Weight: 18 lbs 5 oz (67%)
Length: 27.5 inches (76%)
Clothes Size: 6-9 mo
Milestones:
Two teeth: It
took a few days for them to cut, and those were painful days for all of us, but
they finally made their appearance and are now helping him gnaw on anything he
can get his hands on.
First Solids:
Speaking of which, around 5 months we decided to start solids. We’ve heard it can sometimes take a while for babies to get used to new textures and flavors but Jonah loved solids right away. We started with pureed sweet potato and
mashed avocado, both of which he gobbled up.
Since then we’ve done mainly purees: apple, pear, peach, prune, carrot,
green beans, avocado, banana, sweet potato.
His favorites are fruits, no surprise. He’s a fast and
efficient eater, like his Opa. Jonah
will lean forward in his high chair, with his hands planted on either side of
him and open his mouth, eager for every bite.
Right now he’s eating 3-4 oz of food twice a day, once around lunch time
and again around dinner-time. I’m still
breast feeding 5-6 times a day, as well.
Unassisted Sitting: Since
he’d much prefer to be upright than on his back or belly, Jonah’s gotten even
better at sitting. We don’t even have to
put “crash pillows” around him in case he topples over.
Favorites:
Squealing:
Jonah’s definitely found his voice.
Where he used to babble, now he squeals. Sometimes he’ll stiffen his
whole body in excitement and squeal, trying to participate in
conversation. It’s pretty cute. Unless you’re in church.
His tongue: He
also loves to stick out his tongue and wiggle it around. Again, so cute. He seems down right delighted by his mouth
these days. We are, too.
Watches: If Jonah’s sitting on your lap, expect him to pay a lot of
attention to your watch. He’ll study it
and pat it rhythmically with his hand.
Sleep:
Up until a few weeks ago Jonah had still been struggling
with short and inconsistent naps. A
daytime schedule was impossible and it was really hard to get things done or
make any plans. Until…
All hail Nurse
Nancy! She’s a child sleep specialist at
a local hospital and at least once a day Jake or I turn to the other and say
“We should send her a fruit basket.” We met with her a few weeks ago, set out
some sleep goals for Jonah and she gave us very detailed plans to achieve each
of those goals. Very detailed. Like, 3 pages, single spaced 10 pt. font
detailed. Which, to these two Type A
parents, was a dream come true.
Goal one was for Jonah to put himself down for naps and for
naps to become longer. She gave us a
specific schedule (the timing of naps is very important, evidently) and we
deployed it the very next day, with huge success. With minimal crying or fussing, Jonah has
since put himself to sleep for at least two naps a day in his crib. AND, like magic, naps have gotten longer and
more predictable. Now he sleeps for
1.5-2 hours in the morning (starting around 8:30/9am) and 1-1.5 hours in the
early afternoon (starting around 1/2pm).
His third nap is a late afternoon “cheater” nap usually in the carseat
or stroller for only about 30 minutes to tide him over until bedtime. Goal one: check!
Goal two was for Jonah to sleep without the swaddle. We now put him in a sleep sack for naps and
bedtime and he’s done really well without the swaddle. I’m still considering a Zipadee-Zip, since I
think his hands get cold and he still flails sometimes. Goal two: check!
Goal three is for Jonah to sleep through the night. We
haven’t started that plan yet, but we will very soon because his night sleep
seems to be regressing (which Nurse Nancy predicted). Jonah now wakes 2-3 times each night. Sometimes we’ll let him cry it out, but often
I’ll just go in and nurse him back to sleep.
We’re all ready for some good extended night sleep!
Things I want to Remember:
-Mom-Mom and Auntie Jess’s visit for Jonah’s 6-month
birthday. Over their extended weekend visit we toured Henry Shaw’s country
residence at the Missouri Botanical Garden, went Christmas shopping at the
Galleria, and enjoyed a “Taste of Baltimore” happy hour with friends, hosted by
my generous mother- and sister-in-law.
Jonah even had his first encounter with a crab. It was a lovely weekend!
-Jonah’s been doing this for several months, but I’m just now realizing how much I love it: While I nurse, he takes his chubby little hand and absentmindedly strokes my chest or fiddles with my shirt. It’s such a small thing, but that demonstration of affection and familiarity is one of the sweetest parts of breastfeeding. 
