leap day and a 1/2 birthday

 

Unbelievably…

and totally without my permission…

my baby boy turned a whopping

6 months old on leap day.

 

How is this POSSIBLE????

Was it not just a couple months ago that we were finding out on the ultrasound that he was a boy? {…actually, it was a year ago today!]

Or just a few weeks ago that my feet were swollen to 10 times their size and I couldn’t put my socks on to save my own life?

Tell me it wasn’t just last Monday that the most precious angel entered our lives and stole our hearts forever…

and yet, like his Mimmie said about him on her Facebook status {ha!}: “It seems impossible that you are 6 months old today because it feels like I have loved you for years.”

My sentiments exactly!

 

A few updates on my sweet SWEET boy at 6 months:

{This is a looooooooong update, but it’s been a couple of months since I have and he is growing SO FAST these days… this is mostly for my own memory♥}

• I already mentioned this one, but for the history books and b/c I’m a terrible mother who hasn’t been filling out his baby book {shhhhhhhh…}: on February 9th, Houston’s first tooth came in, his bottom left canine! On the 18th, we woke up on a Saturday morning to find both bottom front toofers had popped through overnight. I must say I was prepared for the worst and dreaded him teething like the plague, but knock on wood – so far, he has been his same sweet self with only the normal occasional fussiness.

 

• My boy doesn’t cry much, hardly at all really. There is “fussing” or “whining” but not much crying. To the point that when he cries and it’s not remedied within just a few seconds, it starts to panic me that something must be really wrong. He is still an extremely happy boy which people compliment him on every day!

• Sizes: He is still in some 3-6 month clothing, though he is a little too long for some of the outfits. He’s long enough for his 6-9 month outfits, but they hang extremely loose on him. We have a long skinny boy on our hands! Still in size 2 diapers. His 6 month appointment is later this week, but we weighed him yesterday and he was a little under 17 pounds. Will update stats after his appointment!

 

• Feeding: Houston is still nursing at 6 months! {Praise God!} When he gets a bottle while Momma’s at work, he eats around 4-6 ounces. He does get formula several times a week when I don’t have enough pumped for him, which has never caused an issue in the least. We started oatmeal with him around 4 1/2 months old and he took to eating solids like a pro! It only took a couple of days to figure it out and now very little ends up on his bib instead of in his tummy ;) After a solid month of oatmeal, we’ve moved on to fruits and veggies that momma’s making in her Beaba Babycook. He’s had carrots, sweet potatos, avocado and banana… I believe the last two, he absolutely LOVED.

• Schedule: What schedule?! I have no idea how to even begin to schedule him when I personally have a whacky work schedule. The only thing somewhat consistent about his day is waking up around 8 am and asleep for the night around 10-10:30 pm. Naps are not consistent nor do they last long without him being held. I am envious of the mom’s who have time to do things while the baby is sleeping. I must say however, that he is an extremely happy, healthy boy and people have been complimenting his pleasant disposition for as long as I can remember and the fact that he never seems to stop smiling. Maybe our baby is a no-schedule, cat-napping kind of a boy?

 

• Sleep: We stopped swaddling our boy around 4 months old, thinking he was getting too big for it, but he hasn’t slept as well since! For the last few weeks, he has been absolutely unable to stay asleep in his crib. It’s like it turned into a snake pit for him – you can barely even lay him in it asleep. One night, by 1 a.m., I had already been up 7 times with him! I am so glad I’m not alone in this parenting thing and that Nick is there to back me up on this one. We can both see that a light bulb has went off in this poor boy’s head and he suddenly has an absolute aversion to his crib. Thus, he has been back in our bed for several weeks now and we have been getting some awesome solid sleep. I’m absolutely scared and too tired to try the crib again at the moment while he’s still teething. Mommy FAIL.

• Play: SERIOUSLY, is there anything else but play-time?! The whole world is his gym. He reaches for everything, he “pats” his hand on everything, and once he has grabbed it, it MUST go in his mouth. He rolls about and is working on getting where he wants to go with rolling and wiggling. He can sit for 30 minutes at a time if he wants to, but still needs back-up near him for the inevitable tumble. The boy also LOVES to bounce – in a jumperoo or other toy or just in your lap. It can wear a person out fast holding while he jumps!

 

• Coloring: this boy’s eye and hair color is ever-changing. In one light, his hair looks blonde, in another, red, and still another, brown. If I had to choose one, I’d call him strawberry blonde. AND THOSE EYES! They’re still mostly a gray-blue. Sometime we think they’re starting to turn brown but for the most part, they remain gray.

 

Fast asleep with his uncle Chad after the photo shoot, who helped entertain the boy while I took these pictures. They have a deep mutual love for one another♥

 

 

Now the real question is: what day shall we celebrate his half birthday on the years to come if it’s not a leap year??? ;)

XOXO,

Stephanie