Hello Everyone! Aki turned six months a few days ago, and I have so much to share! Six months has surely been a turning point for us, so I'll try to cover as much as I can without making this post too lengthy.
WEIGHT AND FOOD
Aki has been on the small side since birth and she wasn't gaining weight as fast as she should have in the beginning. She's now on a curve, so it's not that big of deal, but being her mother, I've always been a little worried about her. I'll make a post about my breastfeeding journey at a later date, but as of six months, our breastfeeding journey has come to an end. I was sad knowing that I had breastfed her for the last time, but she seems much more full and content. Plus I couldn't keep up with pumping due to work and her nursery school doesn't take breast milk. We decided to use the same kind of formula her nursery school uses, and so, we don't have to worry about that. She responds to it well, is gaining weight, and gulps it down!
Aki has also started weaning! Since I really admire the Japanese diet, I made sure that my husband was in control of weaning and nutrition. He makes all of her purees by hand and is very meticulous about her pacing and introducing her to new foods. So far, she has tried rice, strawberry, carrot, spinach, banana, apple, and daikon. Her favorite by far is apple! Her least favorite is probably banana (I was surprised) or spinach (understandably). She was recently introduced to a kind of bread porridge, as suggested by her nursery school, and she liked that as well!
Therefore, in a nutshell, her health is great! She's gotten over the distracted phase and often gulps down her food, so we are happy with the way things are going for now.
COGNITIVE
In the past two months, one of Aki's biggest achievements is crawling! She started out rocking on her knees, then she began to inchworm, and she is now full blown crawling! She actually started crawling the day she turned six months. We weren't surprised considering we've been doing tummy time since the day she came home (Oops). She loves being on the floor more than being held, which I think is because she can go anywhere she wants.
She's also really into tags, papers and other kind of intricate things. She also really into the sensory bags I made her, which I'll also share in another post! Other than that, she's babbling, laughing a lot, and is just a happy baby in general. She really doesn't cry unless it's serious like she bumps her head or is hungry. She's always been this way, but now she has a lot more opinion and personality.
I know the next stage is "separation anxiety" and "teething", so I'm going to enjoy happy, independent Aki for a little longer!
SLEEP
Sleep has been a struggle since day one, and I'll say that all day, everyday. Sleep was a huge obstacle for us, and it was my least favorite part of newborn life. However, at six months, and hoping not to jinx myself, sleep has become a breeze. I also promise to do a post about our sleep journey, but now, at six months, she is, thankfully, sleeping through the night. You know it was bad when I woke up in the middle of the night waiting for her!! But, she hasn't woken up since. She used to wake once a night to eat (around 4 or 5am), but then just slept through it.
We've been thinking that things will get messy once she starts nursery school in two weeks, but hopefully, with our knowledge of wake windows and baby sleep, we can combat any major obstacles thrown our way!
But, right now, our biggest problem is "micro-sleep", she'll get really tired and kind of close her eyes (Like on the walk home in the stroller or carrier), and boom, it's game over! It only takes a few seconds of shut-eye, but she's then wired for at least another hour. It sucks trying to get her back on track after that.
LIFE
Lifestyle wise, Aki is able to now get her own toys and select what she wants to do, so she can keep herself entertained for a while. We keep her stimulated by rotating some of her more "fancier" toys, and offering her a variety of stimulation during the day (music, dance, walk outside, toys, etc.).
It's also great that she is gotten more used to riding the trains and going outside. She recently did amazing on her overnight hospital stay. My husband and I expected a mess once we got home, but she didn't miss a beat in her schedule!
Aki is always smiling, and is a very happy girl, so I'm really loving this stage in babyhood. She wakes up smiling, goes to bed smiling, and is just overall content. She'll whine or cry if she's hungry or tired, but she's usually very easy to read and pleased.
OVERALL
Overall, Aki seems to enjoy being a baby right now. So, I'm happy as well. Our next obstacle is nursery school, teething, separation anxiety, and transitioning to two naps. Fortunately, we've been through the trenches, so I don't feel like we'll freak out as bad as we did in the beginning. However, we can always do with more well wishes and good lucks!
See you in a few more months!
0 comments