Tuesday, February 15, 2011

EK 6 months (give or take 2 weeks)

EK....sorry this is a little late. i'm just impressed that i'm actually keeping up with your months. praying that one day you'll appreciate this.


this month has brought many changes. not huge ones. just seems that all of the sudden, you are a little person. not a baby.

  • you still don't sleep through the night. why, WHY are you our ONLY child NOT to sleep through the night? sigh. praying that this isn't a sign of the times to come.
  • but now we've figured out when you wake up. you either get up at midnight or at 4-ish.
  • you and i made it SIX MONTHS!! you have exclusively breastfed for six months. i can't believe we did it. i am so proud of us. thankful to daddy for continuing to encourage me. thankful to the lactation nurses for continuing to encourage me. because i'll be honest. it has NOT been easy. at all. what's sad is that when you do it well, you do it really, really well. when you don't? oh. my. it is very frustrating.
  • you have been doing the 1-2 oz. of breast milk in a bottle before eating on both sides up until about 5 days ago. in that bottle, i put half of an acidophilus packet. and you are still taking prevacid twice a day. dr. g still thinks you've got tummy issues. after your six month checkup, he wants us to add fiber to your diet. you seem a little young for fiber. but oh well. :)
  • we just started solids. and you aren't a fan yet. we've started rice, oatmeal, and we just gave you peas tonight. and for the life of you, you cannot figure out what to do with it. you gag a lot. but you still smile. so? no idea. you seem to be a little living guessing game.
  • you tolerate your carseat now. praise the Lord. you don't scream and cry constantly in it. that has been a LIFESAVER. ahhhh.
  • for christmas, you got sophie the giraffe, and we joke that you are constantly going to second base with sophie. you love her so much. you suck on her and chew on her and hold her close. so funny.
  • you put your mouth on ANYTHING we give you. including bigH's way dirty fingers. trust me -- i don't offer that as an option. he does (when it's just the two of you).
  • speaking of the two of you...that brother of yours? loves the HECK out of you. oh my. to hear him say, "sweet baby E. i love you, baby girl." melts. my. heart. and one day it'll melt yours too. he's going to take care of you.
  • goo? loves you. but right now, she has other things to do besides be your caretaker. i promise we won't let it last much longer. she's a sweet girl and she loves you. but with her, you have to let the game come to you.
  • sundays, dad and i still drop your brother and sister off at sunday school. then we go to the nursing room. dad watches the sermon on tv, i feed you and sometimes close my eyes. when you're finished, the three of us walk around, listening to the sermon. it is a sweet, sweet time for us.
  • but this past sunday? day before valentine's day? we put you in the church nursery for the first time. so weird. good for daddy and me. just for that hour. our pastor preached a sermon on marriage. and i have to say. it was nice to sit next to daddy and hold his hand. and marvel at what God has given me/us. but OH MY...i was elated to go get you. your brother and sister could hardly stand it. they asked you over and over "how was church? how was sunday school? what did you sing? who did you learn about? how was large group?" it was precious.
  • you are kind of getting into a routine. usually, you take a nap somewhere between 10-12. and then you eat. then, you usually go down again around 2-4. then, you eat. and then from 430ish-7 or 730, you are a bit of a pill. :) that's definitely your witching hour. we know it's that way for most people. but we don't want to put you down for a nap between 5-6. that seems strange.
  • you bathe at the same time bigH and goo do. daddy gives you your bath every night. and you guys bond then. i'm sure of it. while he's bathing you, i get your dinky little 2oz bottle warm and full of acidophilus. daddy takes you wrapped in a towel to your room to get your jammies. when you're getting your jammies on, you are one squirmy worm. i sit in the glider waiting on you. up until a couple of days ago, bedtime was easy. i'd feed your bottle, feed on the left side, and finish on the right side. then, i'd lay you on your changing table, swaddle you up as tight as possible, and then lay you in your bed. and you're off to night night land.
  • now, at dinner you sit in the little high chair with us and play with toys or eat oatmeal or something. you're still not that interested in food. but whatever. that'll come with time.
  • you don't really have a comfortable spot right now. you do the bumbo but only for a few minutes. you won't do a bouncy or papasan anymore. you'll lay on your back watching your star and playing with toys, but you get restless. you do NOT like tummy time. guess that's a wisner thing. :) honestly, you love to be held.
  • you've done great in your mobywrap, but it was getting harder and harder to wrap you in it as you got bigger. so i bit the bullet and finally bought an ergobaby carried. and you love it. you haven't slept in it yet, but i think that'll happen soon enough.
  • when you wake up from naps crying, i know you didn't sleep long enough. but you will NOT go back to sleep. when you wake up "talking," i know it was a great nap. and then you usually eat like a rockstar.
  • you wear 6-12 month clothes. some 3-6 month pants. socks don't stay on. so i usually put on robeez. which really bugs your sister for some reason. you wear a size 3 diaper.
  • your 6mo measurements at the doctor were weight = 17.2# (80%), height = 27 1/4 in (93%), and head = 43 1/4 (75%). dr. g was very impressed. said you were cute and growing perfectly. and said everything looked great. and for me to stop stressing out. he says that a lot.
  • bigH, goo, and i all get really excited about the color of your bowel movement. TMI, i know. but really? who reads this anymore? if it's yellow/brown, it means you're healthy and tummy is working great. green? makes us sad. means that your tummy doesn't feel so hot.
  • you smell really good. all the time.
  • your toes? are delicious.
  • you "talk." and i love talking back to you.
  • you giggle when daddy kisses you (because of his beard). and your giggle is freaking awesome.
  • you have rough skin patches on your elbows and knees. you also get rashes where your skin creases. you have rubber band wrists and ankles. and we just recently noticed that you had a rash under your neck. daddy wasn't aware you had a neck. :)
  • you are getting heavier and heavier in your carseat. we're close to moving you to the big girl carseat. note to self: i will be really, really sad when that happens.
  • speaking of sad, i get sad in the old navy/gap maternity sections. you're our last, and i'm totally ok with that. but every so often, that piece of information hits me between the eyes.
  • you look JUST like your sister. it's crazy. wonder what you'll look like in a couple of months/years. probably just as beautiful.
  • when you're really happy or really upset, you put one toe on top of another and rub them up and down. it looks like it hurts, but you do it all the time.
  • you smile at me, daddy, bigH, and goo. and your siblings? LOVE it.
  • you don't have separation anxiety yet.
  • when you eat, you scratch me with your nails. but not in a bad way. in a "ahhh...thanks for scratching my back" way.
  • we put you down for a nap on your tummy. you cried and were very sad. but you slept pretty well. you still can't roll on your own. so we won't put you on your tummy at night. but we'll try to do it more often for naps.
  • your cheeks? still your #1 commented on feature. delicious.
  • this month you have all of the sudden become fascinated by things around you. you are very distracted. like i said, it's like you're less of a infant, more of a baby girl.
EK, my feelings for you sometimes make me ache. i love you with every ounce of my being. you bring so much joy to our life. you are a happy baby. very smiley. very cuddly. i love being your mommy. i love to snuggle with you. i love to eat your cheeks. i love to "wear" you. i love to watch the interaction between you and your siblings and you and daddy. thank you for making our life richer.


if anyone has ANY DOUBT WHATSOEVER who you will end up looking like, please. gaze upon this. no question.


goo loves to have you sit next to her. not on her. NEXT to her.


that thumb. THE way you soothe yourself. cute now. we're not sure about it when you're 4 or 5.


you are so happy when you're next to him.


this is how you and i watch the today show together.


happy. baby.


oh heavens. look. at. those. rolls. rubber bands.


clearly, you're done with the papasan chair.


bigH loves to have you snuggle with him under his snuggie.


when you join us for dinner.


you only last so long in the exersaucer.


tummy time.


beauty.



they truly delight in you.


tummy time.


stopped counting how many times a day bigH puts legos on your head. trust me -- this is a true sign of affection.


oh dr. g.






your first snow.


your first food. rice cereal.




i see this face all. the. time.


those toes...



"what in the world have i gotten myself into?"


awesome. i love having happy children.


this is perfectly you.

6 comments:

R said...

AWWWW! i want to comment on every single thing. i think i'm sick like that. :0)

miss you, friend!

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Erica said...

jan--love it! she's such a doll--those cheeks!! yea, my #3 (mary etta) was not a fabulous sleeper either. she did sleep through the nite the earliest -like 5 -6 weeks, but she took more work to get to sleep some days, and still at 18 months wants to just "wake up" at 2am??!! this all started at around 9 months--i thought teething, growth spurt, and it finally stopped, but still occasionally she just does. and boy is she light & sensitive in sleep too! if we travel she takes multiple days to adjust to where we are in her sleeping, sigh. i thought 3rd children are supposed to go with the flow--but sounds like not! love ya girl!

Jenna said...

You're children are stunning. And EK is a super rockstar except better because of 1.) the cheeks 2.) the fat rolls, and 3.) the cheeks again.

Love ya'll!!!!

Colored With Memories said...

ugh! i have missed seeing these updates. just cried through all of 6 months...what is wrong with me? and am off to read the rest!

she is precious! the chub...oh my word the chub! i could just eat her up!

kerry

Nicole - Life in Progress said...

Who's still reading? I'm still reading!! Loved every word of this. And the part about "being done" with babies hitting you between the eyes? That still happens to me ALL THE TIME.