Devlen 6 months

Oops.  I didn't post 5 months.  It was a good month with some rough patches.  D started cutting teeth, we found out his daycare was closing, family came to visit and more milestones were met.

I can't believe he's already 6 months. It's so crazy how quickly its going.  Dec I was so worried about his weight and now I'm worried about his milk to veggie ratio.  He's thriving and growing. Growing like crazy! I feel like every time we go to change him he doesn't fit his clothes. It's insane!

6 month stats:
Weight 16 lb 4 oz (25%)
Height 25 3/4 in (15%)
Head 18 1/4 in (95%)

Eat
We've started veggies!! So far its been butternut squash and sweet potatoes.  The jury is still out if he likes them.  He has swallowed it so I take that as a positive.  We're in the process of trying to find the balance of veggies and milk.  He was taking 40 oz of formula before the veggies. The doc thought that was a bit much so we're trying to figure out the right balance. But the boy loves his milk!

I've also made his food. It's been good and I've taken a friend's technique and put the food in ice cube trays to freeze and then store in freezer bags. We'll see if I can keep up with making our own foods, but so far it's working out nicely (said in week 1).

Sleep
Ahh glorious sleep. February was rough. We started putting him back in the crib which was super fun since every time we put him down he started screaming bloody murder.  He could literally be dead a sleep and when we put him down in the crib he would start screaming.  So we started the process of re-introducing him to his bedroom.  I'd feed him in there, put him in the crib to play and change his clothes. Walk in and out of the room so that every time we went in there wasn't just for sleep.  It was a process, but it worked.  This week we got 3 full nights of sleep!  12 hours!  Some days like this morning, I had to wake him up.  So we're on a good path.


Play
Oh we love to play!  We can roll from back to tummy, but that's not really a trick he likes to show off. We're working on sitting up. He'll either lean forward and hold him or wobble and topple over.  I'm not blaming his 95% head, but I do think it has something to do with the wobble we've got going on.

Teeth
Oh man!  We have 2 bottom teeth and cutting a top one. Talk about fun times!! It hasn't been horrible, but there are moments when you can tell they're really hurting him.  I feel so bad. And everything has to go in his mouth!  He's constantly chewing.  The doc was shocked he was cutting his upper tooth so early. According to my mom, it comes from my side. Sorry kid.

Daycare
Ahh, this was our issue in Feb. We found out the facility we had him decided to close their doors March 7. They gave us a 30 day notice. It was a shock to say the least and initially 30 days seemed like a 2 day notice.  But we found a wonderful daycare that's slightly cheaper and closer to home. The owner of this daycare opened and sold the one we were in. So the setup is so similar and the teachers have been with this owner for 12+ years. D's been there a full week and things are going well and they're so great with him.

Dear Devlen,

6 months is already here!  You bring such joy to your dad and I.  You wake up with a huge smile on your face like you're so glad we're here to see you. The things you can reach now are so impressive. We're always checking to make sure the things you grab are things you are suppose to have.

You continue to impress me.  You're alert and learning everyday. It's a constant reminder that we're your examples and to act and behave the way we hope you will some day.

I can't even begin to express the amount of love we have for you.  You've brought a whole new level of love that I couldn't have imagined before.  I love you and thank God for you everyday.

Love,
Mom

Devlen - 4 months

4 months - Jan 5

Man, I feel like a lot has happened in the month of December!  We fought our first virus, which happened to fall over the first Christmas.  It was also shared with multiple family members including myself and Dave. D got to meet his aunt, uncle and cousins over Christmas and definitely took notice of the younger cousin.  We had a wonderful first Christmas with my parents even though D was sick and my dad got the virus too. The virus was awful and I'm so glad we're past it. It took longer than expected to really get over it and even 7 days into we had heavy spit/throw up.  We've hit some big milestones this month too!

We had our 4 month shots today.  He cried, I cried.  He was a bit fussy throughout the day and slept more than usual, but as I type this he's telling me a very detailed story that involves inflection and hand motions. So, I think we're through the worst of it.

4 month stats:
Weight 12 lb 1 oz (~10%)
Height 24 in (10%) we've reached the 2 foot mark!
Head 17 1/2 in (95%)

Eat
We were doing 4 feeding sessions however, after the 3 month posting I started to question whether he's gaining enough weight. After discussing it with the nurse we decided he should have another feeding added.  So the feeding schedule is now every 3 - 3.5 hours.  Because of this, we added in formula.  I really struggled with this decision.  In the previous post I mentioned wanting to keep him exclusively on breastmilk and increasing my pumping supplies. It wasn't happening.  I really struggled with this decision and shed some tears over it. But D was so easy going, he didn't care what type of milk it was as long as he was eating. So initially he was getting 2 bottles of breastmilk and 1 bottle of formula at daycare.  However, after he got sick I couldn't get my pumping supply to meet any amount he needed while at daycare. So he's now on 18 ounces of formula at daycare and nurses morning and evening. I'm still worried about his weight gain and I just want to make sure he's gaining weight at an appropriate rate even if he remains in the lower percentile.

Sleep
While we were fighting the virus he was waking every 3 hours and nursing.  He naturally dropped the midnight feeding and is now waking between 3-5am to nurse.  I can handle this especially as we work to continue to ensure he's gaining weight at an appropriate rate.

Play
We've hit a milestone! He can officially roll from tummy to back. This accomplishment came on New Year's Day.  The startled look on  his face is so darn cute. I absolutely love it.  Unfortunately for D, mommy asks for this new trick daily.  Some days he just lays on his tummy and doesn't move proving to me that this is not a party trick.  He really starting to take interest in his toys and loves to put it in his mouth.

Travel
We went to Houston for Christmas.  He got to meet his aunt, uncle, and two cousins.  The future gatherings are going to be busy and fun!  3 boys 2 of whom are 7 months apart.  I look forward to seeing them all play together.  D did great with the drive.  He was sick over the holiday and unfortunately shared the virus with family.  Thankfully, the other boys didn't catch it, just the adults.

Daycare
Has been going really well.  They really care for him and he's typically so good-natured that other teachers love coming in and snuggling with him. Today was rough because he fussy due to the shots and being sore. He teachers Ms. Norma and Ms. Janie are so wonderful. They held him until he fell asleep or walked him around the school to help keep him calm.  It's wonderful to know that while we're at work he's being well taken care of.

Dear Devlen,

Oh my big man! It's so funny to say that to a 4th month old, but the changes that have happened this month make me realize that you're definitely not a newborn anymore.  You can roll over, you hold your head up like its no big deal and you definitely have your opinions!  I love seeing you develop!  Your hands are now pulling things to you which means they go directly into your mouth!  You can put your paci in your mouth or fling it onto the ground. I have a feeling we'll soon be playing the game fetch.  And the stories you tell are getting so animated!

You met more of your family and boy are you going to have a good time at future gatherings!  It's exciting to see you take notice of your surroundings.  Your typical quiet self is slowly developing to being more vocal. You coo and babble almost any chance you get.

You have such a sweet demeanor. You still love to snuggle only its definitely on your terms.  You are able to express your opinions and make very clear what you like and don't like.  Seeing you change is exciting and heartbreaking. My little man is growing! Its so fun to see and yet parts of me ache for the 6 week old I could just coddle and snuggle.

I love you so much it hurts.  You have made being a mom so rewarding and loving. I tell people all the time you make me look like a supermom because you're just so easy going about everything.  I look forward to continuing to see you grow and develop!

Love, 

Mom

I can't seem to load any videos so until I figure it out you can see his rolling over video on my instagram account Blazer412