can't believe how fast this time has gone and know it's going to continue to speed by if I'm not careful. I am trying my hardest to savor and remember every moment with my family. Brodie is definitely growing up more and more. He now makes the "ba" sound combined with "da", "goo", screetches, and raspberries. It's getting louder in this house the last couple of weeks hehe.
Brodie is also sitting up unassisted for short periods of time. If you even keep one hand on him he can sit there forever and today he sat down in the corner for probably 30-60 seconds happily without face planting.
In terms of rolling over, he does it with more ease but not every time I put him on his playmat. He likes cuddling with me and hanging out in his rocker chair so maybe I'm not giving
him enough opportunities to roll over. Hopefully it doesn't impend his development. :(
Brodie is making tons of facial expressions in the last couple of months too! He has a scrunchy face he does when he's super happy, a funny lip type thing, and a very wide mouthed smile when he screeches. This is in addition to a pouty face that reminds me of Joshua so much its freaky and a smile that melts my heart every morning.
He is still sleeping through the night (he has since Feb 18th) and his "schedule" is to go to bed between 8-9pm and he wakes up betwe
en 6:20-7am. This is LOVELY for my sanity in terms of how rested I feel but has also resulted in him eating less times per day because he is up less hours a day. He now eats between 5-6 times a day instead of 8-10 times a day. I think he eats more efficiently now though and can suck more milk out faster than he did before.
Brodie grabs on to anything and everything
with his hands, crossing the midline ALL THE TIME and getting my hair in his grasp constantly. I think I'm going to be switching back to contacts soon because of the sheer number of fingerprints that get on my glasses every day and the amount of cleanings I have to do. When he does get something in his mouth he nom noms on it and makes biting motions with his gums. I think he may be teething because this is associated with drool.
We had Brodie's 6 month pediatrician appointment yesterday and it went ok. Vital stats:
Weight: 13lb 1oz (only up 3oz from his FIVE month weight of 12lb 14oz)
Length: 25.5 inches (up .25 inches from his FOUR month length of 12.25 in)
Head: 42.5cm circumference (up 1.5cm from his FOUR month circ. of 41cm)
The pediatrician is getting pretty concerned about his weight because he is still not even on th
e percentile chart and he only gained 3oz in a month
(which is pretty much his morning breakfast feeding amount, if not less than a feeding amount). He was very happy when I told him I was going to start solids with Brodie this weekend. He said "he isn't thriving right now" and that solids would "help him bulk up with the extra calories they provide." He's probably right, and either way I'm not freaking out about it. He's happy and healthy! :)
The ped also said to continue with the reflux meds but not up the dose with an increase in weight because he wants to phase it out since it only helps with the barfing about 1/2 the days.
Brodie got the 3rd round of shots and the rotavirus oral vaccination. He received 2 out of the 3 standard ones...whatever those are (can't remember the abbreviations). The one he didn't get was HepB since we opted out of that one. The doc wants to give it to him at his 9 month but I told him that I want to wait until much later in life to give it to him...like right before Brodie goes into junior high. I also declined the flu shot for this year. I got a long lecture on the importance of both of the shots I declined and you would think that I was killing my kid by not giving him these shots. Well, I questioned the doctor after the lecture on HepB and he finally admitted that Brodie wasn't at risk until he engaged in sex or drugs with someone who was contaminated with HepB virus. In terms of the flu virus, we are going to research it more and possibly give it to him next flu season (since the season's almost over I didn't want to bother with it this year).
Anyway, back to baby food.... We are going to make our own baby food because it is healthier, fresher, and cheaper. Tomorrow we are starting our first meal meal of solids besides the cereal he had for the 4th month of life. And, what is that meal you may ask? AVOCADO! :) I'm excited and am looking forward to the messy pictures and video that will come from it.
I leave you with a few 6 month photoshoot pictures I took of Brodie this afternoon. He was being an absolute HAM! :)
~Heather
