Vincent's 6 Month Update!

Height/Weight: According to our home scale and measuring tape, Vincent weighs 17.8 lbs and is still about 26 inches long! It's difficult to measure his length at home, so I'll update with a more accurate length after his 6 month checkup on the 10th!

Update 9/10/14: weight: 17lbs 5oz, length: 25.8 in and head circumference: 45.1cm
Doc said he is a little on the short side (29 percentile), but it is nothing to worry about, since he is gaining weight. 

Daily: We've still got the same daily routine as we did last month: wake up and have a feeding, then have tummy time, while I have breakfast and drink a cup of coffee. (Or two...or thirteen...lol) Vincent also enjoys sitting on his floor mat, while we play peek-a-boo or with his toys. When not on the play mat, we continue to rotate between the bouncy seat, jumparoo and high chair and I put him in his swing in our bedroom when I fold laundry. He has gotten a lot better at keeping himself entertained, which allows me to get a lot more done around the house! I've started pretty strictly putting him down for a nap every two hours during the day, which has been working out pretty well! In the evenings, around the time Mike gets home, Vincent either spends time with him or sits in his high chair in the kitchen while I cook dinner. He seems to enjoy watching me cook! During dinner, we all sit together at the table and Vince feeds himself baby food. :) After dinner, he sits in his high chair in the kitchen while I do dishes, which is another thing he enjoys! I name everything I wash in English while I wash it, then in German when I rinse it. His favorite is when I say "BIIIG PLATE!" After dishes, I give him a bath in the sink (although I admit I don't bathe him every single night), then take him into the bedroom to begin his night routine.

New amber teething necklace

Just like Daddy!

Hanging out with cousin Connor :)

Sleep: His bedtime is still between 8 and 9. After he has a bath, I begin the same night time routine that we've done for months now: lotion, diaper, pajamas and reading, followed by his last feeding, during which he usually falls asleep. I've also started taking him around the room after feeding, to say "goodnight" to everything in the room, so all his stuffed animals and finally Mike. :)
His sleep was really, really terrible for over a month and it finally started to get better a couple of weeks ago. He still wakes up a couple of times during the night, but goes right back to sleep. Towards the beginning of the month, I purchased a Zipadee-Zip, which is basically a Woombie with arms. It has been working great! It allows him to roll on his tummy safely, all while preventing him from rubbing his face and scratching himself. (He manages to scratch himself even immediately after I cut his nails!) He is still able to remove his pacifier, but is now able to put it back in. 

As I mentioned above, I've been strictly putting him down for naps every two hours, to prevent him from becoming overtired. It blows my mind how good, solid naps help him sleep better at night! You'd think if I kept him up all day, he'd sleep better at night, but actually, it's the opposite. If he has good naps, he has a better night. 

Eating: Eating has been a little strange this past month. He just doesn't seem all that hungry! I try to feed him and he gets distracted easily, trying to grab my face and the things around us, arching his back...the list goes on. I try to feed him every 2-3 hours, but sometimes, he just doesn't want to eat. I've noticed that when he does nurse, he drinks more milk in one sitting, which could be why he seems to want to nurse less often. I've read that this is part of a wonder week and he should go back to eating normally soon, so that could be it as well. The thing that worries me, is my supply dropping a bit, or so it seems at least. So I try to pump a couple of times a day, just to keep it up.
At night, I started giving Vincent a bottle of breast milk with a little bit of oatmeal in it, which I think is part of the reason he is sleeping better at night. 
In the evening, Vince eats a solids "popsicle", just like the breast milk ones I was making last month. We've found that he doesn't like to be spoon-fed at all! He prefers to feed himself and he likes the food frozen! It cracks me up! I've given him bits of chopped up or mushed food in his mesh feeder as well; so far avocado, zucchini and bananas. I'd like to purchase a little blender to start making my own baby food! I think it would be a lot of fun, so we will look into that in the next couple of weeks. 

Trying peas for the first time

Enjoying a carrot popsicle

Sizes: Vincent wears 6 and 6-9 month clothing now. I occasionally put him in 3-6 month clothing, if it's a larger fit, but not often. I was surprised to find that he fits in 6 month pants really well, since for quite a while, he wore smaller pants than he did shirts or onesies. His little shoes don't fit at all anymore!! :( They were newborn size, so I'm fully aware he'd grow out of them quickly, but it makes me sad! I'll be purchasing a larger pair soon and paint them. He is still in size 3 diapers and I can imagine he will be for at least another month - they still fit him just fine and we don't have blowouts very often. 

Milestones and Changes:

• Vince can say: "Mama", "Dada", "Nana" and "Lala"! Usually longer though "Mamamama" or "Dadadada". He also makes the "th" sound and I've heard a "ga" here or there. I swear I hear him make a new sound every week! He has become very vocal. He also likes to yell, squeal and gasp. He will coo and gasp several times in a row when he gets really excited - it's quite entertaining!
• Vincent went swimming for the first time on the 24th! He really liked being in the water and he was for quite a while, too! It was such a fun day and I look forward to taking him again before summer is over! 

Sucking in his gut! Hahaha

• He can now sit up unassisted for 5-10 minutes! He has got pretty good balance and can look around and play with his toys without tipping over. Occasionally he will tip and I will gently push him back upright so he doesn't fall. He also sits up in his bouncy seat now!

• Vincent rode in the "big boy" part of his stroller for the first time! He liked being able to see more things, but disliked not having me in sight the whole time.

• He has tried several new foods: carrots, peas, sweet potatoes, mango, avocado and zucchini!
• To add a quick chalkboard blooper: he LOVES pulling on things, including my hair and glasses!

• Vincent nursed in the mei-tai carrier for the first time! It was a bit difficult and he latched in the wrong spot a couple times (OW!), but it worked! :D

• He likes to stick his tongue out a LOT, which why the chalkboard photo is a little different this month. Every other photo, he was sticking out his tongue and looking at the ceiling! xD

I can hardly believe I gave birth to this little sir half a year ago! It's so incredible how time flies! The difference between his newborn and 6 month photos is so extreme - he looks like a completely different baby!