Nicole Lay: Audrey's Six Month Update

I am so excited to post Audrey's 6 month update! When I had Audrey I knew I wanted to document as much as possible and I have been sending my family an update via email every two months. This is so much easier and such a great point of reference! I will be doing an update every month until Audrey is a year old and then every few months after that.

Weight: 16 pounds 0 ounces
Height: 25.5 inches

Head Circumference: 16.2 inches

Well Check/ Dr. Appointment: Audrey had her 6 month check up today and the doctor said she is growing perfectly! She had her first "cold" this month. She spiked a fever about two weeks ago and it ranged from 101-103 for about 3 days. We had our first trip to urgent care since it happened over the weekend (of course) and it turned out to be a slight cold with nasal congestion only. We gave her tylenol a couple of times when her fever got above 102 and used saline and a bulb syringe to clear her nose. It cleared on it's own within a few days and she was perfectly fine. I am really happy that we didn't have to give her any antibiotics!

Nicknames: Cheekies, Audrey-kins, Nugget, Snuggies, Baby (how original, huh?) Felicia also calls her "Nakie baby" before and after her bath when she is undressed.

Teething: She finally has a tooth coming in! You can see the very top of it poking through her gums. It is her bottom right tooth.

Clothing: Still in some 6 month sizes and all 9 month sizes too.

Diapers: She is wearing size 3 diapers for the past month and I think she will be in this size for a while. We switched from Up & Up (Target Brand) to Honest Co. diapers when she grew into size 3 (around 5 months) because I started having leaks with Up & Up. I really liked Target diapers but she would still have an occasional leak when she was in Size 1 and 2. I am happy to write that we have had no leaks with the Honest Co diapers! Also, the designs are so cute! I've posted some pics below.

Eating (Breastmilk): I am still breastfeeding and it's going great! I pretty much let her nurse whenever she wants. Generally, she nurses for about an hour in the morning, afternoon, and evening. She also wakes up to nurse around 4 every morning and then she will fall right back asleep until about 7:30.

Eating (Solids): We gave her solids for the first time when she was 4.5 months old. She was definitely ready! She was starting to reach for food and drinks whenever they were anywhere near her. The first food we gave her was organic brown rice cereal (Happy Bellies brand) mixed with breastmilk. Slowly we gave her more foods. Now she eats a large variety of foods- peas, sweet potato, butternut squash, banana, mango, spinach, apples, pear, peach, grapes, blueberries, strawberries, prunes, carrot, and avocado. Her favorites are bananas, mango, sweet potato and peas but she really likes everything. I try to puree most of her food myself. I puree the bananas, mangoes, avocado, and blueberries myself. The other foods are mostly a combination of either Ella's Kitchen, Plum, Peter Rabbit, or Sprout brand baby food. She really loves eating and it makes me really happy to feed her good food and to know that she is breastfed. It makes me feel very proud!

Sleeping (Night): She sleeps anywhere from 9-10 hours a night. She wakes up around 4am and I nurse her and she falls right back asleep within 15 minutes. She is still sleeping in our room and it really works for us, for now. I will probably transition her to her room when she is around 8 months old - just in time to make the next baby! Just kidding haha!

Sleeping (Naps): She generally naps twice a day for about 1.5 - 2 hours. We are on the go a lot some days so she will cat nap here and there on those days.

Social: Audrey is a very social baby! She loves meeting new people and will warm up very easily to most. She loves to smile and enjoys attention. She does make it really clear when she feels like she is not getting enough attention or when she just wants to be with me. This baby can scream! She sounds a lot like a pterodactyl, no joke.

Likes: Eating real food and playing airplane with the spoon, bathtime and lotion massages before bed every night, tummy time with big sister and brother, playing "super baby" with Mom, looking at herself in the mirror, playing peek-a-boo with Daddy and swimming in the pool.

Dislikes: She still really does not care for car rides and being in her carseat, especially around 6-7pm which makes going out in the evenings stressful for us. I am hoping Audrey grows out of the "witching hour" soon.

New this Month: She sat up for the first time two weeks ago and also rolled over from back to tummy and tummy to back earlier this month. She can also move her body 90 degrees during tummy time. She is already trying to pull her knees up so I think she will be crawling soon.

Fun things we did: Audrey stayed with Aunt Chris and Uncle Frank while Sam and I had our first post Audrey date (and she did great)! We visited the beach club with Aunt Jen, Uncle Eric and cousins Matt, Jake, and Andrew and also went swimming in the pool for the first time at Grandma's house!

Mama: I feel great! Audrey already has separation anxiety so she does not like to be away from me and while I am happy and proud that we have bonded so closely, it can be frustrating at times. I know it won't last long so I try to enjoy it as much as I can!

Daddy: Sam was recovering from back surgery this month. While it was difficult for him and for me since he was unable to bend over or lift anything over 10 pounds, including Audrey, it has been nice having him home from work for the past couple of weeks. He will go back to work next monday and we will most certainly miss him. He has bonded with Audrey even more! When it comes to playtime, it is pretty easy to see who Audrey prefers now.

Siblings: Jack and Felicia are amazing with Audrey! They are so sweet to her and she loves them so much. If it weren't for them I wouldn't be able to get even half as much done and Audrey wouldn't be nearly as happy. Felicia loves to get Audrey undressed while I run her bath every night and she helps me bathe her. It's really a huge help!

Looking forward to: Big cousin Andrew's 4th Birthday party, big sister Felicia's 11th birthday, having Jack and Felicia home all day to play during the summer and Aunt Chris and Uncle Frank coming home from their New York trip!

Ready for the beach!

Audrey sitting up by herself for the first time

She loves mangoes...

..and smiling!

Felicia is such a good big sister!

This adorable outfit was from Aunt Cathie. It is one of my favorites!

She loves sticking her tongue out now

Big smiles for the camera

This is another favorite outfit of mine. I love rompers on babies!

This picture shows the true color of her hair. It is a strawberry blondish color in the sun. Her ends are still dark like they were when she was born and her eyes are a blend of colors, blue, green and grey.