Jack: 6 Months

Wow.  This has been one rough month for poor Jack!  We got Jack's chronic diarrhea under control after 2 weeks - turns out he most likely has a milk protein allergy and needed a change to hypoallergenic formula.  He enjoyed a whopping half-week of being back to normal before getting hit with a cold.  A cold is no big deal, but by the time the weekend had hit, Jack developed bronchiolitis and was having trouble breathing and eating.  It was a really tense few days, and after a visit to the doctor and a trip to the emergency room, things slowly started to get back on track.  After almost 3 weeks, he started to get back to himself.

Unfortunately (and fortunately!), at the same Jack has gotten a lot more aware of how non-mobile he is.  He's started to roll both ways, sits up on his own for brief periods of time, and is scooting backwards (although it's usually because he's TRYING to move forwards and this really ticks him off!), which led to some seriously interrupted nap time. We were back to square one with sleep training, but after buckling down and all of us suffering through him crying it out, we are all blissfully enjoying 1.5 - 2.5 hour naps and many, many nights of sleeping through the night.  If he does get up, a quick pacifier pop in once or twice in the night does the trick.  I'm so grateful for the turnaround, because I couldn't deal with the being up for 2 hours straight in the night much longer!

Jack LOVES food (just like we thought he would!).  We can't seem to shovel it in fast enough for him, and he's usually whining when we're all finished up because he wants even more.  I love that each new taste is like the craziest new thing he's ever experienced.  He's embracing all the flavors (for now), and I'm super grateful for that.  This time around I'm trying to make most of his baby food, so I'm happy that the hard work in prepping the food is paying off!  We've cut him back to 4 6 oz. bottles a day, and FINALLY got rid of the dreaded (for me, at least) 10pm dream feed.

For his six month official stats, Jack weighs 19 lbs 0.2 oz. (73rd percentile) and is 28 3/4 inches long (99th percentile).  He's super healthy, has no residual effects from bronchiolitis (which apparently shows he fought it off really well), and took four shots like a champ.

I'm so grateful that we've made it to the six month mark.  It's no secret that I find babies really hard to  manage.  I think it's mostly due to the uncertainty of what's wrong when something comes up or how they're feeling, along with the inconsistencies in their ever-changing developments, sleep patterns, and eating habits.  Jack has rocked our worlds these past 6 months, and I'm so blessed that he's been the trooper that he is, and that Hank and Lyla are the amazing siblings that they are so that he always has some extra entertainment when he's bored or wants attention.  And, as always, Jack has about the best Dad on the planet, always ready to give me a break and give Jack anything and everything he needs.  Truly, the best people to make up the best family one could ask for.  I'm anxious for another half-year of developmental milestones, celebrations, and events (and hopefully without all the sickness and sad stuff!).