It’s both hard to believe and beyond remarkable that our little Gemma is 6 months old today. I had high hopes of documenting her growth with monthly updates, but here we are 6 months in and already 6 months behind. So perhaps I’ll make these posts biannual, with occasional new baby schedule or favorite product posts in between.
New This Month
We Started Daycare
This month Gemma began daycare. Enrolling her in a daycare facility was not a decision we made hastily; in fact my husband and I have been discussing childcare arrangements long before we even became pregnant. After Gemma was born, I struggled with the idea of staying home with her 100% of the time, and we thought long and hard about hiring a part time nanny vs. finding a daycare. She began attending a daycare facility the first week of January. She attends just two days a week, and it has been an incredibly positive transition for our entire family. For starters, Gemma seems to love going to ‘school’ as we call it. She gets the biggest smile on her face when she sees her friends and teachers, and she’s been happy every single afternoon when I arrive to pick her up.
Gemma Can Sit
As of this month, Gemma is officially a sitter! She still only rolls back to belly, and is no where near crawling, but Gemma can sit unassisted and does so very well. So long as she’s on a carpeted surface, I’ll let her sit by herself for as long as she remains happy. I’ll even run from room to room quickly, she’s that sturdy! She loves to sit in front of her B. Zany Zoo (Wooden Activity Cube) and spin the alphabet blocks, and she also thoroughly enjoys sitting in front of a mirror!
We’ve Introduced Real Solids
In addition to formula and purees, this month we introduced more and more solid foods. Favorites include sweet potato fries, waffles, pancakes, roasted vegetables, toast and peanut butter, greek yogurt, and cucumbers… come to think of it, the only food she has tried and not enjoyed is still peas.
Florida Vacation
A highlight was our trip to Florida. Gemma took her 3rd vacation as we escaped to Sarasota for a long weekend with my husband’s family. She was pretty much perfect while flying, and in Florida she experienced the beach and the ocean for the first time! We had great weather which allowed for time at the beach, walks outside and al fresco meals, and even a visit to see tigers, lions, monkeys, and zebras at a local zoo.
First Sickness
On the not so happy side of things, Gemma had her first bout of sickness this month. After just 2 days of daycare, she woke up the next day with a head cold. People warned me about daycare germs, and reminded me that started daycare in the middle of flu season would only make things worse. Well, they were all right. But it’s not enough to outweigh all the positives we’ve seen. So she’s had a head cold for over a month. In between there she had an ear infection. We treated that successfully with antibiotics, and now she has a nasty cough. In all likelihood she probably has RSV, but until we notice high temperatures or even remotely labored breathing, we’re just sticking it out best we can.
Two Nap Schedule
Gemma transitioned herself to two naps a day, right around the time she turned 6 months old. I had been refreshing myself on two nap schedules and had planned to try this transition somewhere between 6-8 months, but she did it for me. After a few days in a row of taking only 2 naps, I made a few tweaks to our schedule and am now doing my best to help encourage this schedule daily. Some days (like day care days) she still needs a 3rd catnap, but that’s fine by me.
6 Month Schedule
7-7:30 get Gemma out of crib
7:30 first bottle (8oz)
9:30 nap
11:30 second bottle (8oz)
1:00 nap
3:30 third bottle (8oz)
6:30 last bottle (8oz)
6:45-7:15 in crib for night
If you want to read more about this new schedule, check out this post on our 6 month old, 2 nap a day schedule.
If you’d like to hear anything else about life with a 6 month old, our transition to daycare, our journey into solids, or our 6 month old, 2 nap schedule, use the comments below to ask away!