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| Jimmy, age 4 months. |
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| My sweet boy. |
The first few months of Jimmy's life were pretty rough on me, as I struggled with my role as a mom of two, while battling postpartum depression/anxiety. But now, I feel like I've finally found my groove, and I'm in a very sweet spot with my kiddos. While Jimmy isn't as great of a sleeper as his big sister was (and she still is) at his age, he's finally getting the hang of sleeping 12 straight hours at night. Well, he's getting there. For the past few months, Jimmy would go to bed at 7 p.m., after downing a 7-8 oz bottle of breast milk or formula, and wake up like clockwork at 3 a.m. to eat. He'd go right back to sleep and wake up again around 7 a.m. (often earlier). At his 6-month check-up, Jimmy's pediatrician was concerned about Jimmy's weight-gain, as it was declining (he hadn't started solids yet), and he was only in the 20th percentile. She said that Jimmy was waking up at night because he was hungry. He's been eating 2-3 meals a day (fruits, veggies, oatmeal cereal, quinoa, yogurt, etc.) for the last couple weeks, along with a 6 oz bottle after each meal, and has really started to fill out. While he was still waking up at 3 a.m., he'd only drink about 2 oz., and then go back to bed. We started cutting out the 3 a.m. feeding entirely, and giving him his paci ("wah") instead. Surprisingly, it's worked! Jimmy now eats dinner around 5 p.m., has a bath, plays a bit, drinks a 7-8 oz. bottle before he falls asleep around 7 p.m. Now, if we could only get him to forget about waking up to say "hello" at 3 a.m.
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| Papa Saigh reading to the kiddos. |
Jimmy was exclusively breastfed via pumping for the first five months. I had saved a good amount of milk in the freezer, and could keep up with his feedings by pumping just 3 times a day from 3-6 months. Pumping is incredibly time-consuming, and while it is a labor of love, it was really affecting my stress-level, patience, and parenting. But, for some reason, I REALLY struggled with completely quitting pumping. At 5 months, I went down to pumping 2 times a day, and then to just pumping in the morning. Although I wanted the ease of switching Jimmy to formula, I was apprehensive about it. I think it's because I made it a year giving Linna only breast milk (she never had formula), and part of me felt guilty about not making it that long with Jimmy. However, switching to formula was one of the best decisions I've ever made. While formula is expensive, it is SO convenient! I also didn't have to buy formula for an entire month, because I requested samples from companies, and my pediatrician's office. Jimmy's pediatrician told me that all formula is basically the same, so we weren't set on a certain brand. Every time I went in for one of the kids' appointments, I'd ask the nurse if they had any formula samples on hand. I seriously made it over a month before I had to buy formula!
(6-month-old Jimmy is excited about swinging at the park!)
(6-month-old Jimmy cracking himself up.)
Jimmy is the most expressive little guy. Whether he's excited, happy, worried, or just interested in what's happening around him, his eyes are always wide open, and he doesn't want to miss a thing. You can't help but laugh and melt when Jimmy smiles, because he smiles with his whole face. He loves when people talk to him, and he will smile at just about anyone. Jimmy is such a sweet and happy baby, except when he's tired or hungry. He gets so excited when we say "water" or "milk", but then cries until you stick a bottle in his mouth. Our high-maintenance little man prefers to be fed in his bedroom, with the sound machine on, lights low, while being rocked. He falls asleep on his back in his crib with his two "lovies" up against his cheeks. He slept in our bed or in his bassinet, up until he was about 4 or 5 months old.
(Jimmy's first food at 5 months - Avocado.)
(Jimmy at 4 months old.)
(4-month-old conversations.)
Bath time is one of Jimmy's favorite parts of the day. He's a super messy eater, so I put him in the tub almost every night after his dinner. His little legs and arms start going crazy as soon as he hears me turn the water on. It's so cute! Hopefully, Jimmy will be a water baby just like his big sister Linna. Speaking of Linna, Jimmy is completely infatuated with his big sister. His entire face lights up when he hears her voice. I had to move the kids' car seats closer together, so Linna was in Jimmy's eyesight at all times. While Linna does get jealous of her baby brother sometimes, she is such a loving big sister. A few weeks ago, Linna was watching the Rugrats Movie, and there's a scene where Tommy (the older brother) starts yelling hurtful words at his baby brother after he becomes frustrated with him. The baby starts to tear up watching his big brother's anger toward him, and when Tommy sees this, he realizes how much he really loves his baby brother. Linna started sobbing during this part of the movie. She's such a sensitive little bean when it comes to her baby brother.
(Jimmy's pout. Quite the expression for a 3-month-old baby!)
(This happened ALL the time before I moved their car seats closer together. Jimmy
is 3 months, and Linna is 4 years old in this video.)
Unlike his big sister Linna, Jimmy has become a little petri dish for every virus he comes in contact with. Linna and Jimmy go to the childcare center at my gym (I rarely took Linna to places like this when she was little), and Jimmy has already been on antibiotics twice. At least he's building a strong immune system. He still hasn't had any teeth pop through, but we can see the white nubs under his gums. Jimmy started sitting up on his own at about 6 months old, and loves to roll around to get his hands on things. He is already picking up puffs and cheerios with his hands and putting them in his mouth.
Jimmy has also had two haircuts in his first five months of life. This kid has an incredible head of hair, and people are constantly commenting on it when we're out in public. He's started to sit up in the grocery cart too, so he draws a lot of attention when we're out shopping.
Our baby boy has been an incredible joy in our lives, and is the perfect addition to our little family. I am so excited to watch him and his sister grow up together! Look at how much Jimmy has changed in just 6 months...
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