The Link Home: nash {6 months}

Thursday, August 07, 2014

nash {6 months}

Dear Sweet Nash-

A half a year already……how can this be? We love you more and more each day. Your sweet smile brightens up the room and your little giggle just melts our hearts every time. You are the sweetest little chunky monkey I know and we wouldn't know what to do without you.

Sleeping:
You have always been such a great sleeper but this month that has all changed. Your new wake up time is sometime between 5:30 and 6:30. I try so hard to get you back to sleep before nursing you, but you are always wide awake and ready to go. Some mornings you will fall back asleep after I nurse you and sleep until 7 or 7:30 but most mornings you are ready for the day at 6:30. {yawn} I've tried putting you to bed earlier and later to see if that would help with you sleeping in a little later and nothing seems to work. If I put you to bed earlier, around 6:45, you just wake up around 8 or 9pm needed help to go back to sleep. If I keep you up until 8 or 9 it takes forever to get you to go to sleep. We just can't figure you out this month. Plus you are still being swaddled a night but you bust out of it al the time. I would love to quit swaddling, but you can't roll over to sleep on your tummy yet, and you can fall asleep on your back without being swaddled. Naps have also been a source or stress this month. Since your wake up times are so early, your naps have been off. I never know if you sleep from 7-9am if that is your morning nap or if that is you going back to sleep. While the times of your naps aren't all that consistent, I do know that you require 3 naps still…….a morning nap (around 2 hours), a mid-day nap (30 minutes, usually in the car), and an afternoon nap (1.5-2 hours long). Sadly, I am still rocking you to sleep for all naps and bedtimes. We are going to have to start crying it out soon because I'm tired of wasting so much time trying to get you to sleep. It doesn't take long, but you need to learn how to fall asleep on your own.

Eating:

Since your sleeping has been so off, so had your eating. There have been a few nights were I had to nurse you in the middle of the night. Because you have been waking up so early and at a different time every day, our schedule really never looks the same. This has been hard for me because I like to know what our day is going to look like!! On a typical day lately I have been nursing you at 6:00, 9:30, 1:30, 4:30, 7:30. You take the bottle like a champ now and when I give you a bottle I usually give you 6oz. I gave you rice cereal for the first time 3 days before you turned 6 months. I was waiting until we were done with our helmet to start solids. The first time we tried it, you didn't really get that you had to open your mouth, but after a few days of it, you started to get the hang of it. I think you are going to be a great eater like your big brother!!

New Tricks/Activities/Accomplishments:
You continue to smile and giggle for us all the time. We barely even have to look at you to get a smile out of you…..I love it!! You are doing great reaching for toys and immediately putting them in your mouth. You have also tried to start putting your paci in your mouth. It doesn't always get in your mouth the right way, but you try really hard. You are doing great with the tripod sit, but are still not able to sit on your own. You have only rolled over a few time in your crib after you wake up from your nap. We have yet to see you roll over though. You have definitely found your voice. You can scream so loud!! You have found your toes and you can't stop eating them!!

Likes:
You love your paci, your teething toys, the Johnny Jumper, the Jumperoo, playing under your playmate, and watching your big brother. You love a good snooze in the car and you love being held so you can chew on my fingers. You love chewing on your toes, going on walks, hanging out in the K'Link, being tickled, and getting belly blows from big brother.

Dislikes:
Sleeping (this month), when brother gets too rough with you, when you bust out of your swaddle, when I won't rock you to sleep, and when you are just plum tired.

Other Random Facts:

We are only going to therapy ever other week now. You are just 5-7 degrees off before we graduate!
You got your DocBand off 2 days before you turned 6 months.
You teeth still haven't come in yet, but you are showing every sign of teething. Hopefully they will come in soon because they are really screwing up our sleeping and eating schedule.
You started pooping every day and every single stinking diaper is a blow out. Real fun….NOT!!! I'm hoping solids will help change the consistency of your poop so you can keep it in your diaper!
If you are fussy, the Johnny Jumper can always fix it!!
You are such a cautious baby when it comes to rolling over. I have never seen a baby try so hard to NOT roll over. You just really don't want your head to hit the ground, so you use all your muscles to pull it back up. Silly boy!!