6 months old

Miss Emma is 6 months old now. I can not believe it! I'm going to rattle off some random facts about her because, since she is a terrible sleeper, my brain isn't always functioning at 100% these days.

• She's been to the pediatrician four times in the past month (once b/c I thought she had an ear infection (she didn't), twice b/c of this terrible cold that she can not get rid of and again for a double pink eye infection!).

• She weighs a little over 14 lbs (her actual 6 mo well check isn't for another week).

• She is a very quiet baby...in terms of "talking". She doesn't talk much and when she does, it's pretty quiet. Sometimes she blows "raspberries".

• Did I mention that she doesn't sleep well? She doesn't. She only sleeps in 2 to 4 hour stretches (4 hours on a good night). It's exhausting. We've just started to "sleep train" her this week. It's so hard but it HAS to be done. I am loosing my mind and have no motivation. It's not fair to myself or our family. Wish us luck!

• Emma is a very hard baby to nurse. She only nurses for 5 min a time, therefore she is always hungry. There's nothing I can do about it...you can't force a baby to nurse longer! lol

• We just started giving her some baby cereal last week. The first attempt failed. She clenched her lips together and would not try a bite. The second day, she just stuck her tongue out to taste it. By the third day, though, she was taking small bites. This weekend we are going to give her some avocado. :)

• She has a tooth coming in! Front & center on the bottom. Lea only had two teeth on her first birthday, so this is early to us.

• Emma is sitting up on her own very well. She doesn't need any support anymore...however if she gets startled or excited )or just reaches too far for something), she will topple over.

• Emma has a lot more hair than Lea did at this age. It seems thicker and darker than Lea's. Emma still has blue eyes, too. (Lea's eyes are hazel)

Lea and Emma love to play together. Emma is so happy to just watch Lea and Lea loves the attention. No one can make Emma laugh out loud and giggle like Lea can! I love watching their friendship grow.

Oh, those blue eyes!

A tiny tooth!

She loves teething on cold celery.

My girls (all three!) cuddling on the sofa on a cold morning. :)

 

Yum!



Sleeping and Dance

Last night we decided to let Emma try sleeping in her own room for the first time. She's been sleeping in a little crib by my bed for the last four months (Lea slept in it for three months). Well, since Emma has been sleeping so well (from about 8pm to 5am) we thought it was time for her to move upstairs.



This crib has been in the family for decades.
My father and uncle slept in it, my cousins slept in it, my brother and I slept in it
and now my children have slept in it!



Emma slept in her own room from 8:30 pm to 6:15 am!!!

Today was Lea's first dance class. She has been so excited about it...reading Angelina Ballerina books all last week. We went shopping and picked out her ballet shoes, tap shoes, tights and leotard. She was ready!

It was an hour long class (about 40 min of ballet and 20 of tap). I was worried if she (and the others) could stay focused that long... but she did great! She really liked it. They will actually have a dance recital on Mother's Day weekend. I can't wait! :)

Stressin' over nothin'!

Last night we had absolutley no crying!  I rocked Lea long enough to sing one song and when her eyes became heavy, I placed her in her crib.  After a quick kiss good night, I slipped out... waiting outside the door as I just knew she would begin crying when she noticed I was gone.  I waited... nothing.  And waited... nothing.  So, I went downstairs to look on the video monitor and she was fast asleep.  We did it!  She didn't wake up until 4a.m. and after allowing her to nurse for only 5 minutes, she went right back to sleep until we had to wake her at 7:30 this morning.  Maybe I've been under estimating my daughter?  Maybe this was just luck?  Only time will tell!

This morning we went to AquaMoms class, again.  Lea really enjoys playing in the water and I get a good workout.  We sing songs to our babies and help them be comfortable being in the water, all the while exercising.  Needless to say, we're both pretty tired afterwards!  Here's a couple pictures from our first class a few weeks ago.

To cry or not to cry? That is the question.

We're having a slight dilema in our household.  Should we let Lea cry... or not?  For the first four months or so of her life, we never let her cry.  The first sign of distress and we were there to the rescue.  Even at night, if she began to squirm or fuss, I would immediatley run to her and nurse her back to sleep.  This actually worked great, believe it or not.  She was always a great sleeper and would only wake once, around the same time, every night and sleep until well past 7 in the mornings.

Our pediatrician said there is no physical reason why Lea should still be nursing in the middle of the night.  He also said she should be placed in her crib awake but drowsy at bed time.

So, we've tried putting her to bed awake.  It works ok... some of the time.  Sometimes she will play a little, then fuss, then fall asleep.  Sometimes she will go right to sleep.  And sometimes she will scream and cry.  I've also tried to avoid nursing her in the middle of the night a couple times.... MUCH more difficult than putting her to bed awake.  If I don't nurse her, she will scream and cry until we help her back to sleep.  Then, an hour later, scream and cry again.  And, an hour later, scream and cry again... the entire night.  Needless to say, I have continued to nurse her at night.  I am, however, only nursing her for about five minutes, hoping she will wean herself from midnight feedings.

Now that you know the background... here's my problem...  While I have heard and read that a 6 or 7 month old should be able to put themselves to sleep and shouldn't be eating in the middle of the night, I have also heard and read that babies do just that because they are babies and it's ok for the caregiver to assist them in getting and staying asleep.  Everything I've read says the most important thing is to be consistant.  no matter what you decide to do, just be consistant.  How can I be consistant, though, if she isn't being consistant?

Perhaps I am just trying to talk myself out of letting my baby girl scream and cry.  I can't stand to hear her upset!!!  When she cries, my heart aches.  I hear her cries as if she's saying "MOMMY! MOMMY! PLEEEEASE HELP MEEEE!!!"  Now, you tell me how I am supposed to ignore that?!  It seems impossible!  But, is it?  And is it in her best interest to let her cry herself to sleep?  Is there really such a thing as "sleep training"???  And, what's so wrong with me wanting to comfort my baby?

Please let me know your thoughts.  I am seriously at a crossroads.