6 Months
Two weeks ago, October 26th, Rigby turned six months old. A half year?! Already?! How can it be? (Do I say this every month?!)
Rigby has really started to grow! At his 6 month wellness visit he tipped the scales at 15 pounds, 1 ounce (9th percentile, up from the 2nd percentile at his 4 month visit) and measured 2 feet, 2 inches long (25th percentile). I am still in denial of his growth (yet also so relieved by it since we had such a challenge initially with his weight) as I find myself trying to keep him in stage 1 diapers which he has clearly grown too big for and hesitating to move to the next size up in clothing. Each new step seems to move us further away from infancy and part of me mourns the end of each stage...
No teeth yet, despite everyones’ insistence that he’s been teething since month two when the insane amount of drooling began. Despite only gums, he is trying many new foods and seems to enjoy eating much like his big brother did at the same age. I started with vegetables about a month ago and then introduced fruits a few weeks ago. He eats vegetables and a fruit for lunch and a fruit as a late afternoon snack. So far, he has tried roasted butternut squash, carrots, zucchini, avocado, cauliflower, broccoli, banana, apples, and pears. He has also tried oatmeal but he did not particularly care for it- I think it was a texture issue so I will try it again in a few weeks. The introduction of fats and proteins are just around the corner! What we still struggle with is nursing. When there is even the slightest distraction, he will not nurse, so he both nurses (or at least tries nursing) and drinks a bottle 4 times daily. This means I am pumping more than I would like to some days when there is a lot going on to distract him (weekends, etc.), but it still feels very worth it for both of us.
Sleep is the hot topic of late and it tends to sneak into most of our thoughts and conversation lately. We decided to be strong (or hard) a few days before he turned 6 months and we tried our hand at sleep training. Up to that point, Rigby had been sleeping in a Rock and Play next to us, so we decided it was time for him to move to the crib, time for us to finally move out of his room, and time for him to learn how to put himself to sleep! We had three rough nights in a row, but now he has mastered it! He is going to bed around 6:30 or 7pm and waking up around 6am, putting himself to sleep with minimal crying, and only waking once in the early morning (around 3 or 4am) to nurse. We are so proud of him! He loves to hold onto a small blanket while sleeping and often tries to cover his eyes with it, it is very sweet.
He smiles very easily, laughs and stares at Jack (who he adores more than anything and turns to look at the minute he hears his voice), and remains super ticklish! When I hold him high above my head, he squeals with delight and inevitably a big string of drool hits my face, but I will take it just to see him laugh and smile! And, he is a talker...babbling all the time and if we talk back in baby language, he stares with awe and then tries to mimic the sounds. If we happen to make the sound he just made like "ghee," he laughs out loud and seems so proud.
He loves to grab my hair and twist it into his fist. And, when he is really hungry or the combination of hungry and sleepy, he face plants into my shoulder while grabbing my hair and pinching the back of my arm. Ouch! He is also infatuated with David's beard and reaches out to stroke it whenever he gets close enough. I love the way he opens his hand and slowly moves his fingers over it- it was just a short while ago when his hands were always tightly tucked into fists. And, he is constantly moving his legs, preferring to stand rather than sit. He pushes off with his chubby little legs in the crib, in his Bumbo chair, in the carseat, off of our laps...and he is really strong!
Happy half-year, Rigby (Rigo, Jo-Jo, Bro-bro)! We love you SO much! xxo