6 months

Oliver took his 6-month photos today - so cute! But that means I'm out of excuses for postponing this entry!

Oliver turned 6-months-old on March 8. He weighed in last week at the doctor's at 20lbs, 15 oz. 92nd Percentile. and they measured him at 28.5". 95th Percentile. Generally the equivalent of an average 10-month-old. The nurse measured him at 29", but the doctor remeasured him and deducted a half an inch. I was suprised by the weight because I was guessing 22lbs - his buddy, Wesley is only two weeks older and is weighing in around 24lbs! But they're still both healthy, big boys.

One of the reasons that this post is a little late is that Oliver had his first real cold. A nasty cough and a plugged then running nose. They don't recommend any medicine at this age, so all we could do is elevate the mattress, run the humidifier and drop saline solution into his nose and then suck it out with the dreaded nose bulb sucker. He HATES getting his nose touched or wiped. But, we survived and he's finally feeling much better.

Other firsts include eating solid food. We've been steaming organic veggies and pureeing them. Started with carrots (orange vegetables are supposed to be sweeter and unlikely to be an allergen). Now he's tried sweet potatoes, baked potatoes with parsnips, peas, spinach, broccoli, bananas, avocados and iron-fortified brown rice cereal. He's liked everything that we've introduced, except for avocados. Trying to up the number of meals, so someday breast milk will just be supplemental. Crazy. We're also supplementing vitamin D and will introduce fluoride, since we don't have it in the water here in Oregon. All these things to worry about!

Oliver is now sitting up on his own, (with someone there to catch him when he pitches forward or back randomly) but has no interest in rolling over. His hair is growing longer and looking quite cute. No signs of teeth yet, but he has gotten his toes into his mouth and he has been spitting his tongue out a lot. He's interested in other babies now and will play with their feet if sat next to them. He loves to jump in his jumper, and can now move himself around in his walker. His current favorite toy is his Monkey stuffed animal, but after discovering a little music box inside, rendering it un-washable, I'm busy trying to find a new favorite.

We've been taking a weekly swim lesson, along with his friend Wesley, and his mom, Alyson. It's a survival swimming class (or at least will be) and we've already gone for 3-second underwater swims! It's a lot of fun for the boys (Oliver just passes out in the car afterwards) and fun for us, and will be a great skill for them! We've already signed up for 2-day a week classes coming up for the next 3 months. This is where we're taking them. Mitchell has been getting into the bath with him every night in order to practice his back float and "bubbles" where we dump water on his head to teach him to hold his breath.

I've also been going to Stroller Strides most weekday mornings. I take Oliver along in his stroller and we work out bootcamp style with other mothers and kids. It's actually a really good workout, and nice to hang out with other moms. It's at the Clackamas Town Center Mall and Mt Scott Community Center on alternating days, at 9 or 9:30 am. So I have to get out of bed earlier than I was. But the routine is good for both Oliver and I!

We went to a workshop on sign language and are excited to teach Oliver. Hopefully it will reduce some frustration on both of our parts before he is able to talk.

All-in-all, this is a great age, with lots of smiles and fun new things, but he hasn't gotten mobile and out of control yet. Definitely enjoying it!

Lent

Today is Mardi Gras - or Fat Tuesday - representing the day before Ash Wednesday, when Lent begins, and a day during which you gorge yourself with whatever vice you have decided to give up for 40 days. And then Easter represents the day on which you get to gorge yourself again. I've decided to give up chocolate. Since I've had Oliver, I have literally eaten chocolate every day. Dark chocolate unless unavailable. I haven't tracked it per se, but I know I've had a consistent stash, and consistent consumption. So, this will be a sacrifice to give up! Since I actually just realized today that Lent begins tomorrow, I wasn't able to prepare properly with a last portion of salted chocolate caramels. But, I have sufficiently made myself sick with a mocha (normally just drink a latte), half a sleeve of Thin Mints (the other half I ate last night - cruel timing, Girl Scouts, just cruel), and all the remaining chocolate chunks from the pre-made cookie dough I use as one of my chocolate stashes. I feel gross.

Now Lent is a religious observation (while Mardi Gras may be decidedly immoral at times) and I would not consider myself religious. But I attended a Catholic high school and grew up among other religious influences and have grown to appreciate many traditions and celebrations. I certainly don't hold back from celebrating Christmas! And spending more than a month giving up something you previously enjoyed or took for granted is at the very least an opportunity for self-reflection and a personal challenge.

Bring it on.

Vinyl Hell

Thank god the wall decal in Oliver's room is finally completely up. I got it on ETSY and absolutely love the design. But it was so intimidating - large and in so many pieces, so it turned into one of those painful projects that just gets dragged out. And then, it started peeling. I think it's the textured walls and slightly matte finish on the paint. Ugh. Whenever I am nursing in there and notice a corner peel up or a ripple in a part it drives me nuts! I stick it back down, but inevitably it will pop back up. I've considered wallpaper paste or a clear coat of paint. But I really don't know what is the best plan. I would like for it to last a few years. I just want it to stick! Suggestions?? Oh, and isn't it cute?

Mmmm...Nitro

I live in an awesome city for beer. And if ever I am perusing the list of beers on tap and I see (Nitro) next to one - I jump on it! A beer served "on nitro" means that nitrogen is being used to pump the beer through the lines instead of CO2. A bar usually only has one beer at a time on nitro, if any. It creates lighter bubbles and a head like on a Guinness - which is served on nitro. Guinness also has a nitro-widget in their cans. Any beer can be served on nitro, which creates a creamy texture and adds a smoother, nutty flavor. Does it really change the beer that much? Think about the difference between a cold, flat soda and a cold, bubbly soda - makes a huge difference! A little more information on nitro here.

Not sure that beer aficionados would consider it the most legit way to serve beer as it mutes some flavors, but nitro gets my vote! I recommend you try it the next time you get the opportunity. Yumm.

Upsizing

Last night at about 19 weeks old, we decided to give Oliver some more space. We moved bathtime from the kitchen sink to the bathtub. He can't sit up yet, but he had a good time splashing daddy while laying on his cushion.

He was already in his own room, but we also moved Oliver from his small co-sleeper bed into his crib. We discovered that it had a mean lean to it, but we managed to fix it up, and Oliver slept like a champ last night (yes, a 3:30am brief wakeup is still considered good sleep). And it's a good thing too, because I wasn't sure what we were going to do once he starts to grow out of all of his infant things - which he's doing so quickly!

Four Month Update

Oliver had his four-month doctor's appointment last week, so taking the opportunity to check in again.

First, I am now keeping track of months by the calendar, instead of weeks. So, the 8th of every month is now his birthday! Hard transition to make after pregnancy, which counts by the weeks.

Oliver's measurements come in at: 18lbs, 11.5oz (99th percentile), 27in long (99th percentile) and his head is 43.5cm (80th percentile). The doctor went across the curve chart, and Oliver is the equivalent in size to an average (50th percentile) 7-month-old. He's a big boy. I've packed up all of the 3 month clothes, and pulled out of lot of 9 and 12-month clothes.

He's now playing with toys - holding rattles and small toys. He is shoving everything in his mouth. The pediatrician calls this mouthing, which means he's just practice teething, until suddenly teeth show up, and then its teething. He's drooling a lot and biting down on anything he can get his mouth on. Oliver now sleeps in his own room, in his smaller bassinet. Next step is the crib, which starts this week. He often sleeps 7 to 9 hours without waking (although occasionally throws in waking up after an hour, or just periodically throughout the night). The only catch is that he doesn't go down for the night until 11:30 or midnight. He sleeps with a noise machine, which I think helps, and is quite soothing for us when we hear it through the monitor all night.

Oliver has started to "hug" - wrapping his arms tightly around you. But he also PINCHES when he does this - usually on the underside of your arm or your neck. The sensitive parts that hurt! But, he's sitting up with assistance, and holds his neck up like a champ. We've started giving him a lot of chances on his tummy, since he doesn't like to stay there for long until he cries, but occasionally he rolls himself over from front to back. This is all in preparation for crawling. He likes to look at himself in the mirror, and he's started to notice, if just a little bit, other babies. He's very aware when I'm not around and will eventually start to cry, but he does let other people hold him, thank goodness. We take him out to dinner with us and he does very good - just sleeping. So we've been trying to do that as much as possible these days.

Can't wait for him to start enjoying his playmates - Opal, Wesly and Asher. And to welcome a few more waiting in the wings!

Winter Blowout

Mitchell was in charge of Oliver during a 3 hour ladies spa excursion today. I felt a bit bad that he cried on and off the entire time, per usual. So while I was feeding him after I got home and Mitchell says he needs to help the neighbor "move something" with two beers in his hand, I say go ahead - he deserved a break. And this is what transpired.

A few minutes later while nursing, Oliver loudly craps his pants. I patiently wait for him to finish. I pick him up and realize his back is damp. He managed to poop out of his diaper, through his onesie, shirt, overalls, and into MY pants. I drag him to the sink, peel his sticky layers of clothes off while holding him to stand, get everything out for a bath with one arm, warm up the water and clean off the poo-slick that covers his back from the shoulder blades, on down. During the impromptu "bath" I find myself also counter-spraying his pee spray with the kitchen faucet, and cleaning off spitup from his front.

I take the opportunity to get him in his jammies and into bed. I then change my own pants, throw his outfit away (sometimes, it's just not worth it) and sit on the couch. Mitchell comes back and says, "what's going on?" I don't feel as bad about the crying anymore. ;)

I did capture a shot of the onesie for perspective.