6 Months!

Ben turned 6 months old on Tuesday and as usual his post is a few days late.

 Sorry buddy. Will you forgive me? 

Thanks Tater Tot, you're the best. 

For the past few weeks we have been struggling to return to our pre-vacation routine. Overnight it seems that my infant has burst into babyhood. I took Ben to the doctor yesterday, and yes I got his sheet! His appointment went great in that I refrained from talking about Lily too much but I really should have written down my questions beforehand. My brain is mush and under no circumstance should I be trusted to think on my feet. Oh well, I guess it is a good thing that I didn't have anything too pressing to ask the pediatrician. Ben was a total peach during the appointment and despite having to have four shots, he never once acted as though I am the worst mother in the world. (Insert every post about taking Lily to the doctor ever) 

During the appointment the pediatrician mentioned that Lily was the exact same size at this age. Say what?!!? Ben seems SO much bigger. Seriously, I am already struggling to carry him in his car seat...and I carried Lily in that thing until she was a year old. I was skeptical but she had her laptop with Lily's records right in front of her, and she didn't give me Ben's sheet, so I took her word for it. We talked for a few more minutes, she told me Ben looked perfect, and just like that the appointment was over. Ben had is first ever flu shot so we had to wait 30 extra minutes in the waiting room to make sure he wasn't allergic to anything in the vaccine. I was all antsy in the pantsy to get Ben's sheet so I went up to reception to ask for it even though the pediatrician was there and I was a little embarrassed by how fixated I was on getting that stupid piece of paper. (sidebar: At the playground today I was retelling this story to two other moms who also go to the same practice and they both interrupted to say that they too love the sheet and were bummed to not get it at their most recent appointment, so there you go...not so crazy after all.) 

I looked over Ben's stats and frowned at the pediatrician. The conversation went something like this:

Her: "I knew that you were going to be worried, stop worrying."

Me: "You're not worried???"

Her: "That is why I looked up Lily's stats. She is a peanut too."

Me: "She was always a peanut, Ben started out a monster." (It wasn't that long ago that he was in the 96%)

Her: "Your baby is not a monster."

Me: "Well, no not now! Now he is a pygmy!"

Her: "What was he for Halloween?"

Me: "A pumpkin and a cow."

Her: "Aww, I bet he was a very cute cow."

Me: "Aww, thanks. Yes, he was very cute."

:::::long pause::::::

Me: "Hey, I see what you did there."

Her: "I really don't want you to worry."

Me: "He dropped again, significantly"

Her: "He is fine April, really. I am not worried."

Me: "Should I feed him more?"

Her: "Nope, just keep doing what you are doing." 

:::::more frowning::::::

Her: "He is perfect, happy, healthy...and the kid has a killer grin."

Me: "Aww, thanks."

:::::long pause::::::

Me: "Hey! I see what you did there."

Her: "I am a pro." 

She later sent me an email making sure I wasn't worrying. So here I am, not worrying. Of course I would be lying if I said that I didn't want Ben to be all tall and athletic like but all that really matters is that he is healthy and happy. Blah, blah, blah....(please grow)...mother of the year. 

So the stats: 

4 Months

Height:  25 inches (56%)

Weight: 14lbs 14oz (52%)

6 Months

Height:  25.75 inches (26%)

Weight: 16lbs 10oz (36%)

   

Also I checked Lily's baby book and the pediatrician was wrong about Ben and Lily being the same size at six months. Lily was 14lbs 14oz at six months, so she was the same size that he was at four months. BUT Ben's percentages are about the same as Lily's were. Pygmies, my children are pygmies.

Because I am a lunatic I looked up a male height chart and determined that if Ben stays in the the 26th percentile he will be 5'4". Anyone want to guess how tall my brother is? Hmmm.

Likes: Lily (big surprise there), putting everything in his mouth, sitting up like a big boy, overalls (that may be mommy's like), nursing, not sleeping, being held, the door jumper, bath time, Colby, looking in the mirror, scooching backwards off the playmat, rolling over...and over...and over.

Dislikes: Sleeping for more than 3 hours, being put down (no surprise there either), getting stuck under the couch (see scooching), loud noises, having a poopy diaper, having things taken away.

Nicknames: I should have included this in earlier posts - Tater Tot, Spud, Handsome Guy, Buddy (which sounds like "buggy" when Lily says it)

Milestones: Controlled and deliberate rolling (mommies of older kids know what I mean), unassisted sitting, eating solid foods, jumping in the door jumper.

Feeding: Ben is still getting a 7oz bottle first thing in the morning and at bedtime. Also still nursing every three hours or so during the day. Two weeks ago we started solids. Just like with Lily I started with rice cereal mixed with breast milk and few days later we moved to baby oatmeal. I didn't make the switch because of the recent arsenic stories in the news, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't thinking about it. Anyway, a few days later I added squash to the mix. My intent was to add more veggies this week, but I kept forgetting. Carrots are next on the menu, when I get around to it. The actual act of feeding Ben is super annoying. Did I just admit that? Well, you know what Tater, you are a maniac and you make a mess. More squash goes up your nose than in your mouth, you grab at the spoon over and over, you spit, and smack your lips. It is nearly impossible to hit your mouth as you bounce up and down in anticipation of the next bite. Okay, I will admit that last part is sort of cute.

Sleeping: This really should be its own post, but I just can't muster the energy to beat that horse again. This is what I will say. Sleep deprivation has brought me to new lows since returning from Florida. At some point I slipped passed cranky, sailed passed irritable, and landed in crazy town. Seriously. I had a panic attack in the parking lot of the grocery store. I am okay now, but I caught a quick glimpse of hopelessness, and it scared the stuffing out of me. We went home to Maine the following weekend so that my mom and dad could take the baby for a night. It wasn't much of a recharge, but it was better than nothing. Things have been better in the sleep department this past week, with the exception of last night, so that is something. Ben just isn't a sound sleeper, and when he stirs, he cries -when he cries, I hear him - when I hear him, I lay awake and listen to him cry. The pediatrician wasn't concerned, I guess some babies are even worse sleepers?!? In any case I want Ben to sleep better, I just don't think there is anything more I can do. So for now we are still taking it one day at a time and celebrating small victories.

Odds and Ends: I stand by the statement that Ben is a super happy baby. As he becomes more mobile he is increasingly becoming more tolerant of being put down. Although as I mentioned earlier, you can't expect to find him where you left him! Lily didn't crawl until she was almost 10 months old, I really don't think Ben will wait that long. It took him a few days but he quickly mastered the door jumper. Our little Hercules has demonstrated some serious strength in the last few weeks. He can stand in the saucer for an absurdly long time, he can lift his entire chest of the floor, and he has full body control when sitting all on his own. Most of the time I just want to tell him to relax and stop working so hard. I am so not ready for him to be mobile.

Since starting solids we have had the joy of changing some pretty offensive diapers. The funny part is that Ben seems to be particularly bothered by this change. Not that we typically let him sit in a dirty diaper, but it has happened once or twice. Now? Now, he wails to be changed before he is even done. Poor guy, I really shouldn't laugh.

The relationship between Ben and Lily makes my heart burst. Every time Lily kisses "her baby" out of the blue or Ben lights up when he hears Lily's voice, I die. Cuddling in the chair with Ben is Lily's new favorite thing and she requests to do so on a daily basis. "Can I hold Ben with myself?" At music class she insists that they both sit on my lap, even when I offer to set Ben on the floor next to us. She will not go down for a nap or up to bed without kissing him goodnight. For the most part she is both generous and gentle. Ben just eats it all up...and then I die some more. I couldn't choose just one of the following pictures so I am flooding the post with all of them.

Up next: A few days in Maine, turkey day, and hopefully some sleep!