Half a Year- Really!?!?!

Can you believe it's been 6 months already?  Our baby boy is 6 months old today.  I can't believe how time has flown.  Well here's the run-down on what's going on with Noah...

- He is starting to sit.  In the last week, he has gone from not being able to sit at all to sitting up unassisted for minutes at a time.  I can't believe how fast it happens.

- He can roll over both ways, but is not a fan of his stomach so once he gets to his back, he just stays there.  Thankfully he hasn't yet figured out that he can use this as a means to get around.

- The rare times when he stays on his stomach, he tries to crawl (despite the fact that he can't get up on all fours) and just gets mad when he doesn't go anywhere.  

-  He is eating cereal.  He loves it and usually finishes all that we give him.

- We started green beans thinking that he would dislike those the most and he LOVES them.  We usually have to cut him off.  Just wait until you get to the fruit buddy.

-  He is napping better... He is kind of hit or miss.  Somedays like today, he goes down without a problem, others he screams for a while.  All in all, it is an improvement from a month ago.

- He is very happy most of the time.

-  He wakes up once at night to eat.

- He loves to spit.  He will soak the entire front of his onesie just from spitting.

- He loves playing in his exersaucer and playing with toys on the floor, but I think his favorite toy is still the remote control and my cell phone.  

-  He gets really happy when his Dad comes home at night and always seems to be happier on the weekends when Dad's around.

We love you Baby!  I can't believe it's already been half a year!

Apologies From a Pediatrician

This entry is dedicated to all the parents of patients that I saw in residency.  I apologize for making parenthood sound easier than it really is.  

When I told you, "You have to just leave them in bed; they are going to cry, but you have to be strong-"  It is not that easy listening to your five month old cry for almost two hours.  

When I said, "You should try breastfeeding-" It is not always that easy as I have learned.  Never again will I judge someone for not breastfeeding.  People always said, "Breastfeeding is tough, " and I thought, "People have been breastfeeding since the beginning of time.  How could it be that difficult.  I think you are making it harder than it really is."  Well now I know, it is not always that easy.  

When I chided, "You have to sleep when baby sleeps-" I didn't realize that that may be the only time of day you have to take a shower or just sit.

When I thought to myself, "What exactly do stay-at-home Moms do during the day?  How hard can it be?  I work 80 hours in a week.  It's not that big of a deal-"  Boy was I wrong about this one.  I have definitely learned that it is not that easy.  It is a lot of work and you never get to leave you job, but it can also be very isolating when your only social interaction in a day is your slobbering baby and Matt, Meredith, Al, and Ann.  

When I said, "You just need to get out more.  That will make you feel better-"  whereas it may make you feel better, when you are still recovering from your postpartum hormone craziness, and you haven't the slightest idea about what to do with a baby at the grocery store, it is not that easy.

So again I apologize to anyone I may have casually given parenting tips to when I had no idea what I was talking about.  I understand now why you looked at me with the eyes of a frazzled, beaten down soldier losing the battle.  I apologize for sending you out the door without letting you know that it will be difficult, and that at times that you will want to throw the towel in, but not to give up because you can make it through.   Not that any of my patients' parents will ever read this blog (not that anyone ever reads this blog), but if you are out there, know that I am sorry.  I may still give the same advice, but there will be a lot more empathy behind my words now.  And know that while I have a lot more to learn, I am definitely a better, more understanding pediatrician through my experiences thus far.  If I have learned nothing else, I know that it is not always that easy!

Noah's Favorite Time of Day, Part 2

How long can this sweet little guy scream???  One hour and forty minutes!  Our kitchen sink, microwave, and stove were immaculate by the time he finished.  He slept for about twenty minutes, then woke up screaming again.  However, since then, he has done much better.  I think the longest he has cried has been about 10-15 minutes.  He is still not sleeping very long, but I feel confident that this will improve.  I never thought that our laid-back, happy baby could be so stubborn!

Noah's Favorite Time of Day

What time of day is that, you ask.... Well it is Nap time. 

I started this post over a month ago, but never finished it because he started taking naps (Note Number 3 on Four Months entry) .  Well here I am one month later, sitting on the couch listening to my screaming child.  How did I get here you ask?...Vacation!  We recently went on a two week vacation.  We visited family and went to the beach.  Whereas, I loved the break and it was good to get away and be with family, I am still reaping the consequences.  Since our return, almost two weeks ago, Noah has taken three good naps.  Yes, that's right, three naps in two weeks!  You may say, "You're just not being tough enough," or "You just need to let him cry it out," but before you judge me, hear me out.  I have been putting him in his bed at designated nap times for almost two weeks, and for almost two weeks, he has cried for an hour at each of those times.  After an hour I would rescue him because it was time for a feed.  I took him to the doctor on Monday to have him weighed and mentioned his naps (or lack there of) and was told "You are just going to have to let him cry until he falls asleep."  Great, how long is that?!?!  Well Tuesday I was really dreading naptime, but was resolved to be strong.  I put him down and, low and behold, not a peep.  He slept for an hour and a half.  The afternoon nap was similar- only about eight minutes of crying.  Sweet!  He figured it out!-- Not quite.  Today I laid him down thinking, "No big deal. He's got this."  He was quiet for about ten minutes, and I began to celebrate another victory- maybe a little too soon.  All of a sudden I heard a noise, but it's okay, He's just talking.  Well talking turned into screaming and so here I am.  How long can he go?  To be continued...

It Must be an Acquired Taste

We celebrated a new milestone in the Hughes household last week.  We started cereal!  How did it go?  I will let you be the judge of that...

This is before the first time.  He looks pretty excited, right?  The rest are from the second feeding.  The reaction was about the same as the first, but the pictures were a little more telling the second time around.

Well, maybe he will learn to love it.  At least it gives him a few extra calories.