Lucy Mae: 6 Months

 

How are we half a year old already!!?? She's just thriving and experiencing so much this last month.  

Length: 25.75cm (not sure if that's quite right)

Weight: 17lbs 9oz

Diaper: 3 (getting tight)

Clothing: 6 months, 6-9 months

Lucy is getting so strong!  Because she's doing so well we have been able to introduce a few new "containers" and chairs!

We introduced solids too just a few day shy of 6 months.  Her first food was pumpkin!  She liked it but that tongue reflex to force food out was pretty strong.  We have a long way to go before she'll actually eat much I believe.  She is nursing about 5-7 times a day now.  She'll go the longest in the morning, then wants to eat every 2-3 hours after that second feed.  Since she's been out of the brace during the day she latches much better, so weird.  She loves to grab her feet while she nurses or tries to put them in mouth.  She's so silly.

We have been bracing just at night for her hip dysplasia since October.  We go back to the ortho next week for a follow up.  I hope her hip sockets are developed enough that we don't need it any longer.  We are still swaddling her at night since she's in the brace.  When she's out of it we'll have to transition her to arms out and it'll be a change for sure.

As far as development goes, Lucy is doing really well despite being braced for months.  She's now rolling from back to front (4 months) and front to back (5 months).  She's pivoting too in a circle when she's on her belly so you never really know which way she'll be facing!  We are working on sitting up.  She can do a few seconds by herself already.  She even has briefly tried to get on her knees already.  Definitely not ready for that milestone.  She also loves to grab my face with both hands and kiss me with the biggest open mouth.  I die every time.

She's so vocal, but not babbling syllables yet.  She gets upset when we walk away and lights up when we walk into a room.  She is such a go-with-the-flow baby.  She's happy and smiles all the time.  Her laughs are infectious and abundant.  She's the perfect 4th baby for sure. 

She is still sleeping in our room, but we need to readjust the mini crib to a full size since she's growing so much.  I'm not ready yet to say goodbye to my last baby roomie, and that's ok.  She naps still about 3-4 times a day which surprises me because I think at this point my other babies were only napping twice by this point.  She still has a wake window of about 2-3 hours then needs a nap.  At night, she's been going down about 7:45-8:15p and is hit or miss whether she sleeps through the night.  Mostly she does, but she does wake up once here and there.  She had RSV last month and was up 2-3 times a night during that.  Awful.  She did flip to her belly during a nap this month for the first time!

This month we celebrated her first Thanksgiving and are soaking up all the holiday festivities.  I love having a baby at Christmas time.  The older kids still love her to pieces.  Hazel calls her "Mae Mae".  Scarlett loves to talk to her while we ride in the van.  Norah still asks to hold her daily.  

First Thanksgiving

Merry Christmas!

Lucy Mae you are so loved.  These are the best days, even if Mama is exhausted. <3

Lucy Mae: 2 Months

 

Our sweet Lucy Mae is 2 months old!  We had her wellness check with her doctor about a week early, but at the appointment she weights 12lbs 2oz and 22.5 inches long.  She grew an inch in one month and gained over 2.5 pounds.  She's growing so well!  She's in 0-3/3 month clothes and size 2 diapers already.  We did get an ultrasound at 6 weeks old to check her hips since she had a few risk factors (female and breech).  The radiologist may have seen some left hip dysplasia so our doctor referred us to a pediatric orthopedic specialist that we see in a few weeks.

She's breastfeeding like a champ still!  We finally are in a great groove.  When she's awake she eats every 2-3 hours (whew) but she doesn't really nurse through the night so we'll take it for now!  She's still taking her bottles well.  We make sure she gets one a few times a week for practice.  I have about 60 ounces frozen and stashed in the deep freeze so far for work.  Not bad for not pumping a whole lot yet. It's difficult for me to feed her when we are out and about without the help of my breastfeeding pillow, but it's doable.  She's just so heavy and long and not much neck control yet, so it literally takes all my hands and legs.  

She's sleeping mostly through the night!  I'm waking her up for a dream feed around 2-3am just to make sure her weight gain stays steady and my supply doesn't dip, but other than that she's sleeping pretty good!  She's still sleeping with us in our room.  Since she's our last I don't know when I'll be emotionally ready to kick her out.  Maybe never haha!  She doesn't really nap in her crib because we love holding her when she naps or she naps in the swing.  I want to start getting her to nap at least once a day in her crib just so it's not so hard when she transitions to daycare.  They sure won't hold her for a hour in their laps for her naps.

As far as things we have loved this month...she gave us her first awake smile!! AND I caught it on video by luck!  Ugh it makes me tear up every time I watch it.  She's got TWO dimples (one on each side) and I'm just obsessed.  She's been giving us personality during her awake periods and we love watching her eyes light up or her baby coo attempts. She's pretty go with the flow and easy to settle so far.  We did start school back so poor thing gets dragged around to all the drop offs and pick ups but she's handling it well.  We also love unzipping her from her night swaddle and watching her BIG stretches.  Norah and I are obsessed.  We love too when I pick her up out of her crib in the mornings she purses her lips, crosses her arms and sticks her little booty out.  Norah always says, "there's that booty!"  We are big fans haha. 

Speaking of school starting...the two oldest are back in school so now Hazel is home with me and Lucy two days a week.  Slowly inching toward our new normal.  When I go back to work in about a month Lucy and Hazel will be home with me two days during the week and daycare 3 days.  I really like the balance.  I feel like they get good socialization but I don't feel like someone else is raising my kiddos.  We are so grateful for me to be able to be home with them 4 days out of the week when they are this little. As much as I enjoy maternity leave and the snuggles I do long for that sense of normalcy. 

She doesn't dislike too many things at this point.  She dislikes the car seat but falls asleep pretty quickly in it.  She doesn't really do well by herself for more than 15 minutes, so you could say she doesn't like being solo quite yet.

Lucy loves watching the ceiling fan, when we chat with her face-to-face, when we hold her and her milk!  She loves to poop SO loud right after her morning feed and right before we need to be heading out the door.  Drives me crazy because I can't stand being late but this girl....she's something else.

Her sisters still love her something fierce and shockingly are still gentle with her.  Scarlett still calls her "new baby".  Hazel asks to see her in the morning, but that's about it.  Norah asks daily to hold her.  She loves to lay next to her and talk and roll her.  She's such a loving big sister.  I feel like they will have an amazing bond growing up. 

This next month will be full of change.  We'll meet with a specialist about her hips.  I will start back at work.  Lucy will start at daycare.  Whew big month coming up!

Nonetheless we love our Lucy so much it hurts.  I don't want to forget her big rolly thighs, her soft feet, her blue eyes, dark wispy hair or kissable cheeks.  I don't want to forget her sweet dimples when she smiles or how intently she looks at us when we coo at her.  These next few weeks are our family's last to have a newborn in the house.  I don't know if that reality has hit me quite yet, so in the meantime I will soak her sweet soul up as much as I can.  Take pictures of every memory I can and kiss her sweet cheeks every chance I get.