Hellobee

I know, I know, all parents say it, but this month snuck up on me. I cannot believe it’s been six months since he was born, and I cannot believe how much he’s changed.

Weight: 19lb 3oz
Length: 27″

Eating: We started purees at the beginning of August, so he had just turned 5 months. He wasn’t quite ready, so I stopped for a week and then started again. He was ready the second go around and we’ve been doing well since (except for a few days of not feeling well after shots). I’ve been making all of his food with the help of our steamer, hand blender, and regular blender. He has loved our plentiful crops this year, and has enjoyed pears, apples, and peaches from our yard and other people we know. The only thing he hasn’t liked so far is summer/yellow squash and zucchini. I think they were too bland and just tasted like the oatmeal that he doesn’t like plain. I gave him a banana in a mesh feeder and he liked it, but I hated trying to clean the mesh feeder. Not worth it. (Does anyone have a secret cleaning technique on that?)

Isaiah is a crib only sleeper now. I switched him right after he turned five months and for three days it was rough, but after that it was back to normal. I didn’t sleep train him because it hasn’t been an issue, but naps have always been hard for us. I nap trained him using Mrs. Bee’s post for inspiration, and in five days we had it nailed down. I’m so relieved to have him in his crib and feel better about that being our final transition for a long while. We don’t use sleep sacks because it has been too warm in our house for them. I may use them in the winter, but he’s fine without them for now.

Umbilical Hernia:
The doctor says it’s getting better and seems to have broken up into two parts (that doesn’t make sense to me, but he said it). He said it’s healing and is nothing to worry about.

New this month:
Teeth! I was so shocked when I put my finger in his mouth and found a tooth! He has both bottom teeth now. I wasn’t ready for them and totally cried when I saw it. He loves sitting in his high chair to eat. Eating purees is new. I took the oatmeal out of his bottle that his doctor recommended I add for reflux. I had to because I tried making my own oatmeal and couldn’t get it fine enough to come out, so it wasn’t really a choice I made, as much as one that was made for me. Reflux is still happening. It isn’t the liquid that it once was now, and plenty of our shirts were ruined during the days he ate pumpkin. Since then we’ve stuck with rather light colored foods for him. Some days it is better than others, and every once in a while there isn’t any spit up at all. The first day he didn’t wear a bib was like the happiest day ever. I’m so tired of them. He reaches for us now and for anything in his sight. Also, we finalized his adoption, so that’s new too.

Likes/Dislikes:
We have a Quincy doll from Baby Einsteins and he absolutely adores him. We’ve never watched the show, so he just likes this stuffed doll. He will come out of a flat out meltdown and laugh if you put Quincy in front of his face. He loves music and his uncles. He gets so excited to see them. He’s started paying attention to and smiling at other babies. He dislikes summer squash and zucchini. He isn’t really picky about anything else. He loves to be outside.

As parents:
I feel like a normal person again. It’s amazing how long it took. I am reading for fun again. I’m cooking again. It just feels like we left survival mode this month and relaxed. I haven’t found a way to get back into the gym yet, but that is my next hurdle to tackle (you like mixed sports metaphors, don’t you?). It’s fun that he plays now, and I love watching him explore and discover new things. The highlight of one of my days not long ago was when we both tried mango for the first time ever. I love experiencing things with him.