Sunday, February 3, 2013

Evan is 5 months old!!

5 months old

14 lbs. 7 oz.

27"

Well, this past month has been full of ups and downs!  I'll start with a positive thing - Evan started solids and after figuring out just how he prefers his purees, he really enjoys the sweet potatoes and carrots that he's tried so far!  It wasn't a smooth start though, that's for sure.  We decided to start solids the week that he was fighting off a cold that had been lingering for over a week.  We tried a carrot puree, with no formula or cereal mixed in.  That's how we started with Sean and it worked, so that was all we were familiar with.  He gagged, fussed, and arched his back after spitting out what little we gave him.  After two days of this, I was frustrated.  



I guess we can't really blame him!  It turns out that a day later, he was diagnosed with RSV/Bronchiolitus.  Considering one of the characteristics of that illness is having a difficult time breathing, it would sure explain him not enjoying the newness of eating purees.   By the weekend, he had spiked a fever and despite our efforts to avoid the hospital by doing breathing treatments at home, he was sent to the ER Saturday morning and was then admitted for the next 48 hours.  We were very lucky that he didn't have it as bad as Sean did the year before, but still, it was very difficult seeing a 4 month old with an IV and oxygen tubes.  He was a champ with everything they had to do for him and the nurses were sad to see him leave since he was their best behaved patient.




After he was released on Monday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we kept him home the rest of the week and he was back to his normal self by the end of the week!  So, back to solids.  This time we tried just Organic Brown Rice Cereal with some of his formula and within 3 days of that, he was loving the eating experience.  I was then able to start mixing in a cube of his sweet potatoes I made with some rice cereal and formula.  A success!  I couldn't get more on the spoon to feed to him quick enough.  He's had a few days of carrots too!  This week, we'll try broccoli and peas that I'll make for him.  And then it will be time to introduce some fruits.

Other noteworthy things this month would include his ability to sit upright with little to no support for short periods of time.  Even with the Boppy pillow behind him, he still chooses to sit up forward enough to where he doesn't need the support of it.  He loves to play with this Fisher Price car toy that my parents got him for Christmas.  



He rolls all the time now!  We put him on his back and he's off to his tummy in no time!  He can roll in either direction to get to his tummy.  Sometimes he's able to roll from his tummy on to his back, but other times he struggles and fusses until we come to the rescue.  In fact, he now prefers to sleep on his side or his tummy during the night.  His teachers at daycare try to flip him back on his back during naps, but they always find him back on his tummy.  I guess he's strong enough to be okay on his tummy!







Lastly, he's sleeping really well!!! ::Knocks on wood::  Since he's been feeling better he's given us nights where he sleeps from 7:30pm-6:30am when we would be getting him up for daycare anyway.  And on other nights, he'll only get up once sometimes as late as 5:30am!  I'm very happy with these new sleeping habits and I hope they're going to stick around.

Stats:
  • Size 2 diaper still.
  • 6 month clothes and some 6-9 months already!  He's skinny, but long!
  • Eats every 3-4 hours.  His bottle size varies, but they've been as big as 6 oz. since he's been feeling better.
  • Eats solids at dinner time.  1 cube usually.
  • Wakes once a night to eat or not at all!
  • Still getting a bath every night.
Favorites:
  • Being tickled!
  • Sophie the Giraffe.
  • Singing Patty-cake and other cutesy songs.
  • Rolling on to his tummy.
  • The Jumperoo!
  • Making funny faces or mimicking faces made at him.
  • Drooling!
  • His Fisher Price car game.
  • Watching what Sean is doing.
  • Swatting his hands excitedly!
We're very happy that Evan is feeling back to normal and that he has been able to continue to stay on track with his growing and milestones despite his health setbacks this month.  We've really been blessed with a laid-back, happy-go-lucky baby boy who loves his big brother!










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