Six Months

Everyone said that when #2 turns 6 months, your life with two children gets easier. And lately? That has been true. Maybe it is because we are all older, wiser. Maybe it is because you can finally nail down a good schedule and routine at this age. Maybe it is because we have adjusted somewhat to life with two children and Andrew has adjusted to life with a little brother. At any rate, I am finding that while life with two children is not easy, I am learning how to do it. How to manage two schedules, two personalities. How to meet the needs of two children. How to get two children.....out the door!

But this post isn't about how I have learned to cope with two children. It is about #2!! Baby Ben!!

I was a little worried that I wasn't going to have much to write about for his big six month update. Honestly not much had changed since the five month.

And then I decided to try something last week. Let's see if Ben (did you notice?) could sit up. I sat him up. Took my hands off of his back. And? That stinker sat up for a minute straight! He was so proud of himself. Although no telling how long he has been strong enough to try this and his mama just neglected to practice with him! Well, now we practice everyday. And he has improved so much in one week. He sits up all the time now and loves the new vantage point.

And crawling is on the horizon. He can push his chest off the ground with his arms. And is thisclose to getting his knees under him. He tries so hard to crawl, especially when I tell Andrew to "Crawl around Baby Ben to show him how to do it". Ben smiles at his big brother and gets those legs to kicking.

He is still settling into a good nap/sleep routine. Most days he takes two,1-1.5 hour naps and just started sleeping 12 hours at night! Mama is so thankful for any extra sleep. For me.

We had to stop all solids for a short period due to a severe allergic reaction where Ben's entire body broke out in an angry red rash. After determining it wasn't a reaction to food, but rather the record-setting pollen count was to blame, we slowly started adding solids back to his diet. And then he became slighly constipated. After googling "constipation, solid foods, nursing" I found out that all the foods I had been feeding Ben could cause constipation! Poor thing. Until my google search,I had only been giving him rice cereal, applesauce, and bananas. So we switched to pears and oatmeal for a few days. And he feels much better, thankfully. I have made some of my own baby food, but have been slow to do it with the allergy and constipation situations.

And I am not sure how long we will be on the baby food because I think he would eat steak if I gave it to him! We still get the stink eye when we eat real table food in front of him. Even if he is also eating his baby food! He has actually cried when I have held him in one arm and eaten something with the other hand. Real tears over the fact that I wouldn't give him my toast!

Such a stinker! But a cute stinker:

He is still a very easy-going baby. Blowing raspberries and smiling and drooling. And he LOVES his big brother!