Ford is 6-months-old.

It feels so weird to say that. Part of me feels like he was just born, but I also feel like he’s been a part of my life forever. It’s weird how time flies when your family grows and how different everything is. I honestly struggle to remember what life was like without this sweet boy. I mean, I definitely miss the days of sleeping in, but overall can’t complain. He has changed my life for the better in so many ways. Here are a few updates on Ford.

GROWING & LEARNING

We’ve watched Ford slowly learn to sit up on his own, roll over and scoot into a crawl. He is now full-on crawling and is even pulling himself up to stand and hold onto furniture. It’s incredible how fast this has happened! I no longer can leave him in one place and expect him to stay put! He is exploring everything in sight, especially the things that aren’t ‘baby-friendly’.

Ford is fascinated with everything. You can watch his little brain work as he plays with his toys, learns new tricks and touches everything! He loves playing with blocks and shapes (he can even push the toy shapes into place in this toy) and loves books and hearing us read to him. He will often turn around to watch us say the words, which is so sweet!

He has grown developmentally in so many ways this past month. He is much more active, is starting to become verbal and is interested in everything. He has said his first word, ‘Mama’ and often says it when in his crib or when I am not around, which makes me feel like he knows what he is saying! He hasn’t said it looking at me, which makes me feel like he says it when he is needing his mama. He really is a mama’s boy!

SLEEP

Sleep has been off and on. I have heard that they can experience a regression when they are teething and learning to crawl and definitely think that is a part of the struggle. We’ve had a few rough weeks, but for the most part, he is still doing really well. While he doesn’t sleep through the night every night, I can typically expect to wakeup only once for a feeding.

We still have him in the Magic Merlin sleep suit and have tried to transition him out of it, but I think he likes the comfort of being in it. It’s much more cozy than being in his empty crib in just pajamas! We will have to try again soon because the suit is starting to get a little small on him, which makes me sad because I remember when it was huge!

Naps are still a struggle. He does really well when anyone but me puts him down for a nap in his crib, but when I am home, prefers to nap on me. I am working to cut this habit and stop his association with naps and nursing on mom. So, I’ve resorted to doing a mini version of his bedtime routine before a nap (book, Merlin Suit, feeding, bed). I also am letting him cry and learning to be okay with that, as I know it’s part of the learning process. We will be starting part-time daycare at the end of this month and I am hoping that helps get our nap time routine down. I know it will be a transition, but because he isn’t consistent now I can’t imagine it getting any worse than it already is.

He also no longer naps as much in the carseat or stroller. He might take a quick catnap, but is so alert now and wants to see what is going on when we are out and about. It’s much more fun for us (and him), but makes those 2-3 naps at home much more important to keeping him from getting overly tired.

FEEDING

We’ve introduced food and Ford is loving it! We started on avocado and have also done sweet potatoes and banana. I’ve been making the purees on my own and adding a bit of water and breast milk. He has done really well with the food and loves the taste! However, he has had some digestion issues…nothing concerning, but his body seems to be getting used to processing food. His diapers are much worse than before! We haven’t done any cereal or oatmeal and are trying to do all handmade for now. I am trying to stick to veggies and will be trying carrots and broccoli next! For now, we are using these spoons - he loves them and is already starting to self-feed!

Breastfeeding is getting hard and harder. He is growing so much and it’s hard to keep up. I try to pump as much as I can, but feel like my supply isn’t as high as before. I am trying to stockpile because I have a trip coming up in March and Ford will be starting daycare soon. I am trying not to stress too much about it and know that we can always supplement with cereal or formula if needed. I am amazed and proud that I have been able to breastfeed for 6-months. I know that isn’t possible for every mom and am just happy to have a healthy, well-fed baby.