Dear Love-Bug (your newest nickname),
Whew! This month has been full of changes, that’s for sure!
Sleep: You have changed the most in this area of your little life (Mommy’s a fan, no doubt about it!). For the past 3 weeks, you’ve consistently slept 7pm-7am STRAIGHT. You’ve only woken to nurse a handful of times, and even then you fall right back asleep once you’re done.
And your naps are consistent as well! Mommy never thought she’d see the day. You nap at 9am and then again at 1pm. Mommy nurses you, swaddles you, sets you in the crib with your white noising blaring, and walks away. You hardly ever cry– usually, you’re asleep within minutes.
Yes, you’ve definitely turned a corner. The “sleepless wonder” has finally seen the light.
Food: You are a pro at nursing– usually, you can finish in under 7 minutes! Mommy notices just how long and tedious it is when she has to pump artificially using her machine, because you are so much better at it! Since Mommy has been on a mission to put weight on you, you “nurse on demand” instead of on a schedule. Usually, this means before nap, after nap, repeat, and then every 1-2 hours in the afternoon/early evening, especially since it’s been so hot and you’re often just thirsty. When Daddy feeds you a bottle of stored milk for dinner (so that Mommy can teach piano lessons), you always down 4-5 ounces.
And then there are the solids. You eat 3 large meals a day, consisting first of a fruit or veggie and then 4 tbps. of oatmeal mixed with breastmilk. Mommy pumps an extra bottle every evening so that she can add 1-2 oz. of milk to each of your meals. It may not seem like much, but that’s an extra feeding a day, when all is said and done!
And the extra food is really starting to show. While you wouldn’t be considered “chunky”, especially when compared with other babies, you have definite bulk, with at least a few rolls around your wrists and thighs (although your tummy has stayed surprisingly firm!).
Speaking of firm, your poop is FINALLY starting to solidify. Mommy loves being able to just “shake” your diaper over the toilet before adding it to the dirty diaper laundry. You no longer get constipated (it was really touch and go there, whenever we fed you anything other than prunes!).
Your favorite foods are bananas and peaches. You tolerate green beans, carrots and avocado. You do NOT like lima beans. You detest anything with meat (we only tried the once!). Mommy gives you organic rice puffs after some meals, just to give you some practice using your “pincer grasp”. You also drink a small amount of water each day from your sippy cup.
Play: You are now sooo much fun to spend time with. Mommy and Daddy were just talking about how much we look forward to each day with you. Your favorite time of day is right after breakfast, at around 8am. You have so much energy, it’s incredible!
Although you hated it back in May, you now love playing in the pool with Mommy and Daddy. You sit in your floaty toy with a sun shade and just chatter away, usually as someone is floating you around. You even allow yourself to be dunked, all without protest! Whenever we hold you in the water, you immediately go into “swimming position” and start to kick (although you’re always kicking, so this isn’t such a big deal).
You have many favorite toys. Mommy keeps them all in a soft bucket in the living room, and every morning you have fun dumping them all out. Hopefully, someday soon, you will also learn how to put them back in 😉
Personality: You are so determined. You go after the same object over and over again, no matter how out of reach. You are tenacious in a way that definitely scares Mommy. You know how you like things, and don’t want to settle for anything less. You are often too “busy” exploring to notice Mommy, but when you do interact, you are so full of joy and love. You love to discover. You love to be comforted when your discoveries encounter gravity.
Milestones: Your crawl has taken shape, even though you slightly favor one knee when pushing forward and around. You can turn on a dime and are gaining speed on a daily basis. You stand on the furniture unsupervised for long periods of time, walking several feet in either direction.
No teeth…yet! You’ve been teething quite a bit lately, however, so we’ll see! No words yet either, although you are almost always chattering and singing. You still have your signature “screech of glee” that can drown out anything!
Favorites:YOU LOVE SALSA!!! We feed you spoonfuls of the stuff whenever we are at a restaurant. How cool are you? Eventually, after 6 or 7 bites, you start to wimper as the heat piles on, but that’s okay. Even Mommy doesn’t like too much spicy stuff. Seriously, we think you are the coolest kid ever.
Claire is still your favorite amusement. As long as she is nearby, you are fascinated. The other morning, she came up to sniff your face (she usually doesn’t let herself get this close since you pull her hair!). Surprisingly, you stayed completely still, in quiet anticipation. After a second or two, she gave you two “puppy kisses”, one on each cheek. You were absolutely delighted, and looked over at me with a face of pure joy. I hope that you two are going to be great friends.
BEST: Your relationship with Daddy has really blossomed this past month. He’s been putting you to bed by himself since you were just a few months old, but now you’ve really accepted it and submit easily. If you’re having a rough night making it into the land of sleep, Daddy rocks and sings to you. It’s really the sweetest thing.
And you love to play with him. Love love love it. He walks in the door after work, and you light up and start squawking. Mommy never gets that kind of energy from you! It’s like you just saw your favorite buddy. He has so much fun with you and looks forward to each evening you get to spend together while Mommy works. You’ve started saying, “DADADADADADADADAAAA” all the time. While you aren’t trying to call him specifically, Mommy has a feeling that your first word isn’t going to be what she so desperately hoped.
Mommy and Daddy have given up a lot to take care of you these past 8 months, but even if things were only HALF as good as they are, it would still be worth every minute.
Love, Mommy
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