6 Months ~Amelia~

 

I am not sure why it surprises me… we’ve seen it with Grant but time absolutely flies by.  Amelia is celebrating her half birthday and we are having a blast with our little family.  It’s often very busy but we try to enjoy each and every day as the kids get older.  I wish I could freeze time and bottle them up because we are having so much fun right now!

Growth:
Weight:  15 lbs 12 oz (42nd percentile)

Height:  27 1/4" (93rd percentile)
Head Circumference:  42.5 cm (58th percentile)

As you can see... this little girl is longggg and lean :)

Most 6 month clothing has been retired and Amelia is mainly wearing 6-9 and 9 month items.  She is still in size 3 diapers and if she ever wore shoes she would be wearing a size 2.

      

Mobility/Coordination:  Amelia can now sit completely unsupported.  We still keep the boppy close by for the occasional topple but she does very well balancing.  She loves standing and will stiffen her body if you try to get her to sit.  She can even stand at the table and balance herself for quite some time.  Hand eye coordination has continued to improve and she is reaching for objects very accurately with one hand and switching objects between hands.  While on her tummy, she fully extends her arms and has even gotten up on to her knees at least once.  She doesn’t have the pincher grasp yet but there are a lot of raking motions for objects.

    
Language/Communication:  Amelia is still usually quiet but has definitely learned how to get our attention.  She will whine or fuss when she wants a change of scenery or gets bored.  Her language sounds haven’t changed much and she still leans towards her ooh and aah vowel sounds.    

Personality/Amelia-isms:  Amelia has started to show some signs of separation anxiety especially when she is around people she doesn’t know.  If I walk out of the room, she will fuss or if I walk into a room and don’t go to her she fusses because she wants me.  Also, if a stranger is trying to talk to her sometimes she’ll wind up and poke out her bottom lip then start crying.  She has become a bit more of a cuddle bug this month which I love.  One of my favorite things is when she spots you across the room and you say hi to her she lets out this adorable giggle and lights up with the biggest smile.
 

    

Sleep:  Amelia is still on the same sleep schedule.  She likes her early morning and late afternoon catnaps with at least 1-2 longer naps in the middle.  There have been a couple nights she has woken up coughing but goes right back to sleep.  She also still prefers to sleep on her side or tummy.        

Feeding:  Amelia eats 4-5 times per day and stretches some feedings as much as 4+ hours.  When taking a bottle, she normally drinks about 7-8 oz or nurses for 15-20 minutes. 
 

I am very excited we made it 6 months exclusively breastfeeding without really batting an eye.  I have noticed a slight dip in my supply (I get 12-16 oz at work pumping 3 times a day but Amelia is sometimes eating 16 oz at daycare so some days I don’t break even).  I started taking fenugreek occasionally and drinking a “mother’s milk” tea.  My dip in supply could also be because of some other womanly changes that occurred this month (boo!).   

We began to dabble with solids occasionally and so far Amelia has had broccoli, acorn squash, avocado, apples, and bananas.  She seemed to like them all but it was more licking and squeezing and making a mess than actually being able to pick up pieces and put them in her mouth (the baby led weaning method).  I have used my finger as a spoon occasionally and helped her get a little more in her mouth.  Her tongue thrust still pretty strong and she gags on the some of the bites.  Again, we are still taking it slowly.  She’ll get the hang of it with time. 
 

 

Illnesses:  Amelia has still had a cold/cough/runny nose.  I had been continuing to use some various oils (thieves, melaleuca, and frankincense) to help ward off infection.  However, we took another trip to the doctor about 2 weeks ago because she was coughing up green phlegm occasionally and we were worried about some type of infection settling in.  Her ears were still infection free and everything looked fine.  The doctor and I both agreed that if she wasn’t running a fever we weren’t going to do an antibiotic yet.

Well low and behold, a week later she popped up with a low grade fever (101).  We made a call to the doctor and she said if she still had a fever after 72 hours we would definitely start an antibiotic (we of course were hesitant to start one immediately because of Grant’s C Diff and the doctor’s suggested use of azithromycin… the exact antibiotic that caused Grant’s problems).  I used a little peppermint essential oil on her and she woke up the next morning fever free with no return of the fever.  We have been continuing to monitor and keep an eye on her but we saw some change towards the beginning of this week when her eyes started getting goopy and running.  

We suspected a sinus infection or something along thsoe lines.  I took her in Friday for a sick visit/6 month physical and we found out after 6 weeks of battling this junk she has a double ear infection and bronchitis.  Honestly, she has been the same happy girl she always is.  She's been sleeping well and eating well except for this past Thursday.  We would've never known she had a double ear infection.  We bit the bullet and put her on an antibiotic in hopes of kicking this junk once and for all.  She is on probiotics and we are keeping a close eye.     

Teeth:  Still no teeth… Grant officially beat her on the tooth front.  His first tooth popped through at just over 5 months.  She still obviously loves chewing and is showing signs of teething but who knows when those first teeth will actually pop through. 

Firsts:  Diaper rash (didn’t start until she had her first nibbles of solids) now each time we try something new it flares up and is gone within a day thanks to coconut oil.  It makes me nervous for when we really get going with solid though if she is already having issues.

Likes:  Sucking bottom lip ~ cold teething rings ~ snuggling with a blanket when tired ~ blowing raspberries ~ sucking her thumb ~ sitting in her high chair at the dinner table with us

Dislikes:  Being left alone when she wants to be part of the fun ~ some strangers

Amelia, Autumn, and Grant all at age 6 months

Grant ~Summer 2013~

Grant has officially checked 2 ½ off his list and we don’t have an official check up until 3 years.  Our best guess at home say he is about 30.5lbs and about 36-37”.  Almost all 24 months items and most 2T items are being packed away as he outgrows them.  However, there are times when we put him in 3T items and it looks like he is drowning.  We take it on a outfit by outfit basis.  He is wearing size 7-8 shoes, undies are 2T/3T, and diapers are 4’s (at nap and night). 

Month:  July 

Favorite words/sayings:  Oatmeal = opa-meal 

Illness:  Grant had the chicken pox which was a rather easy battle.  If you didn’t catch that post, you can read it here. 

Grant-isms:  He seems to be somewhat of a self-made vegetarian.  He will eat meat but doesn’t like a lot of it and it definitely isn’t the first thing he gravitates towards on his plate.

Likes: Playing outside

Observations:  He is getting taller and skinnier rather than packing on the pounds (like his daddy and mommy) ~ knows left vs. right ~ better at brushing his own teeth (moves it back and forth versus just chewing on it) ~ covers mouth when coughing without being prompted  

Firsts/Adventures:  Had our first boat trip of the season (Grant LOVED it… it was like an entirely new experience for him ~ He also LOVED the fireworks on the 4^th of July but made me cover his ears with my hands throughout the entire show. ~ Mid July moved up to the next classroom at daycare and has done very well.  It was rather apparent he was getting bored in his room and some of his good buddies had moved up and he was getting lonely. 

Month:  August

Favorite words/sayings:  Very good at saying, please, thank you, and you’re welcome without being prompted ~ Amelia = A-mew-la ~ The "why?" phase has kicked in HIGH gear!

Illness:  None

Grant-isms:  Knows various meal time and bed time prayers.  He gets to choose which one each night and we never know what he will come up with.  Then he adds his own prayers on the end.  Sometime a meal time prayer becomes the bedtime prayer or vice versa.   

Likes:  Sid the Science Kid on PBS ~ Helping daddy with anything especially anything that requires fixing
 

Observations:  Energy seems ramped up, likes cutting/practicing with scissors, knows days of the week, can hold up two fingers, why phase has kicked in high gear, grasping the concept of time and talks about when things happened.

Firsts/Adventures:  I was back at work this month and getting the hang of handling 2 kids at the daycare drop off/pick up ~  Grant went fishing with Aunt Jodi and her family and had a blast! ~ The VBS kids also sang in church which included Grant in the group.  Although he knew all the words and motions to the songs he stood up there a bit shell shocked and wouldn’t sing.  I give him props for even staying up there though!
 

Month:  September

Favorite words/sayings:  Others can understand most of what he says and his speech has become much clearer ~ “Kee Kee” (ring around the Kee Kee pocket full of kee kee… a silly, nonsense word that we have no idea where he picked it up) ~ Miss daddy, miss mommy, miss grandma ~ “Where’s my mommy?” even when I am standing right next to him

Illness:  Slight cold with runny nose and cough

Grant-isms:  I have a question for you (ends up being a statement he uses to get adult's attention when they are talking over or around him) ~ When we were in Georgia we were taking a ride on the buggy and Matt and I were chatting away with Grant sitting in between us.  He tapped me and says I want to talk too ~ Says “I have a secret” and whispers the word “secret”  

Likes:  Locking/unlocking doors ~ puzzles on the Kindle ~ Superman cape (aka a towel place on him like a cape) after bath time

Observations:  Showing more interest in drawing/coloring slowly and trying to draw specific objects (X, t, cross, circles) and holding pencil correctly ~ catch and throw a spiral football ~ I love you in sign language ~ Can get the lid off play-doh (uh oh!!!) ~ He knows is birthday ~ He loves reading to us and it still amazes us how many of his books he has memorized literally word for word

Firsts/Adventures:  Georgia Vacation... loved Okefenokee Swamp Park and petting the animals and loved waves and letting them crash into him ~ Mistaken as a girl for the first time at a restaurant in Florida

Funny Story:  When we were in Florida, we were on our way up from the beach one day and planned to play in the pool for a bit.  We stopped by the bathroom for a potty break before we went to the pool.  One of the two stalls was occupied by someone we didn’t know and my friend Amanda had her son in the other.  While we waited, I went ahead and pulled Grants shorts and undies off turned around and next thing I knew he would standing on the boardwalk butt naked peeing in the bushes.  I couldn’t help but laugh and Matt walked up about that time and all he said was “Good form buddy!”  Well just as Grant was finishing up an employee of the condo walked out of that other occupied stall and laughed as I apologized. 

Craft with the Kids

I saw a great idea... on Pinterest of course for a painted picture using the kids' foot and handprints.  I modified the idea slightly and purchased a canvas from a local craft shop (which happened to be 50% off and only cost $4.99!).



 

 

I used some paint we had around the house and mixed black and white with a little silver to give me a shimmery gray color and painted the entire canvas (with some help from Grant).

 

I then used Grant's hand to make the "O"  and Amelia's feet to make the "V" and added in a current picture of them.  I also used a fine tip white Sharpie to add their ages below their prints.  I adhered the picture with Mod Podge glue to the canvas.      

 

The end result was this super cute keepsake complete with their hands and feet at the exact age and date the picture was taken.  This particular one was a gift to my mom for her birthday.  I have since made one for us as well!