Walking with the Cooks: Happy 6 months!

After a visit to the pediatrician yesterday and pediatric cardiologist today, we are ready to officially say, "happy six months, Sarah!"

Weight: 18lbs 5ozs (93%)
Height: 27.25 in (93%)
Head: 17.5 in (93%)
Diaper: Size 3
Clothes: She is growing out of the 6 monthers and moving into the 9 month comfortably. We have yet to resort to 12 month, thankfully!
Likes: playing with her toes, putting everything and anything (especially her toes) into her mouth, playing with stuffed animals or toys (they also fit in her mouth), jumping in the bouncer, feeling beards and zippers

Dislikes: baths (again! we think it may be the new set up in the house), being strapped into her car seat (not always, but it certainly isn't a favorite), napping at church (it just never happens)

Schedule: We have have used the same routine for a while now and have all gotten very comfortable with it. Big news of the month- we dropped the dream feed. This means more sleep for Mom and Baby.

7:30 Nurse and cereal

9:00 Nap

11:30 Nurse and sweet potatoes

1:00 Nap

3:30 Nurse and cereal

4:45-5:30 Nap (usually, but this nap is totally dependent on the rest of the day and her disposition)

7:00 Nurse and in bed by 8:00

Swaddle: I forgot to pack the swaddle for our trip to FL, so we dropped swaddling cold turkey this month. This wasn't too difficult since Sarah was already pretty messed up from the traveling. We had been contemplating making the change for a while (she only used it for the long sleep at night) and this became the perfect opportunity.

Solids: With the holidays, traveling, moving, and company, we haven't been too adventurous with starting new solids. We did add sweet potatoes to the menu and they are usually enjoyed, though Sarah isn't fooled. They aren't mostly milk like the cereal! I made sweet potatoes by cooking them, scooping out and processing the flesh, and freezing in ice cube trays (did you know each cube is approximately 1 ounce?). Next we will try a green vegetable, then move on to the delicious sweet fruits.

Sitting up: Sarah has been proficiently sitting up for a couple of weeks now. It was a gradual process with a few good falls backward (new house is all hard wood), but she LOVES the new vantage point. Usually will sit up for a while and play with her toes/socks, shirt, or toy, then after a while gets tired falls over. She has a lot of weight to manage!

Teething: Sarah has had a couple of days where the spoon is the worst thing ever created and we are chalking this up to teething. Her gums have some nice shape to them now and she has been doing awkward things with her tongue. It could happen any day now!

Check up 1: Everything looks great. They gave her a book and said they will do this as part of a reading initiative at every well visit until she is 5. She also got a tub toy for getting shots. Watching those nurses give her shots is a hoot. Sarah doesn't know what is coming yet, so she is just being cute and making faces. Then the nurses double team her, count to three, and each giver her a shot in the thigh. This visit she got 4 shots and an oral vaccine, which meant the nurses did their routine twice. Sarah let out a couple of good howls, but recovered nicely.

Check up 2: Today we went to a hospital just south of Boston to visit a pediatric cardiologist. They were very efficient through an EKG and exam. We were walking out 5 minutes after our scheduled appointment! (They saw us as soon as we got there- it did take more than 5 minutes.) The doctor said everything is coming together as expected and he wants to see Sarah again when she is three just to see how cute she is. I imagine they will also take a peek at her heart.

Update: Sarah's hair is coming in nicely. It is mostly light brown, but if you catch it in the right light it takes on a reddish tint. We would love a red head! She also rolls both ways now and has even done some adorable barrel rolling across her pallet. Standing or sitting is still her preference.

Next appointment: We go back for a flu booster on February 22 and a 9 month check up on April 20.