I think I will say this every month but this month has been really fun when it comes to milestones, etc. It has also been very exhausting with teething, Wonder Weeks leaps, and lots of traveling but our happy little guy is so worth it. Ford's hair is growing like crazy and we are thinking we'll have to get a trim soon. He no longer looks like a baby to us but a little big boy who loves eating, talking, and can independently entertain himself. The fact that our son is closer to a year than his birth just baffles me (and makes me cry). I am so in love with this little man, it's been a joy to spend half a year with him!
Weight: 19lb 8oz (84th percentile)
Height: 26.75in (55th percentile)
Head Circumference: 46 cm (98th percentile)
Doctor Appointments:
Fortunately Ford has been healthy this past month and the only doctor visit has
been his 6 month well check yesterday morning. We absolutely love our sweet doctor who always tells us how perfect Ford is! He's hitting all the 6 month milestones and his growth chart looked great. He cried for about 15 seconds during his 3 shots and was easily soothed when I nursed him. We don't go back until 9 months for another well check, crazy!
Nicknames:
Mister, Milkie, Milka, Talky, Cutest, Doodle boy
Clothing: mostly 6-9 month and 9 month clothes depending on the brand. He's such a hot natured baby that even if it is in the 30's outside, he will be drenched in sweat if he is in long sleeves. Forget all those cute sweaters I bought for him! I've also come to realize that one pieces work really well for him. Between his big belly and cloth diapered booty they are just easier.
Diapers: still cloth diapering and loving it! I am having to use 1 regular and 2 newborn inserts at night for our super soaker and we've made some adjustments to our one size diapers for our growing boy. We used disposables on our trip (size 3) that he kept leaking out of. I was ready to get back to cloth.
Eating (milk):
Ford sure does love nursing. We tried one last attempt with the bottle using
the Medela Calma bottle and he still refused. Now that he is 6 months I see it
futile to try to force a bottle when we plan on weaning at a year. I feel very
blessed that I am able to nurse him exclusively and that it works great for us.
Now that he’s on solids, he goes about 4 hours between nursing, sometimes more,
sometimes less, and can empty my breast in about 5 minutes (when he’s focused).
He is quite the distracted nurser when people are around or stuff is going on
and he hates the cover.
Eating (solids):
Ford was more than ready for solid food and had his first bite of oatmeal on
January 17th 2014! He opened right up but didn’t so much like the
taste. Almost a month later and he is eating 3 solid meals a day… usually
oatmeal with cinnamon and banana or pear in the morning, avocado with garlic for lunch, and
sweet potato mixed with green bean for dinner. I’m making all of his food and have butternut squash that we are going to try this week. He ate lots
of guacamole last week in Mexico, yum yum. He also loves munching on mum mums,
cucumbers, bell peppers, and slices of apple, pear, and cantaloupe.
Sleeping (night):
well this month definitely rocked me in terms of sleep and emotions. Between teething
and an intense Wonder Weeks Leap, there were nights I had to hold Ford for 2
hours for him to sleep. It was ROUGH but we made it out alive. He’s been doing
really well since finishing his leap. We start bathtime at 6:45p and by 7p he is rubbing his eyes and looking sleepy. I nurse him, read books, and put him down between 7:15-7:30p. Some of his best nights he has made it to 530/630, quick nurse, then go back to sleep for 2 hours but he usually nurses around 430a for 5-10 minutes then back to sleep until 730a. Some people qualify 8 hours of sleep as sleeping through the night but in my books sleeping through the night means I don't have to get up! Last night he went 7:30-6a, nursed, then slept til 8:30a (he got shots yesterday so I think he was extra sleepy). He cried out a few times between 10:30-11:30p and Jon was able to soothe him using minimal CIO....5 min, 7 min, 9 min of crying. I think we will be STTN very soon, or this optimistic mama keeps telling herself that!
Sleeping (naps):
dare I say we are getting on a napping schedule? Coming from the newborn who
used to stay up for 5 hours at a time, I am shocked that after 2-3 hours of
awake time, Ford is ready for a nap. I try to be home for 2 naps a day in his
crib and the other on the go. Morning 1-1.5 hour, early afternoon 1.5 hour, and
late afternoon 1 hour. Last week on vacation he took a few 2 and 3 hour naps,
it was amazing! I think because he is such an active and busy boy, he wears
himself out.
Social: what a
ham he’s been this month! He loves when people look and talk to him when we are
out and about and often gives them a smile show. About 90% of the people we
encountered on our vacation commented on how beautiful and happy he is, the
resort workers loved him too! We call him “Talky” because he is Mr. Chatty pants
all the time. He loves to hear his own voice and loves to shriek. Even at his
crabbiest of times he will still give us sweet smiles.
Likes: eating
solid food, playing with his spoon, jumping, Sophie, his jumper, Ernie, kicking in the
bath, feeling textures (Ernie’s fur, daddy’s beard), singing and dancing, being
tickled
Dislikes: being
hot, watching other people eat when he’s hungry, getting his messy face wiped
New this month:
- He’s officially a roly poly rolling from front
to back and back to front very quickly and seamlessly. We will set him on one side of the room and in no time he's on the other side
- 2 words: fake coughing
- Getting better at sitting up unassisted (not balancing on his hands) but gets excited and moves around and falls over
- He’s discovered how to make fart noises with his
mouth and does it ALL.THE.TIME. It’s pretty hilarious to watch him in the
monitor in the mornings making them.
- Ford is getting really good with his hands and
using his fine motor skills to grab
things that I put in front of him and hold onto them.
- Taking off his shoes and socks (and very into his feet)
- SHIEKING! See video below
Fun things we did:
- Ford got his first stamp in his passport this
month when we took a family trip to Cabo San Lucas! He had so much fun playing
in the sand, going whale watching on a boat, and swimming.
- Ford’s great grandparents (my papa is his
namesake) came to visit and loved getting to play with our bouncing boy. Ford
had cousin time with Embry, made a few trips to Costco and went to 3 of his
uncle’s basketball games
- Lots of playdates with church friends,
neighborhood friends, and more baby friends. Ford is starting to interact with
other babies so these playdates aren’t just for mama! It was so cute yesterday Ford and his baby friend Ethan (who is only 8 days older than Ford) were sitting next to each other in Bumbos and had their hands all over each other, reaching, talking, interacting. Then later Ford's other baby friend Ezra just had him cracking up! I love seeing him have fun.
- Ford swung in a park swing for the first time
and had fun! We also put up a Fisher Price swing in our backyard but have only
gotten to use it once because of crappy weather. He loved it!
Mama: a very big
mama thing for me this month… I’ve stopped pumping and it is SO freeing! I’ve
donated over 200oz of frozen breastmilk I had stored up and since we have no
use for milk now, it felt good to pack my pump away. I was only pumping once a
day or every other day and using it for his oatmeal but he gets enough
breastmilk from the tap so we use water now. I had been really emotional about
the bottle strike the past few months but we are accepting it and moving on,
feels good! Today I am going back to the gym for the first time since June!!! I am really looking
forward to that “me” time and getting myself back into shape. I’ve been able to do some at home workouts
here and there but I really do miss the social aspect of the gym and taking fun
classes. We plan on using the gym daycare but since it's still flu season we are going to wait a while and my mom will watch him while I'm there. I’ve also accepted the fact that my body is no longer made for a
bikini and had fun picking out a new tankini and one piece for our trip. You
guys saw my belly while pregnant, there no way my body would be left un-marked! Once again, another month of God teaching me grace and showing me new mercy every morning. Motherhood is tough, sleepless nights, fussy babies, no breaks, but it is incredible and I love almost every part of it, ha.
Daddy: Jon is
having a blast with Ford these days. He can make him belly laugh so easily and
I love watching the two of them bond. Jon is SO helpful and hands on with Ford and I can't imagine it any other way but I am so grateful for it. Without question he gets up with Ford in the night, feeds him so I can get a break, and wants to spend alone time with him so I can have me time. Being on vacation was also awesome because we tag teamed baby duties and things were just easier. I love seeing Jon grow into his role as a father, I know it was what God intended for his life. Oh and Ford's new thing is shrieking when he hears Jon whistle, it's almost as if he is singing along.
What we’re looking
forward to: Next week Ford, Mimi and I are going to spend a few days with Cori and Embry and are so excited for that follow along on Instagram using #embryandford hashtag). Then we are flying in a few weeks to
visit his great grandparents. He is quite the traveler! We’re also looking
forward to warmer weather and getting to be outside. We had wood floors put in
the downstairs of our house a few weeks ago and I can’t wait to put Ford in the
walker I am borrowing from my sister. He’ll be zooming around in no time.
Videos:
