all rollled into one

I keep thinking that I will write some posts about my tiny daughter. You would think that writing about life and stage and various milestones at least once a month would not be too much to ask. But apparently it is. The last time I posted it was regarding the first 2 months of her life and she was already 4 months old. Now? Now tiny LG is 6 months old, sitting up unassisted- heck even standing up! Clearly I am behind.

So I am facing the facts. I will not do individual posts about the tiny one. I just wont. I would love to, but folks, it is not going to happen. But I would like something on this blog that resembles at least a decent motherly attempt to publicly announce the marvellous ways my daughter is growing and bringing joy into our lives. So here it is. A post for months 3, 4, 5, and 6...all rolled into one :)

3 Months to 4.5 months
Anything after the first 2 months seemed wonderful! Lg was hospital free, and aside from her regularly scheduled shots, she was doctor visit free. 3 months was easy! Lg started sleeping through the night at 9 weeks, so our schedule was typically a few naps throughout the day, usually on the go as we went from E's school to gymnastics to parks etc... The last feeding was right after bath time around 7pm and she would sleep straight through until 8am. Yes, these 5 or 6 weeks were a very easy stage considering what was before (and what was to come after!!)

At 4 months we had a check up and shots and Lg's stats were:
weight: 12.2 (20th percentile)
height: 24.5 in (75th percentile)
Tiny and tall! We figured you could be a super model, a high jumper or a runner. :)

As for exciting milestones, Lg started rolling over this month. And not just the back to front. Oh no, she was rolling in circles all over the place.

This is also the month that Lowri took her first trip/family vacation. We went to Fort Worth, Texas and stayed with some friends from college. To add to firsts, we also hit up Six Flags to mark the first amusement park and IKEA, because who doesn't love IKEA?!

4.5 to 5.5 months
Talk about a change over night!!! Around 4 months or so, I decided that I was tired of breastfeeding. Some people love it, however I hate it am not one of those people. I understand it is best for the baby, etc.. etc... it has just never been the wonderful, intimate moment that others love. So I was done. Lowri, however, had some different ideas. She refused to take a bottle. WE tried 13 different kinds, with every kind of nipple imaginable. We tried breast milk, 3 different kinds of formula and even a mix. She would not have any of it. I tried giving her the bottle, then Rhys, then my mom. Then we tried Rhys and/or my mom but with me out of the house. Heck, we even let Eleri try to give her a bottle. But no, nothing.

I am not sure if it was just a coincidence or not, but that was around the time that Lg decided that she no longer needed to sleep. Not just sleep through the night, but sleep at all. ever. EVER! Life went from easy naps during the day, with no problem going down, and a peaceful, full night to constantly fighting sleep. every single time. I was up and down between 9 and 10 times a night. It was horrendous. I felt like I was losing my mind. Maybe it is selective memory, but it was worse than when she was a newborn. Lowri just wanted to be awake.

We went to the doctor who suggested maybe she wanted more than just milk. She suggested trying some food. Great, I thought, we will try that. That night I noticed she had TWO TEETH!! That's right, 2 teeth, fully through on the bottom. To all the other mothers out there, the behaviour and sleeping might have been indicative of teething. But Eleri got teeth like they were puffy, soft marshmallows just melting in her mouth. I never realised just how easy Eleri was in absolutely every area until I had another child who was not.

Even with the teeth, we decided to try food. Baby rice and porridge, then carrot, peas, green beans, squash and sweet potato. Lowri gobbled it down! The sleeping improved a little, but not much. Now instead of 9 or 10 times it was 4 or 5 times.

As for milestones, aside from food, Lg found her toes. We would often find her happily pulling away at her feet, in and out of her mouth. pretty cute to watch really. Lowri was still rolling all over the place; I couldn't keep her still at all!

There were quite a few firsts this month too. First food, obviously. But first Halloween too. She was a Dalmatian. In fact, we all were. Grandma and Grandpa (rhys' parents) came to visit and it was LG's first time to meet that side. It was also the first time she had a non family member babysitter. Our good friend Neville watched both girls one night when the Williams' were in town so we could all go to Oktoberfest. She slept the whole time so she was unaware of a non family member babysitter, but it happened all the same.

5.5 months to 6
Somewhere a switched flipped and we are back to sleeping! I don't know if it is the food, the fact we gave up trying to get her to take a bottle and have just settled in to the realisation that I will have to keep nursing, or if it is because we have started wrapping her up really warmly at night so she is toasty warm. Or if it something totally unrelated, but whatever the reason it is wonderful!!

Our schedule is fairly predictable. I wake her up around 7.30am and nurse her. She stays awake until around 9 and then falls asleep in the car seat while I take E to school. She transfers from seat to bed easily and will continue to sleep until about 11.30. I nurse her then we play and go get Eleri at 12. Lowri eats food around 12.30 It is usually porridge and fruit. She goes down to sleep around 2 and sleeps until 4. I nurse her around 4 or 4.30. She has food at 5.30 when we are all eating dinner. She usually has vegetables or a fruit and veggie mix. Then it is awake/play time. At 6.30 she gets a bath and then I nurse her and she is asleep by 7.15pm. She will sleep until about 3am. She wakes up, pleasantly, but wants to eat. I feed her for about 15 minutes and she goes back to sleep quickly. And then I wake her about 7.30am the next morning and thus the cycle starts again.

As for milestones, Lowri is sitting up unassisted. It is awesome to see her tiny little self just sitting there, playing. She is also standing up when she has something to hold on to, i.e. couch, table.. She is not moving around, cruising I think it is called, but she is steady and strong on her feet. This is exactly what Eleri did and then she started walking at 10 months. I am wondering if I will have another early walker on my hands!

As for growth, we had Lg's 6 month appointment and she is continuing along the same lines, tiny and tall. She weighs 14 lbs, 5 ozs and is 25.5 inches tall. 10th percentile for weight and 50th for height.

And that brings us to now. six and half months. I can't believe that my youngest is already half a year old. It goes by all too quickly. I should put some pictures in, but that seems like a lot. So this is it for tonight. Pictures to come soon.