Jonah: 6 Month Update

Half a year old already! These past six months have flown by, but at the same time, have been the longest six months of my life.  Never have I gotten so little sleep or had to do so much one-handed while holding a fussy baby in the other hand.  But Jonah has the cutest smile I've ever seen, and it's so much fun seeing him become his own little person.

Height and Weight: Jonah weighed 13 lbs 2 oz and was 26 inches tall.  Unfortunately his weight went down 2 ounces from his 4 month check.  Which means my milk supply has gone down.  I confessed to the pediatrician about how I had done Whole 30 last month and was worried that doing so was going to affect my supply.  I told him I had made sure to eat a lot of calories and I didn't lose weight.  He said that sometimes for some reason, some women's milk supply will go down between 4 and 6 months, and he also thinks that since I run, I'm just probably not actually getting as many calories as I need to maintain that supply.

He was so nice to me about it, and wanted to make it perfectly clear that it was not my fault, and that Jonah actually looks really good.  He gained height and grew in head size, which means he's getting enough calories to grow, just not enough to gain weight.  He also talked about how we are all made in God's image and that I'm being a great mother, which is one of the most important jobs I'll ever have. It's only the second time I've seen this particular doctor in the two-ish years we've been going to this pediatrician, and it just reaffirms that God lead us right to him!

He wrote a prescription for me that should help to increase my supply, and also wants us to supplement with formula.  The doctor thinks it's likely that Jonah will eventually take a bottle or a sippy cup, which I hope is true!  We'll go back in three weeks for a weight check, and I'm praying we can get Jonah beefed up!

the sticker did not last long

Sleep: Nighttime has still been pretty awful- we've even had a few nights recently where, during one of his 3-4 wake-ups, he'll stay up for over an hour.  Sleep deprivation can also cause milk supply issues, so that could also be a part of the problem.  Multiple women on the retreat this past weekend told me that once they did sleep training, their child slept so well.  I'm completely on board with crying it out, but Jonah works himself up into a screaming fit, and I wasn't sure if that was safe for him to do.  I asked the pediatrician about it, and he said, it's completely fine, and that sleep training is the way to go.  Self-soothing is an important part of development.  If he cries/screams for 2-3 hours the first night, it's still okay.  I needed to hear that, and we will definitely be sleep training right away!

Naps are kind of hit or miss.  Usually he does a nice two-ish hour nap in the morning, but afternoons kind of vary.  Hopefully sleep training at night will also help with nap times!

love that smile!

Eating: He's been getting about two solid meals a day, and nursing probably 6-7 times.  This doesn't include the 3-4 times in the middle of the night, but those are mostly for soothing.  So far the solids he's tried are carrots, avocado, peas, sweet potato, and green beans.  The only one he really seemed to dislike was the avocado.  Hopefully he continues to like veggies, unlike his sister!

Diapers/Clothing:  Wearing size 2 diapers, and is mostly in 6 month or 6 to 9 month clothing.  The clothes are a little big, but they are what I have and they do the job.  Plus this means he'll get a lot of use out of them!  I just need to figure out what I'm going to put him in for the colder months when we're leaving the house.  We had a full body outfit for Noelle, but it's not the right size for him.

Social/Milestones:  He's always rolling, to the extent that it's often hard to change his diaper or clothing because he keeps rolling onto his stomach.  He isn't quite sitting by himself, but will hold himself upright for a few seconds.  When he's on his stomach he can scootch himself forward, but hasn't put himself in the crawling position yet.

Lot's of people think he's a happy baby because he's always smiling and content when they are around.  I think it's the smile- it really is the cutest thing and people probably think there is no way a baby that smiley could be a mess.  Also, this past Monday I noticed that his two bottom teeth are popping through!  Something to help explain some of the fussiness.  Everything is going into his mouth, and he tends to do a little better in the carseat or stroller if he has something to chomp on.

photo shoot got old quickly

Likes: He still seems to enjoy bathtime, unless I've pushed him too long between a nap and getting ready for bed.  He loves having all the attention and people smiling at him.  He loves mommy and will sometimes be a little quieter for me if he's been screaming with someone else.  He still loves being outdoors, which is going to get harder as it's been getting colder and colder.  All the more reason I need to get him something warm to bundle him up in!

Dislikes:  He really dislikes not having attention.  Sometimes he'll last a few minutes with a toy, but then is fussing for someone to come pick him up.  Sleep training is going to be a blast! (yikes!)

Fun things we did:  We went to a birthday party for our friend Lillian, had a bunch of play dates with friends, and went on the women's retreat with church.  He got to meet his Aunt Hannah for the first time when she came up to visit Luke's parents, and we got to see Uncle Caleb and Aunt Debbie when they visited from Tennessee.  We also had our town's fall festival and some fun trips to Larriland Farm for some fall fun.

Some pictures from last month:

trying to steal Noelle's food

a visit to Larriland Farm

some light reading

an attempt at a family selfie

being a cutie