6 Months

Wow has she changed in a month!! She has accomplished so many new skills it is amazing! We had her 6 month check up a week ago and she was 14lbs 5oz and 26 inches. She is definitely on the tiny end of the curve but she is growing well and the dr is happy with it. I have to admit I was very nervous going into this appointment. She had been dropping on the growth chart in percentile so I was anxious to see where she was this time. She did drop slightly this time, though nothing major. She is still gaining weight and moving up the growth chart at her rate. The dr isn't the least bit concerned and thinks she is growing well. I was one happy mama! I really was scared she was going to say we needed to add in formula and I am just not ready to do that yet. Let me say, there is nothing wrong with formula fed babies, I am just not wanting to give her formula unless it was an absolute necessity. I work very hard to maintain a good supply and pump often so she has enough milk to grow! I am very proud to say she we have been breastfeeding for 6 months! I am not sure when the end will be but it hasn't been an easy road. There are days when I still have pain! But it is all worth it! I love looking at her knowing I provided her nutrients! It is a great feeling!

Her facial expressions crack me up! Lets get into her update!

Sleep: We have had a lot of changes with sleeping this past month! The biggest and most exciting news ever is she has learned she can sleep comfortably on her tummy and sleep through the night! Last month I was calling BS on the 5 hours thing but now she is sleeping 7:00pm - 6:00 am, only getting up once to eat. And she is going right back to sleep after she eats. It has been absolutely amazing! She is also starting to take longer naps. They seem to be averaging an hour to an hour and a half. (After I typed this we are back to 30 min naps. Hopefully she'll consolidate soon!!) This is leaps and bounds from where she was last month. She is still in our room but in in the pack and play since she is on her tummy now. I really want to move her to her room but I am so nervous now that she is a tummy sleeper! Of course we are no longer swaddling her, though she is in a sleep sack and she seems to like that. She is still taking 3 or 4 naps a day. I am just in so much shock that we all are finally getting some quality sleep after 6 months! WOO HOO!!

Eating: We got the ok from the dr to go ahead with BLW. We had already introduced some foods to her but nothing drastic. Her favorites so far are broccoli and cucumber. By the way cucumbers make the BEST teething toy! I am not ok with having her eat while we eat just yet. I want to be able to watch her closely until she is able to chew and swallow food a little better. We are still doing the oatmeal, mostly bc it gives her extra breast milk. We have added cinnamon to it which she seems to enjoy. She does really well with all the food she has had. So far we have done banana, watermelon, cucumber, hummus, carrot, broccoli, chicken, ground turkey, pasta, sweet potatoes, pear and cantaloupe. She seems to be enjoying eating the food on her own. Oh I almost forgot she has also had homemade pizza she took out of my hand the other night. 

Play: She has started to actually play with her toys so much more! She loves sitting up so we place lots of toys in front of her and she could play for hours. It has been fun watching her concentrate so hard to pick her toys up and study them, trying to figure out what they are. She likes to switch them back and forth between hands. She has recently figured out how to jump in her jumperoo which is exciting! She enjoys going for walks in her stroller, though it is getting hotter so that might not happen as much. She hasn't shown much interest in starting to crawl but we have witnessed her almost getting up on her hands and knees. It is unbelievable how much she changes month to month. She is so much fun to interact with each day! She went strawberry picking for the first time and experienced the sand! Of course it went right into her mouth! She also sat in a shopping cart for the first time! 

She has been so much fun and has added so much joy to our lives! I am very excited to watch her grow and learn new things as the days pass, but geez it is flying by! I don't get how she is already half a year old! EEKKKK! 

Other updates in this series

3 months

4 months

5 months

18 months

How is this girl 18 months old?? That means we are now getting closer to 2! WOW!! Happy year and a half birthday to my most favorite girl ever!

The last 3 months have gone by fast like the rest of them. We had a good 3 months though! She did get strep again which was no fun! I'm starting to wonder if removing her tonsils are in our future. Other than that she was healthy as could be! I am glad to be in the summer months and hoping we can stay healthy all summer. Since she is in daycare now I think it is easier for her to catch illnesses but on the upside it is building her immune system. But there is nothing worse than watching your baby be miserable because they are sick.

She weights 22lbs 8oz and is 32.1 inches tall. She definitely hit a growth spurt with her height. At her 15 month appointment she was 29.75 inches tall. It was a nice surprise to find out she wasn't getting any shots at this appointment. She was due for the next Hep A shot but it hadn't been 6 months since the last one so we had to wait. I wasn't complaining and we know Kinley wasn't either.

So lets do a little update on how things are going.

Sleep: There haven't been many changes since her 15month update in regards to sleep. She is still sleeping through the night, usually 630p-630a. Let me tell you how amazing it is to be where we are with sleep. It took us a LONG time and a lot of tears. It was awful. If you told me we would ever get to this point there is no way I would've believed you. She has an occasional night where she will wake up and cry or scream but I never go in unless she doesn't stop screaming. It is usually a few wails and she is done. I think she might just be dreaming. I think her naps have gotten better and for the most part are finally consistent. She is still napping 2 times a day about an hour and a half each nap. She goes down for her morning nap around 8:30a and then her afternoon nap around 1:00p. The times are not set and she lets us know when she is ready to go to sleep. It is truly amazing. She walks to the stairs and points to upstairs or says nite nite. We take her in her room, turn on her music, give her a bink, lay her down, cover her up, say I love you and leave the room. There are sometimes she likes a few snuggles so we sit in the chair and rock for a couple minutes. Before bedtime if she isn't too tired we read a few stories. But she is sure to let us know when she wants in her bed. Matt and I still wonder how we ever got to this point of having an amazing sleeper after looking back to where we were. It took a lot of work but with consistency it paid off.

Eating: We are still dealing with a picky toddler. I think she eats Mac and Cheese for lunch and dinner every day. She will eat whole grain waffles or a whole grain bagel with peanut butter or cream cheese for breakfast. She continues to love yogurt. She was going through the squeeze pouches so fast and they are expensive! We invested in some reusable pouches by mysqueeze and we love them. She does have a few other favorites such as black beans, edamame, broccoli, any fruits, nutri grain bars and whole fruit Popsicles. There have been a few mornings she has eaten a Popsicle after breakfast. Hey let them be kids right! She cracks me up, she goes to the freezer and tells me to open in and knows exactly what she wants. She is still drinking whole milk in a straw cup. We stopped breastfeeding about 2 weeks ago. My schedule changed at work and she was only nursing before bed so it seemed like a great time to stop. It went WAY better than I expected. I didn't have any expectations with nursing and I am truly proud to have made it to 17 months of breastfeeding my baby! I hope I can make it that far with the next.

Play: This girl loves to be outside. It is that simple. She doesn't care if she is at the park or sitting on the front patio watching the garbage truck. I love that she loves to be outside and not stuck in front of the TV, though it's not like that is an option for her. We let her watch a show in the morning while she is eating her breakfast and then the TV really isn't on anymore throughout the day. Once in a while she will get another show before bed, but that is rare. She still really enjoys reading books. Some of her favorites are Llama Llama, Brown Bear Brown Bear, Biscuit and her books with flaps. She loves to play in her kitchen and make food for Matt and I. She has quite the imagination. It's unbelievable to watch. She really loves her animals and playing with them when they let her. She has started to sit on the dog like a horse and she thinks it's hilarious, the dog not so much. We play at the park many days while the weather has not been too hot yet. Though this week it is really heating up so I am sure it is on the way. We are hoping to get to the beach a few times before it gets too hot. She loves the water so I am very interested in how she reacts to the ocean.

She has 12 teeth with 4 left to come in then the 2 year old molars. She continues to do a really good job with brushing them. She has really started to expand her vocabulary these past few months. She says mama, dada, please, thank you, up, down, dog, cat, cheese, ball, water, drink, and again are a few that come to mind. She does a lot of blabbing which we can't understand but she has entire conversations with her babies. It is pretty cute.

This past 18 months have truly been amazing! I can't believe how fast it has gone!! I miss my baby but am really loving this age! It has always been a favorite of mine!

Weekend Fun

The weekends just go so fast. Especially this weekend! I had two days off but they weren't together since we were out of town last weekend so I had to make up some time. And I worked my entire 10 shift on Memorial Day. That is ok though! Sacrifices have to be made when you are saving for a house! I didn't get a chance to take too many pictures until Sunday.

Friday we had a good family day and I enjoyed some time in the sun with my friend, Krystal. It was beautiful out and I think it is safe to say summer is here! I have to get my tan on since I am in two weddings in less than a month. We took Kinley to the park and just hung out and did some grilling. Kinley loved the corn but wouldn't hold it herself. Matt and I enjoyed some time after she went to bed watching Taken 3. I wasn't really impressed to be honest. They could've stopped at 2.

Saturday 5:15am came fast! I am not a fan of getting up that early but it is nice to be off work early and be home in time for dinner and be able to put my baby girl to bed. Work was slow but went by fast thankfully. Matt took Kinley to the grocery store and of course she got to eat all the cookies she wanted. The joys of being a daddy's girl.

Sunday we had such a great day! We all got up and Matt made breakfast then shortly after Kinley took a morning nap and Matt and I cleaned a little. Then we all headed to pick strawberries. Last year when we went Kinley was snuggled in the ergo. This year....completely different! She was ready to go!

We got there and decided it was too sunny for her to not have a hat on so no cute Memorial Day headband for her. She had such a blast. She actually got in and was picking strawberries and putting them in the bucket. Thank goodness we brought a spray bottle to clean the strawberries because I knew she would be eating them. We didn't want a tantrum in the middle of the strawberry patch. Go us for being on top of things! Home we went so the little bug could take a nap. While she napped I laid out for a few while Matt went to the store and brought me back Starbucks!

Then we headed to Matt's parents to BBQ and catch up. It has been a while since we have seen them with us being out of town and my new work schedule being a little hectic. Kinley needed a new outfit because she was covered in strawberries. We had a great time and lots of yummy food! When we got home Kinley wanted to go back outside. She seriously loves being outside. As soon as she finishes breakfast we are out in the morning. I love all the fresh air she is getting but her poor skin is so bumpy due to all the sunscreen we have to keep on her. She has such sensitive skin.

After we put her in bed we enjoyed some quality time watching SVU and making a delicious strawberry dessert with our fresh strawberries. If anyone has any good strawberry recipes send them my way! We have lots of strawberries to eat.

Monday was back to work for Matt and I. When you have jobs that are open 24/7 there are no holidays for us. That is ok though, the money is good.

I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend! Bring on summer! We can't wait to go to the beach!

Surprise Birthday & Bridal Shower

With my new schedule I was able to switch some shifts and go out to Colorado to surprise my sister for her birthday and her bridal shower. It's been difficult not being involved as much as I want with us  being so far away. So I did my best to get there when my step mom said she wanted to surprise her. Of course I took Kinley. She was so awesome and did great the entire trip! I know everyone enjoyed some much needed time with her. Maybe me too.

We got in Friday mid morning and got stuck in some major traffic. Kinley and I were starving. We were able to grab some lunch and stop by the salon to see my sister. When we got to my step moms there were a ton of deer in the drive way. It was so cool!

We had a big dinner party planned at my dads and Darlene's for her birthday later that evening. Darlene made fajitas which are my favorite (there's quite the funny story behind the first time I met Darlene and she made fajitas). Dinner was yummy and it was great to visit with family. I was beat by 9:30 after traveling with a toddler alone and still being on east coast time. We got up at 2am Colorado time....eeekkk

Saturday was packed full of fun watching my nephew play baseball. He was in a tournament all weekend so we watched a few games. I really enjoyed it! It's been years since I've seen him play baseball and he has gotten so much good. We dean a few last minute errands to prepare for the shower then my mom made dinner for everyone! Another yummy dinner and great company, 

Sunday we watched some more baseball then off to the bridal shower we went. The weather was absolutely gorgeous! I was quite surprised because when I looked at the forecast it was forecasted to rain all weekend. I was happily surprised with the beautiful sunshine.

The bridal shower was awesome but we missed the last bridesmaid, my other sister Alie, she couldn't get off work! A big thanks to Crystal and Amber for putting together such a great shower. I did what I could being long distance and everything worked out great! After the shower I enjoyed the last evening talking with my mom and dad while Kinley played with her cousin on the floor. She really was loving him! It was great watching them interact and her enjoying some cousin time. 

Monday morning came fast after no sleep due to my nephews rat keeping me up all night! Man I wanted to kill that thing lol. Didn't Brutus understand I was flying with a toddler all day the next day! I guess not lol! 

My sister took us to the airport and we said our goodbyes! I hate saying goodbye. But it was good to know we'd be back in 3 weeks and see her again. Being so far away from your best friend is hard! 

Our flights weren't too bad and Kinley did awesome again! Puke and all! Poor girl puked all over me as we were coming into Charlotte. She was so sad I had puke all over my shirt. She's such a sweet thing! I had to keep reassuring her I was ok and as soon as we stopped I would change my shirt. The joys of motherhood ☺️. We finally landed in Newport News and saw daddy! She was so excited! Then we sat in traffic for 2.5 hours and at that point no one was a happy camper! It was brutal. We were hungry and wanted to get home! 

We finally made it home and scarfed down some Wendy's, played for a few and the girl was off to bed! We were beat! I can't even remember the last time I ate fast food but let me tell you it was so yummy because I was starving!! Matt and I were able to catch up for a few and watch an episode of Teen Mom. Yes I love that show! It was back to work in the morning! We had such a great time and are very excited to go back in a few weeks for the wedding! Even better daddy gets to come too this time! 

I just love this picture of how Kinley is looking at her cousin. It is precious. Hope everyone has a great Memorial Day weekend!