever.
He goes to sleep great at night and sleeps in his crib. Because he is still primarily breastfed and I don’t produce large amts of milk at each feeding, he is getting up about twice a night to eat. The other issue is that he is so distracted during the day that he needs calories at night. I could choose to give him a bottle before bed, but I don’t. So, we get up with him. Luckily, he eats for 10 min and goes right back to sleep (most of the time). His weigh in today was also proof that he still needs this nutrition at night to stay steady on the growth chart. He was still being swaddled up until 2 weeks ago. I dreaded the day when he was going to outgrow that thing. Then, one morning, I went in and he had rolled over onto his stomach. My heart dropped! He was fine, but after that, we went cold turkey to get rid of it. It’s actually been pretty easy. Now that he can move around, he almost seems to sleep better. Who knew?
Naptime is a different story . . . the kid doesn’t want to miss anything, so he hates taking naps. We have to rock him to sleep (while he’s screaming) and hold him throughout the nap. I’ve tried to do some “sleep training,” but he’ll cry and cry and just not sleep. Checks every few minutes tick him off even more. It felt very unnatural and left me feeling empty inside. And it left Max cranky and over-tired. I guess what it comes down to is you have to do what works best for your child. So, for now, we rock him to sleep and hold him. I’d love to be able to just put him in his crib and have him fall peacefully asleep. It would make life so much easier for me. But that’s not the reality I have in this child. I was at the park a few months ago and a friend asked her almost 3 year-old to sit on her lap. He said, “I don’t want you, Mommy.” It made me sad and I realized that Max will be that toddler someday. So, I try cherish the moments he wants to be on my lap now. That being said . . . ;) I am taking small steps to change things . . . like putting him in his crib when he’s awake for quiet play-time, so he gets used to it during the day. Baby steps, baby steps. Actually, as I’m writing this, he’s sleeping on the couch. I was able to rock him to sleep with almost no resistance and lay him on the couch to nap. Of course, until the dog started barking and woke him up. Urrrrrrrr.
He started rolling at 4.5 months and is now doing the army crawl. He is pretty much into everything now, so it can’t get much worse when he starts crawling! Just a few days ago, he started being able to sit by himself. He’s a very vocal child and likes to be involved in conversations. He LOVES people and is quite the show-off. At church, he has many admirers. He likes to yell and blow bubbles to impress them. We spend a lot of time in “cry” room during Mass. ;)
He has such a cool personality. When he was born, he received one of those “what your name means” posters. One of the descriptions on there was “spirited.” Boy, is that ever the truth! He is a child who goes and goes and doesn’t want to miss a thing. I know he will be a person who lives life to the fullest.
Besides marrying Brook, having Max is the best thing that has happened to me. Becoming a mom has fulfilled me and brought me peace and happiness in ways I never thought possible.
All ready for the big bowl game!
Showing off his sitting skills!
