Slugger 6.5 months (3.5 months corrected)

Slugger
Age: 6 months 3 weeks old
corrected age: 3 months 2.5 weeks
Height: 24.5" long
Weight: 13 lb 10 oz at last weigh-in
Milestones:
-rolling from back to side and hanging out there
-talking and making noises with mouth closed
-listening to herself talk
-drooling and I swear I hear her spitting sometimes
-sleeping for 9-11 hours at night
-enjoys tummy time for at least 5 minutes now
-sucking on her fingers
-taking her daytime naps in her crib

I can't believe it's been half a year since that life-changing day at the end of July. We have to start planning for her first birthday already!!!! Because she has passed the 6 month mark, we have finished a brunt of her doctor's appointments. She had her last RSV shot followed by the flu shot and her 6 month vaccinations. Poor thing, 6 needle pokes in 2 days. She didn't know what was coming. She loves talking to people and she was laughing and cooing at the nurse holding the needle. How do you tell a baby what's coming? =( But, with flu season over, no more RSV shots until next year (she should still be qualified to receive them).

We had a follow up swallow test to see if she's become more coordinated with eating. She has to drink a barium solution while they X-ray her throat and watch it on this little TV.

[Pic below: the X-ray machine. Slugger and I sit in that chair while I fed her the barium solution in the dark and the machine runs. The doctors and Scott are behind a glass partition watching it on the X-ray video]

[Photo below: Family pic after the X-ray swallow test. I'm wearing the apron shield. Thanks to reading blogs and reading about another family going through a swallow test...I thought to ask this time for a shield to put around Casey's waist during the X-ray]
She showed some progress. She swallowed the thickened solution well but when we transitioned to an unthickened solution, she started coughing immediately. No more swallow test. We're going to keep thickening her milk until she's at least 6 months corrected. So another 3 months.

[Photo Below: sporting a cute onesie her Auntie Nalani brought from the Big Island]

[Photo below: I love her expression. I think she was telling me something at the time]

She's starting to sleep a lot more now. I hope it's just a sign of a growth spurt. Since she was born with tiny heart defect, fatigue is a warning sign. That's real hard to watch in babies who sleep all the time. We were feeding here every 3-4 hours during the day and 4-5 at night. But about two weeks ago, I forgot to set my alarm and woke up at 6 in the morning to find that Slugger was still sleeping away. She went 8 hours between meals!!! The next night, instead of waking her up, I let her wake up when she wanted and it was 8 hours again!!! Since then, she's been averaging 9-11 hours at night. It's AMAZING!!! I feel like a whole new person. It literally seemed to just happen overnight.

I skimmed one parenting book but really didn't do much research into the popular methods. I got the gist of the three phases

Phase E= Eat

Phase P= Active Play time

Phase S= Sleep Time

which I've been doing for a month already. Basically feeding her when she wakes up from her nap. But Slugger really fell into a schedule all on her own.

8 am Wake up and Eat Meal #1

Read a book, practice sitting in bumble chair, talk story during active time

9:15-9:30 am Nap

11:30-12 Meal #2

She amuses herself pretty much during active time

1:30 pm Nap

3:30 pm Meal #3

Tummy time and physical therapy exercise (stretching and rolling practice)

7:00 pm Meal #4

9:00-11:00 pm Meal #5 Bedtime Meal

Notice I don't put down nap times for the last half of the day. That's because she's inconsistent in the afternoon and at night. Sometimes she sleeps for hours and sometimes she stays up to her next meal. It also means that her bedtime meal just depends on how tired she is.

I always said I would move her into her nursery at 3 months (corrected) but somehow when she hit 3 months, I was overcome with amnesia. I can't remember any reasons why I would ever want to do that. I love having her sleep in her cosleeper right by my side. What a beautiful sight whenever I open my eyes. So, we're transitioning her for our own sake. We put a sheet on her crib mattress and set up a video baby monitor that we got as a hand-me-down from my sister (LOVE IT)...and she takes her day time naps in her nursery.

She's conditioned to know it's naptime whenever she's in her crib. But, our dog, Charlie, certainly loves to choose a spot right outside her window whenever he howls at any sirens. And there's always sirens somewhere in Kaneohe multiple times a day. Sheesh.

[Photo below: I have the video feed right on my desk where I do all my work. I love the view. I'm so spoiled. I can't imagine not having the video aspect. And I can even see her chest rising and falling while she breathes. Reassuring to the power of ten]

Finally just some pics of her in her bumbo chair, tummy time, and taking a nap with daddy-o.

[Photo Below: She loves tummy time much better with this Tiny Love tummy time mat she got for Christmas from Uncle John-John]