Monday, February 3, 2014

Gavin Thomas :: 4-6 Months

So, we've been on a somewhat lengthy hiatus. To be honest with all of you, during the holidays, taking the time to write here had become a source of stress and guilt for me, so I decided to take some time off. To just enjoy Gavin's first Christmas, and let some of my normal responsibilities sit on the back burner. I am so happy that I made this choice, and gave myself and unscheduled 'break.' But, I have missed being able to come here and share and interact with so many of you. I draw so much support and strength from the women and Mom's who read this blog, so I thought it was time to come back and catch up!

First off, as of last Friday, Gavin is SIX MONTHS OLD. In what world is this even possible? So much has happened since his last update. Right before his 4-month checkup, we started having some supply and demand issues with breastfeeding. That fact, coupled with a hiccup with weight gain, led us to the place we are now. We began supplementing Gavin right around the New Year. We also started rice cereal, and he has taken to both like a champ. I have lots more to share about our breastfeeding journey, but I will save that for another day.

What else has Gavin been up to lately? I'm so glad you asked! Haha.

The transition between four and six months has been an absolute joy for me. Once we hit the four month mark, I started to feel more confident in my role as Gavin's Mom, and he has been growing and changing so much that I feel like there is something new to celebrate almost every day.

He is turning into a sweet, and sometimes stubborn, little guy who is sweet on his Mommy and absolutely adores his Daddy. Seriously, his face lights up every day when B gets home from work. Talk about a daily heart explosion! Gavin has become much more talkative and active and we have so much fun watching him learn new things all the time.

Weight/Height: When I took him for his 4-month checkup on December 10th, he was 13lbs12oz and in the 12th percentile for weight. Cue the new Mommy freak out! We went back a week later for a weight check and he was an even 14 pounds on December 17th. Since then, we got a home scale and we weigh him from time to time. The new combination of breastmilk, supplementation formula and rice cereal is definitely agreeing with him. We believe he is up at about 17 pounds now! We get a weight check this week on Wednesday, so we will know for sure.

As for height, he was 25 inches tall at his check on 12/10, but he has definitely grown, so I am excited to see what they show us on Wednesday. 
Hair & Eyes: Little dude now has a healthy head of hair! I swear he wakes up almost every morning with more hair. Most of his hair is light brown, but in certain light, he almost looks like he's tuning blonde! 
  His eyes are almost the exact same color as mine, a hazel/green combination that is pretty and different! I know I am biased, but I think his little eyes are to die for!
Diapers: We have been in Pampers Swaddlers 3's for a while now, but I think we have almost reached our limit. We are going to try Huggies Little Movers next, and will transition into a size 4 very soon.
Clothes: I felt like we were in 3-6 month clothing for quite a while. Since there was a slight dip is his weight gain, maybe we were, but now that we are into February, most of his 3-6 month stuff is too short or too tight. I have had so much fun pulling out his new 6, 9 and 12 month clothing! He is wearing 6-12 month Baby Gap and Old Navy, 9 and 12 month Carter's and 6-9/9-12 month Children's Place sleepers.
Eating: Gavin's feeding schedule has changed a lot in the last 5-6 weeks. I noticed that I was starting to have some supply/demand issues in December. We kept up with our 5xs a day feeding (EBF) until Christmas, and then I decided to start supplementing a bit. We also added rice cereal to his routine.
We are now into a schedule of 6 feedings per day. I nurse him in the morning after he wakes up and then give him cereal between 9-9:30AM. I have been pumping for each of his other bottle feedings throughout the day, so I typically pump at 12PM, 3PM and 7PM and then again at 10PM to use the next day. He gets a bottle between 12-1PM of between 6-8 ounces, which typically contains 1/3 to 1/2 breastmilk. Then another bottle between 3:30-4:30 PM of around 7 ounces. We have been giving him solids at dinner time. He takes between 1-2 Tbsp of rice or oatmeal cereal between 6-6:30 PM and then gets his final bottle (always 8-9 ounces) between 7-7:30 PM before bedtime. Between the solids and the bottles/nursing, I have figured out that he is getting between 28-32 ounces per day, about half of which are breastmilk. We have become much more comfortable with our new routine, even though the decision to start supplementing was much tougher on me than I planned (again, more on that another day).
Sleeping: We start his bedtime routine with his 7:15ish bottle. Once he has finished the bottle, we just let him relax and hang out with us for about a half an hour. At 8PM, it's time for a fresh diaper, pacifier and sleep sack and up to bed. Gavin goes to bed between 8-8:30PM every night (for the most part), and sleeps until 7-8AM the next day. He is sleeping through the night pretty well, but does still wake me up from time to time with whimpering or crying for his pacifier. We are working through the middle of the night crying spells, but it is going pretty well, and they are becoming fewer and further between almost every week. 

He is now into a pretty consistent daytime nap schedule as well (finally!). He goes down for his morning nap between 10-10:30 AM and sleeps for between 1-2 hours. His afternoon nap typically happens round 2PM and lasts between 1-2 hours again. Some days he wants to sleep a ton, and others, I am lucky if he sleeps a full hour. But, all part of the baby game I suppose!
Milestones: We still have no teeth to report! He is definitely working on it though. His hands are constantly in his mouth and the drooling has picked up, so I am just waiting for the big day. 

He is very active, alert and playful during his awake hours. He still hates tummy time, but he's getting better at it. He finally starting rolling from back to belly right before he turned six months! And he LOVES his jumper! Between jumping, tummy time and rolling, his days have become pretty full of activity, and I think it is helping to regulate his daytime sleeping. 

We are also booked to take Gavin on his first plane ride and Florida vacation at the end of the month! We will be headed to my parents place in Palm Beach for almost 2 weeks, and even though the amount of planning and packing that this trip will require is crazy, we are so excited, and cannot wait to enjoy the warm Florida sunshine!

And, because this post would not be complete without a few pictures, here are a few shots of our little G-Man over the last two months!







1 comment:

Sarah said...

happy 6 months to crue's due date twin & stubborn friend who came late like him!