Sweet Child of Mine: Hatcher is 6 Months Old! :)

WOW!! Half a year has already passed since our sweet boy was born! It's crazy how much he's grown & all the things he's learned to do in just six short months! The old saying is true..."they grow like weeds!"

Hatcher had his 6 month check-up today (3/26) and he weighs 18 lbs 12 ozs (75th percentile) and is 26 inches long (50th percentile). Dr. Smith said he is very healthy & growing wonderfully! He said he does have some eczema but it's probably from the cold, windy weather we're experiencing. He said sometimes babies with sensitive skin suffer from it more so it was nothing to be concerned about but to just keep him moisturized well.

Hatcher has done so well with eating solids once a day for the past month & a half so we're now ready to move him to twice a day. He's eating the following foods: pears, prunes, peas, sweet potatoes, bananas, squash, zucchini, carrots, apples, avacados and peaches. Up until today, we've been mixing his fruit with oatmeal cereal. However, Hatcher has been experiencing some issues with constipation & I couldn't put my finger on what was causing it. Our doctor told me to take the oatmeal away and just to feed him strictly fruits & veggies. He said some babies get constipated on cereal & they don't really need it so to just to go with straight fruits & veggies. Sounds like a plan to me & I hope it'll make his tummy feel lots better! :)

Hatch is doing so many new things & we're having the best time watching him grow! He loves for me to make a big pallet in his room & to put lots of toys all around him. He'll roll all over the place playing with different toys & on Saturday 3/23 he started showing some signs of crawling! He can pull his legs underneath & scoot to get to the toys he wants to play with. He's talking more & more & starting to make some sounds that are like syllables. Of course his daddy & I are constantly saying "mama" & "dada." Haha!! He still loves to bounce & I think he'd stay in there for hours if we'd let him. He's becoming less of a fan of his car seat which can make car rides really fun sometimes! Two weeks ago he stayed in the nursery at church for the first time & he seems to really like it. He loves being around other small children! I know some of you are saying you just started leaving him in the nursery?!?! And the answer is yes...I just hesitated leaving him because of flu season & because I have a hard time letting go! I'm a softy!!

Hatch now has his two bottom front teeth & they're so cute!! But...they're very sharp & can literally tear your skin. Dr. Smith said today his top gum was very swollen & he was starting to see at least one more getting ready to push through. Teething is NOT FUN!! It has really affected Hatcher's sleep & I'm ready for all of us to get some rest! He did say though that I have to toughen up & stop rocking or holding him until he falls asleep. He feels like that's also part of his sleeping issue. I know I have to just suck it up & let him cry it out for a few days until he gets the hang of it & in the end it'll be better for all of us when we can just lay him down & let him fall asleep. WE CAN DO THIS!!!

After six months of breast feeding, I think we're going to start weaning him slowly over the next few weeks. I'm having a hard time with this decision but I think it's time for a few reasons. (1) Hatcher has teeth now & he likes to bite & that hurts mommy! (2) He's become very distracted when eating & would rather look all around & often I don't feel like he's getting enough to eat. I know this can be a part of teething but when I pump & give him a bottle he does much better. (3) This mommy feels like she is ready to wean because pumping isn't easy for me & for some reason I just don't get as much milk as I used too so when we have to leave him with his grand parents when we have something to do I totally stress out about ensuring he has plenty of milk to drink. I think it'll be easier on all of us to wean him to formula & I'm just praying the transition will happen easily & that it won't cause him any additional tummy issues. I know it sounds selfish that I'm ready to wean him for me too but while I have thoroughly enjoyed breast feeding it is hard work & I'm super proud of myself for doing it for 6 months!!

Below are some recent pictures of our sweet baby boy! Such a happy boy!!