Ally is now 6 months old and I have to say this past month was very eventful.  I think that’s what usually happens in October, at least for this family.  Things will continue to be busy around the Hank household as we move towards all the holidays.  6 months has to be one of my favorite ages because our schedule has finally become more consistent and Ally has so much personality at this age.  Sometimes her personality is cranky but most of the time she is a happy girl who loves being held and checking out the world.  I love watching the world through her curious eyes.  These are the moments that I love about being a parent because it brings so much joy to your life.

Sleeping/Feeding

I am still breastfeeding Allyson and we have been pretty consistent at giving her a bottle in the evening (usually by me).  However, it hasn’t really proven to transition well to others feeding her.  Matt gets home so late that he pretty much has time to say ‘good night’ to her so I can’t expect him to feed her so therefore I’m kind of stuck being the only one to feed her.  I know she will eat if she is starving but this little one is stubborn and she certainly loves her mama.  Which I have to admit I love every bit of it but it’s not the best for her since eventually I won’t have the convenience of being the only one who can feed her (especially at daycare, when I’m working).  I’m sure when I go back to work we’ll all have our transition period but I think she’ll be fine in the end.  We started food a week before Ally turned 6 months because I just couldn’t hold out any longer (November 3^rd).  Actually Bode was the first one to feed her oatmeal and this girl ate all of it.  She was more hesitant on day two to eat it again but its more about her tasting and then we can move on to other foods to make sure she doesn’t have any allergies.  So far we have only tasted Oatmeal and carrots and so far so good!  I have plans to do sweet potatoes, pumpkin, broccoli, squash, and avocado this next month.  She is now eating every 3 hours which is great because I can have her on more of a schedule than when it was every 2-3 hours.  Plus now that we have introduced food it’s nice to know that I am not her only food source.  So maybe I can venture out on errands by myself without always needing to have Ally-girl by my side.

Girls need their beauty sleep right?  Well this little girl certainly loves to sleep but she also likes to fight it too.  I find her crying herself to sleep less often but she still does it once in a while.  However, I know these tears are tired tears and don’t last more than a few minutes.  At naptime she has been getting a little spoiled since I find she only sleeps for less than an hour in her own bed, I tried one day to lay her down in my bed and sure enough she slept for 2.5 hours.  So therefore, I have been giving in and putting her in my bed for her long nap so that I can get some stuff done around the house.  Also this month Ally is now officially a tummy sleeper.  We finally moved the crib into her room because Bode got a twin bed for his birthday.  I honestly didn’t think it could fit into that tiny little nursery but it did and now we don’t have to suffer through the two kids sharing a room.  One day we will be forced to move out into a bigger home because this place just won’t be big enough for our family.

Miscellaneous

We had a well check visit this month and everything looks good.  Sadly Ally had to get 3 shots and 1 oral vaccination and she took it like a champ.  She weighs in at 14lbs or 12^th percentile for weight and 26 inches which is at 50^th percentile for height.  But baby girl has another ear infection which means we are back on amoxicillin (now both kids are on it since Bode is too, it’s his first time with an ear infection).  We go back again at 9 months for another well visit but this cold/flu season has already been a rough one for us so I’m sure we’ll be back sometime before 9 months (February).

We finally have teeth!  She got her bottom two teeth just about a week ago, the first one on October 28th and the second shortly after on November 7th.  And the good thing is now I kind of have an understanding of what her ‘teething’ symptoms are.  Bode’s were much different than Ally’s so I think its important to understand the signs before teeth come in so you know if your baby is sick or just getting some new chompers.  Her teething symptoms are: irregular sleep and crankiness, mild fever, Red cheeks, and diarrhea.

This month we also had a handful of ‘firsts’ including:

• First Halloween, Ally dressed up as a mouse
• First trip to Lombardi’s pumpkin patch
• First trip to Disneyland for Bode’s 3^rd birthday
• First time in the big girl seat in the stroller which is fun because she can see more things on our walks and she loves being outdoors
• First time in the jumper for some exercise and she loves it

Funny Moments

Diaper size – size 2

Clothing size – 3-6 month clothes

Nicknames – Al, Ally, Squish, Ally-Boo, Ally-Bear

6-Month Hair color – brown

6-Month eye color –blue

6-Month Weight – 14lb

6-Month Height – 26 inches

What’s up with Bode?

Bode is now three-years old and so far I love three so much more than two.  His communication skills have improved tremendously and I’m sure that has a lot to do with Preschool.  We recently found out he wasn’t talking much in school so I was concerned that it would inhibit him from learning and taking in his new surroundings.  Bode and I had a lot of talks at home about how important it was to talk to his teachers and after a few weeks he finally started talking.  It was funny to hear their reactions because they didn’t expect it but sure enough I think it just took him a minute to warm up to everyone.

My mom helped me host Bode’s 3^rd birthday party at a local gymnastics place and we invited all of Bode’s friends.  We plan to sign him up for gymnastics classes soon since we aren’t currently participating in any extracurricular activities.