Six Month Dr Appt

Six Month Doctor's Appointment

Today was William's six month appointment. He weighs 16lb & 6.5oz (20%). He was measured at 27.25in long (73%).  His head measured at 17.25in around (65%). Will is out of the "watch zone" on his weight! We've been trying to fatten him up with a supplement of formula each day and now solids.

She listened to his heart & lungs and looked in his eyes & ears, which are all great. Will showed off his leg strength by kicking almost the whole time he was being examined and his Dr said he is so strong. William rolled over while she was talking to us and did his attempting to crawl movements. Will isn't sitting on his own yet (something to work on), but she said it might not be long 'til he's crawling around. He already does a little bit of an army crawl to get himself closer to toys. 

No teeth yet, but he may by the next time he has a well-baby check up. His Dr recommended Tylenol or Motrin for any pain and suggested staying away from numbing things like oragel. She also said that some kids drool and have terrible pain along with teething while others just get teeth like it's a normal day. I'm hoping for the latter!

Dr did suggest working toward three square meals a day with solids. Grains and fruit for breakfast, fruit and veggie at lunch, and a protein and veggie for dinner. But continue nursing/formula as that is there he is getting most of his nutrients now and for the rest of his first year.

Will had two shots today to keep updated with his vaccinations. Bret wasn't able to be at him 2- or 4-month appointments, so he was not used to how they are given. I prepped him before the appointment as so what we were to do (hold him still/down while they gave the shots in his thighs). Both of them (Bret & William) did better than I thought! Will cried until the nurses left the room, then he was okay again. One of the nurses had to come back for something and he started crying again, maybe he thought she had another shot to give ;)

According to our doctor, what we need to be working on between now & his next appointment (9 month appointment)

-cuddles, love, and rocking :)

-reading to William each day!!

-encourage the babbling, cooing, & squealing Will does each day -- work on consonant sounds (mamama, dadada, bababa, gagaga, etc.)

-reaching and grasping for objects in his range and moving toward things out of his range

Upcoming milestones to watch for:

-sitting up on own & keeping head stable while sitting

-moving fluidly from laying to sitting

-bearing weight on legs when in a standing position (Will LOVES his jumpers & jumping on anyone holding him)

-recognizing voices & faces beyond just mom and dad

-recognizing self in a mirror

-first tooth/teeth (on average, comes between 6-9 months)

Next Appt- nine month appt in September

Father's Day

It's Bret's first Father's Day! I am so excited that he gets to celebrate this special day. He is an amazing man and has given me so much support as we  navigate this parenting thing together. It's not always perfect, but it's perfectly us. Together, we are being the best parents we can be for Will!

It's also time to celebrate the grandpas in Will's life! His Grandpa Richard loves to plant and take care of his garden & his Papa Fisher is a golf lover. We were able to incorporate those into Will's Father's Day art. These two men are wonderful examples for Will to see as he grows up!

Bret's Father's Day present was a little tougher for me to figure out. He doesn't have a desk at work to display a picture of Will and all the "First Father's Day" gifts I saw for sale seemed a little cheesy. I found this Lil' Critter book on Amazon and knew Bret would love to read it to Will! I traced Will's hand in it so we could remember how little he was on Bret's first Father's Day.

 

Here's the two of them together:

William: Six Months

6 Month Stats: Half A Year Old!!

Weight: (Dr appt Monday)

Length: (Dr appt Monday)

Eating: Five nursings four hours apart a day (7/11/3/7:30/10:30DF) with a formula bottle at 6pm and solids at lunch and dinner (noon & 6pm); We are doing chunky purees for his solids. I would like to give him some whole food as well (as per baby-led weaning), but we shall see how he takes to that.

Bedtime: Bedtime starts about 7:30pm and Will is asleep by 8:15pm. I nurse him right before he goes to sleep, so he's nice and drowsy when I put him in his crib. We are so thankful he's sleeping nights in his crib now. We retired that rock 'n' play a bit ago and were so happy to do so! I dreamfeed him about 10:30pm and he goes right back down for the night. As he is getting more and more calories from food, I would like to wean him off the dreamfeed so he sleeps all the way through the night with no wake-ups.

Naps: Still rockin' two naps a day for about 1.5 to 2 hours. Some days he takes a catnap sometime between 5 & 6pm. He goes down for his naps awake and falls asleep well on his own. Now that he's used to be unswaddled and having a blanket with him, he falls asleep much easier! He moves a lot more during his naps than his night sleep, so we never know where he will be in his crib when we go to wake him up. He sometimes puts himself in the corner and cuddles himself with his blanket. He's even started sleeping on his belly and has adorable red sleep marks when he wake up :)

Diapers: Size 2 diapers (finally!)

Clothes: 3-6mo & 6mo clothes; I packed up all of Will's 3mo clothes and I was so sad to know he won't ever wear them again!

Favorites: Moving around is a priority on William's list! He doesn't like to sit still on a lap (unless you are feeding him and even then, he throws his arms & legs around at times). If you are holding him on your lap, he likes to stand and jump. One of Bret's cousins gave up their doorway jumper this week and it has quickly become a favorite! He can spin in a circle, jump, and chew on the rings attached.

Speaking of chewing, chomping on everything is something else Will enjoys! It can be a toy, water bottle, his hands/feet, your hands, paper, anything he can get his hands on. I can't feel any teeth coming through yet, but I'm sure there are some there just under the surface. He isn't drooling a lot, but the chomping is constant :)

Rolling over and over and over is William's way of getting around. You would never know that he was once not a fan of tummy time, he puts himself in it so much now. That's how he plays with most of his toys or rolls to get to them.

Laughing/smiling is one of our favorites of Will's. Most of the time, we just have to smile or laugh at him to get him going, he has a great disposition. He likes being sung to and that usually puts him in a good mood.

Dislikes: If there is someone in the room with him that can hold him, they better be holding him! He likes to be part of the action and doesn't want to be put down (and he'll let you know!).

Development: William is working hard on crawling! He can get his legs/knees up and ready to push, but his arms are down. Or, he gets up into a push up to get moving, but his legs aren't going anywhere. He does this odd push off where he's balanced on one side. He can get himself moving by wiggling and rolling around. He reaches for everything around him, whether it's things he should or shouldn't be getting. His favorite thing to reach for is cups. If you are taking a drink while holding him, he will try to get a drink as well.

We introduced solids this week as well! He's doing pretty well with them. He is getting new flavors to taste. I have read that babies should be introduced to as many flavors as possible by 2 years old. If they are, they are less likely to become picky eaters (which comes in around 3 years old). 

William continues to work on his sounds. He has low grunts for when he's trying to figure something out (playing with a toy and wanting to get to something). He has high pitch squeals for when he's having a good time playing or being held. When he plays by himself in his jumpers, he babbles vowels and a couple consonants. He continues to look to loud noises and we use his name with him as much as possible. Those big, blue eyes of his are always watching everything around him and wanting to know what others are doing!

Will is also taking swimming/water introduction lessons this summer! It is six "lessons" on introducing babies to water. So far he has just been in the water with us and practiced some splashing. He will eventually go under in the water, wondering how that will go!

Looking Forward To:
-more solid food introduction
-time together as a family since it's summer for mama!

Swimming Lessons

We started Swimming/Water introduction lessons for Will. He goes once a week for six weeks. We sing songs to make being in the water more comfortable and more like a game. No going under yet (class 3!), but we pour water over his head to start the class each time and get him used to having water run over his face/head/eyes. Bret and I take turns holding Will and doing the activities with him. He doesn't have quite as much control over his movements as the older kids in the class, but he gets the splashing & kicking down! So far he has "swam" on his belly and "floated" on his back. At the second class, we worked on holding onto the wall and moving down and back on it (this is tough for him as his grip isn't super developed at 6 months), then 'jumping' off the wall into dad's arms. Being in the water doesn't seem to bother him at all, he is just so interested in how we can all be in at the same time.

Night 2:

Breastfeeding Six Months!!

We made it! William has been breastfed for six months, with a little formula in some bottles to get the ounces he needs. Getting to six months was my goal, but I told myself to be happy with any amount of time I was able to breastfeed. My plan from here on out is to breastfeed through the summer and reassess in late July/early August. Teeth may influence my plan as well! I have pumped breastmilk as well, so Will has some backup milk in the freezer. Sometimes I think how crazy it is that my body makes food for my baby! It's just crazy if you think about it. 

According to www.thealphaparent.com:

• You have greatly reduced your baby’s risk of developing allergies by waiting until at least now to introduce solids, this is particularly the case if you have a family history of allergies.
• By breastfeeding for this long you have protected your baby’s intestinal tract so that it can now begin to produce antibodies. These antibodies coat the intestines and protect him from foreign proteins and allergens.
• Continuing to breastfeed alongside the introduction of solid foods not only ensures good nutrition, it actually helps with the digestion of those other foods (Rapley and Murkett 2012).
• At around 6 months your baby will experience another growth spurt. Although you have solids to give, remember to offer the breast first as breastmilk is more nutritious. If your baby has been sleeping through the night you may find that he begins to wake for a midnight feeding during this growth spurt.
• If you have exclusively breastfed to this point, your baby is more likely to accept a range of solid foods. This is because breastmilk exposes babies to the flavors of their mothers’ diets and serves as a ‘‘flavor bridge’’ between a milk-based diet and a more adult-like diet (Mennella and Beauchamp, 1996; Taveras et al., 2004). Not only is food acceptance higher in breast-fed babies, they are particularly more likely to prefer vegetables (Sullivan and Birch, 1994). What’s more, food rejection or ‘pickiness’ is lower among pre-school children who were exclusively breastfed (Shim et al.,2011), so your child will reap the benefits for years to come!
• By breastfeeding for 6 months you have given your baby significant protection against eczema during their first 3 years (Chandra et al).
• You are now in the 1% of mothers who have breastfed for this long! Bravo! (BBC 2012).
• You have also given your baby a 19% decrease in risk of childhood acute lymphocytic leukemia and a 15 percent decrease in the risk of acute myelogenous leukemia (Tufts-New England Medical Center Evidence-Based Practice Center).

Introducing Solids!

Will had his first taste of solids (avocado) on Monday. And, to say the least, he was unimpressed. Will had avocado for lunch and again for dinner. Dinner went much better than lunch. Bret gave Will the spoon so he could have a little more control and more avocado was eaten since he was distracted by the spoon. More was eaten than I thought would be, I think Will was more unsure of the texture/consistency than the taste. He's only ever had breastmilk/formula so avocado is very different! Bathtime followed solids, for sure!

I found this plan in one of the baby food books I read. It suggests giving solids in addition to his normal feedings. At this point and until he's about one year, he is still getting his major nutrients from breastmilk & formula. We need to make sure his stomach settles from his liquid feedings before offering food. We are focusing on offering solids at lunch and dinner for now.

Here's the plan for what we will introduce: