This Father's Day happens to be pretty special as it's also Iver's 6-month half-birthday :)
Kelvin is surely one of the most loving and patient Dads around-- he is fabulous with his son, and is far more patient and skilled at getting him to sleep than I am! Our little guy is soooo lucky.
Here are all of the updates on our little guy, and beware of the cute photo overload-- it's been a while since I posted and here they are in bolus form...
- weighs between 15 and 15.25 lbs (actual verdict tomorrow at his well child check) and, while small in about the 10-15%, has more than doubled his birth weight
- still wears 3-6 month clothing (sometimes larger onesies)
- has gorgeous big eyes that are starting to become more brown than gray, and an infectious smile
-
is pretty much still exclusively on breast milk (breastfed when I'm home, pumped
milk when I'm at work where he takes about 12-18 oz in a 9-10 hour
period depending on if he nurses well before I leave or at lunchtime). We
have started a few bites of homemade (which turned out a bit too chunky) oatmeal cereal but are going slow. He can hold a sippy cup and even his own bottle and is very clear
when he's done eating.
-
is seeming to have grown out of his reflux (hooray!). We are still
conditioned to walk around with a burp cloth all the time, but the
volume of spit-up is SIGNIFICANTLY less, and, as I write below, he now
doesn't fight sleeping on his back (this was formerly met with MUCH
screaming, possibly due to pain?).
-
is in cloth diapers during the day and size
two Huggies at night (usually with one change, and one early morning
close-to-blowout-poop). I bought some size 3 Pampers
diapers in anticipation of him reaching 16 lbs, but he's not quite there
yet
-
loves rolling around (and across) the floor and the crib (and, once, off
the couch- oops). He is not crawling yet but scoots, inching forward, pretty well.
-
is still very squirmy. He is not a big lap-sitter but likes to be held
and walked around, particularly in the forward-facing Bjorn or k'tan
carriers (he is not a fan of the Ergo, while our backs are). Diaper changes
have gotten quite challenging (and humorous) as he often rolls to his front and grabs
anything in reach
-
is a strong grabber-- I have to be very careful with my earrings, and
with getting my hair ripped out, as well as with Pepper's ears which is a
favorite of his (she is very gentle and doesn't seem to mind)
-
may be teething-- he is always chewing or sucking on something, whether
it be a toy, Sophie the giraffe, his own feet, which he can reach
easily, or my face. I have not felt any teeth buds yet, but we are using
a Hylands teething tablet at bedtime which seems to calm him somewhat
as he's occasionally seemed in pain (although very happy during the day)
- can sit supported, in the high chair, and in a tripod position, but only for a few seconds independently before he topples over
-
sleeps in his crib in his own room at night and has gotten WAY better
in this department. I think, due to reflux being better, he is able to
sleep comfortably on his back now. He still goes to bed pretty easily
between 7:30 and 8
p.m. with a few minutes of fussing/crying after our nursing/diaper
change/massage with lavender& almond oil/reading Goodnight Moon, JJ
Heller's lullabies/sound machine, and hearing loving words (Kelvin is
GREAT at getting him to sleep).
He
consistently wakes at least two, and sometimes three times per night-- around 11pm- midnight (and
is able to be soothed by Kelvin without eating while I get some sleep--
this is a hard time of night for me), and then between 2-3 a.m and around 5-6 a.m to nurse although sometimes with a hard time settling down after eating.
He will sometimes go back to sleep after that last waking and sleep until 7:30 or so, but is sometimes "up for the day" and in a good mood. While I'd love to lose that 2 a.m. wake, this pattern may be what he needs
and what I need to keep up my milk supply and his weight while working,
and our taking "shifts" is definitely doable. The sleep is soooo much better in the last 2-3 weeks than it has been ever, and now I'm not desperate enough to hire a sleep consultant!
-
is napping MUCH better, supine in his crib (no more hammock allowed). He is mostly sleeping about
an hour mid-morning and 1-2 hours in the early- to mid-afternoon. The
third (late afternoon) nap is starting to go away, but if he's up for
more than 4 hours, he's pretty cranky in the evening so we'll sometimes
let him cat-nap. He still falls alseep easily in the carseat but doesn't stay asleep for very long.
- is still scratching his head while nursing or at sleep times, which prompts us to put mittens on his hands at these times
-
gets bathed about once per
week on Sundays, and we've been treating his eczema with triamcinolone
or hydrocortisone, and Aveeno ezcema cream or Vanicream moisturizer
-
loves walks or runs in the stroller/BOB
- is incredibly smiley and vocal, even shrieking for attention. He has a great personality and this is an extremely fun age.
Iver totally loves his Papa and we have gotten some great photos lately
Visiting mama at the prenatal clinic (doesn't this outfit, with the mittens and shorts, rock??)
standing!
He loves to open his mouth for photos-- what a ham!
Eating the feet...
Ridin' in the BOB...
Sporting this very comfy Cambodian outfit from Mandy on a hot Humboldt day
More Papa smiles (and squirming)
Playing badminton with Papa while riding in the Bjorn (safety questionable here)...
First bites of solids!
Happy half-birthday, little guy!
