Baker :: Six Months Old

S I X  M O N T H S  O L D.

Half a year. Someone hold me, please. I say this every month but I'm not quite sure how we got here so quickly. He was just born, right?! Time is a thief, I tell you.

We had a relatively low key month around here which was kind of nice. You know, no major heart surgeries to contend with or anything like that! January felt like the longest month in history but I'll blame that on the cold dreary weather. Winter is such a drag after the holidays! We live for the semi-warm days when we can get out of the house to get some fresh air for a few minutes. I like to take the kids on walks whenever I can and we were luckily able to sneak a few in this month.

Our Baker Man is doing amazingly well at 6 months old! He managed to stay healthy while Leighton and I battled head colds two weeks ago and I'm so thankful he didn't get it. He is wearing 6 months clothes, weighs 15 pounds and is 24.5 inches long. He was finally able to get his 4-month vaccines a few weeks ago so his 6-month well check will be delayed a bit. We should be back on track by the time he needs his 9 month well visit.

One of my favorite things this month was the start of his weekly baby class at a local infant development center. He goes every Wednesday afternoon and gets to play with other babies his age while they all work on gross motor skills and learning things we can do to help further his development. He also gets a private 30-minute physical therapy session and he's continuing to work on learning how to roll over both ways and sitting up. One of his goals is to also start extending those arms when he's on his tummy and applying some weight through his arms and wrists.

He also gets some music therapy every week during his group class and once a month he gets to go swimming for some aquatic therapy! He LOVED the pool last week, it was so fun to see the little babes kicking and playing in the water.

I'm so thankful we can take advantage of a center like this that offers these types of services. All of these little skills that he's working so hard to master came so easily to the girls. I didn't even think twice about what it takes for a little baby to lift their head or reach for a toy or engage the muscles needed to sit up - they just did it. Baker's therapists have been so great at explaining how his low muscle tone affects his ability to do some of those things but also gives us so much hope that he will meet all of those milestones eventually.

I've spent a lot of time this month thinking about Down syndrome and comparing Baker to the girls. Something that I know I shouldn't be doing but those thoughts creep in once in a while! Both girls were rolling over and sitting independently at 6 months (Gracyn here and Leighton here!) and I was getting a little bummed out that Baker isn't doing those things quite yet. It's so silly because he's gone though SO MUCH these first few months of life, things that are way bigger than rolling over or sitting up, so I just have to remind myself that it's all good. He has some ground to make up for after his extended sleepy newborn stage (the first 4 months of life!) and that broken heart but he's definitely moving in the right direction. He's going to do things in his own time and it'll all work out perfectly for Baker.

And, after working so hard on those milestones, we make sure to celebrate every single one! Homeboy giggled for the first time this month and I legit started crying. It was the best! He of course hasn't really done it since but we know it's there!

Baker is still predominately nursing every 3-4 hours during the day. When he gets a bottle he's taking 4-5 ounces. He's usually in bed by 7:30 or 8 pm and will get up somewhere between 1-3 am to eat. Luckily he gets a snack and gets back down relatively quickly so I can't complain. We're still having issues with getting Leighton to sleep through the night so we're no where near getting decent sleep but I'm thankful the baby isn't waking more often than once or twice a night.

He also tried bananas for the first time the other day and did so well! I was so excited to see how he did with real food. He doesn't necessarily watch us while eating or grab for our food but I wanted to start solids so he could get used to different textures and flavors. Kiddos with Down syndrome can have oral aversions so we were ready to get started. I think he'll really catch on after a few more meals - he'd open for the spoon and had no issues using his tongue to taste and swallow which are all good things! Sweet potatoes are next!

Baker also starts daycare this month! Mama isn't too excited about that one but we've been going back and forth with my work about me transitioning back into the office a few days a week so I'm hopeful our new schedule works for everyone. The girls started daycare at the beginning of January and go Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Baker will join them on Tuesdays/Thursdays starting tomorrow! I'm hoping to keep this schedule until Gracyn starts kindergarten in August and then we can reevaluate at that time.

I'm hoping Baker really benefits from interacting with his teachers all day long and getting to play with other kids his age. I'll be counting down the minutes until I can get home to him and his sissies for some extra snuggles.

Oh, Baker! Six months old is such a big deal! You're growing so quickly and I love watching you learn and take in your surroundings. You light up when you see your sisters - Leighton in particular - and always flash a smile for me and daddy. You rarely fuss and like to be held so you can look around. I'll miss you on those stinking daycare days but I know you'll rock it. We're so proud of you and couldn't imagine a world without you in it.

Happy 6 months, sweet boy!