Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Claire is 6 months!


Our Claire Lucille is 6 months old! I didn't realize it until the 20th, one day late. I was actually at her well child visit this morning wondering why her appointment was before 6 months. Poor second child! Or poor mom with the "mom brain"? I'll let you decide. 

Our girl weighs in at 18 pounds and 4 oz (89%) and measures 25.25 inches long (32%).  


Health wise, she's making much improvement! Her digestion issues are cleared up and her skin, while still suffering a bit, is better than it was. Her liver enzymes are still a little high, but they are going down to almost normal. She'll get tested again in a week or two and hopefully all will be well! We did have an episode of GI upset after I ate some hummus- it could have been the chickpeas (related to peanuts) or sesame (a common allergen.) The incident seemed to be only related to that though. I'm now starting to introducing things to my diet that I've eliminated that she did not test allergic to. I tried some wheat through eating some fresh bread. She seemed to do okay. I found myself to do well while off of it though, and there is a lot of research showing better thyroid function when off of wheat so I am choosing to stay off of wheat most of the time. It is nice to know that I can occasionally have something like fresh bread or a pie made with regular flour if I want to though. I tried something with soy today and I'm not sure how she will do, but I felt awful after eating it, so I will probably choose to really limit my soy intake from now on even if she does okay. That's all I have to report on that end! We are waiting to introduce foods directly to Claire until I also try eggs. 


This is Claire's Auvi-Q, it is similar to an EpiPen in that it injects epinephrine, but is a different brand and style. It's scary to hold this, but we now carry it with us everywhere, making sure anyone we leave her with knows how to use it. We are taking careful precautions at home to make sure Claire stays safe. Kate is in the habit of washing her face and hands after eating. We are not eating any peanuts or nuts around her and we are extra careful about wiping things down and washing our hands. I say this just to say that if you are around us, please be mindful of her allergies to dairy, nuts, and coconut. Please don't kiss her or snuggle her if you've recently eaten those things, and please use clean hands to hold her! :) And please don't be offended if I ask you about it, I'm just scared of what could happen, and I'm trying to be careful!! 


On to happier things... oh she's a joy! She loves her bath time and can kick some big splashes! She also enjoys her saucer that she can bounce in. She loves to move around! She also likes to sit in her Boppy chair. She is holding on to some of her toys more and chews on whatever she can. She enjoys looking at books, listening to us talk and sing to her, and yes, I'll admit, Daniel Tiger. 



Her clock is one of her favorite toys. The musical chime it plays usually calms her down if she's fussy. I love it!! 


We hit a couple of milestones this month! The first being that she is now rolling over! Both ways... and over and over again all over the place. It's so funny to watch her. She is also consistently sleeping in her crib at night from about 7:30-7. The morning time can vary a bit. She usually wakes up 2 or 3 times to nurse,  but she goes back to sleep. Woo hoo for being on the same schedule as Big Sis! We are not on a consistent nap routine yet, but we are transitioning to napping in the crib. Big changes over here, y'all! She sleeps so much differently than Kate. We could lay Kate down and she stayed in the same spot all night- she still does! Claire is rolling all over the place in that crib, but usually settles on her stomach. Whatever works, right? We took the bumpers out of the crib just to be safe. 


First Valentine's Day is in the books for Claire! Blake has always gotten Kate a rose on Valentine's Day and he is continuing the tradition with Claire. She had fun looking at it and it's been on our table all week so she looks at it during meal times- which brings me to another milestone. She is now sitting in her high chair with us (most of the time) during meals. She isn't eating, but she plays. So fun to all be together! 


She is a happy thing, full of sweet smiles for us. Of course she has her moments, like any baby her age would, but she is really pretty content. She loves her sister so much, and is always interested to see what she's doing. She loves being held and snuggled but she also needs/enjoys time to be on her own to kick and move around. 


It's hard to believe it's only been 6 months with this girl. It just feels like she's always been with me. At the same time I wonder, how in the world she's growing up so fast. This time around I'm not rushing any of it. "Take your time reaching all those milestones, sweet one, I'm in no hurry." I feel a unique bond with her. I think it's because when I'm tired with my older girl I usually have this one grinning at me. It's like she's saying, "You got this, momma, I know you can do it."
And to be honest, sometimes it feels like she's saying, "Hee Hee, Sissy is being naughty and I'm being good." Ha! Mostly when I look at her though, I feel like I'm looking into an old soul, a little one, wise beyond her years. I'm so excited to see her personality develop. I pray that as her momma, I am her teacher, her trainer,  her friend,  her confidant, and her cheerleader 
all throughout her precious life. 


"Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works." 
Hebrews 10:24