Ava Marie's 6-month Update

Here's a look at Ava's growth as of her well-baby appointment this morning.

Weight 18lb 10oz (birth 8lb 2oz) - 92nd percentile
Height 28 1/4 inches 99th! percentile and grown 7 1/2 inches since birth. Her doctor says she's as tall as a typical 10-month old.
Her head is now a 44cm circumference (from 36 cm at birth) - great brain growth

Exclusively breastfed! Woot! No supply issues, we're smooth sailing and I'm still donating to the milk bank and two local moms. Ava prefers nursing and takes just enough from the bottle at daycare.

Active teething...Bottom gums are swollen and you can see a bit of white under the gums for the two front teeth. I use a homeopathic teething gel sometimes, but she's fine with teething rings and chomping down on her fingers, too.

Finally rolled over yesterday! Ava is been rolling around from her back to her side for months, but never completely over. She wasn't a fan of Tummy Time, but she finally figured it out yesterday at daycare and now she's been doing it at home. She starts out like in this picture above, then lays her head down, goes to her side position that she loves then finally falls to her back. It's really funny because she was on the verge for so long.

Starting to sit on her own. Daycare is really helping here. She's naturally pulling herself up from laying down to pull herself on her elbows. Ava is starting to sit up on her own. I put the Boppy pillow behind her to catch her while I took the picture this morning.

My growing baby. Even though Baby Ava is growing and has a strong appetite, she prefers to eat frequently (every 2-3 hrs or more at night). At daycare she still takes on average about 3oz in each bottle every couple hours. Ava's daycare is great about following her hunger signs. Ava is now busting out of her 6-month clothing size and very comfortable in her 9-month sleepers. We need to get a new carseat for her because her infant seat is getting too short and her shoulders barely fit. She's definitely too heavy to tote around in that carseat. I carry her in the sling a lot when we're out and about because it's comfortable for both of us and she gets to see up high.

Ava is very helpful when we're dressing/undressing. She pulls her head up when you're pulling her shirt off and she pulls her arms through the sleeves now. I've noticed that she pulls her legs up when I'm changing her diaper.

Introduction to food and sippy cup! In the past couple weeks, Ava has been very interested in what we're eating at meals by grabbing for the food on our plates. Aaron let her suck on an orange slice, which she loved! I made her mashed sweet potatoes and let her taste it from my finger, which she gave a disgusted look. Same with the dab of avocado. We'll keep trying. I stocked up on baby spoons, containers, and her first sippy cup. I've heard from other moms that you'll know when your baby is ready to have food from the family table because they reach for it. And yep, that's what is happening with Ava. Today she was grabbing for my water glass. I gave her a taste and LOVED it and kept reaching for it. I pulled out her sippy cup with a bit of water and she had fun holding the cup and trying to drink the water. I'm letting Ava guide the process.

This weekend, we're going to work on solids with a spoon. I'll either try egg yolk (for iron) or mashed fresh banana. I'll thin both of them out with breastmilk for a familiar flavor. I got pears in my produce box so I plan to cook and store them for her in the freezer.

Ava loves her grandparents. Here are a couple pictures from Labor Day weekend when we were up at the Lake. Ava had fun playing with her grandparents. Her Grandpa sang to her in this picture on our last morning and I recorded a voice memo on my phone so I can play it for her. And they watched her while Aaron and I went out for the afternoon with our friends, Dave and Lauren, who were visiting us at the Lake from Chicago. Grandma sent me this picture of her holding Ava when they were playing at home while we were eating lunch!

Puking, no fun! I've been worried about Ava because she's been throwing up. But the doctor assured me today that with her current growth, she's doing just fine. When Ava gets a cold she throws up from the congestion. Sometimes its a lot, but other times it's just a little. Aaron and I are getting really good at running to the sink so we can clean her up easily. We had a huge one at the Lake on Labor Day weekend, but it worked out because I just gave her a bath in the tub with the jets! We both sat together in the tub and she loved the Jacuzzi jets. It was very relaxing for both of us.

Nighttime routine: I have our nighttime routine down pat. We slow down at night at about 8pm and by about 9pm we read a story and she nurses for the last time before bed. Ava is good about sleeping through about 7 hrs and then she wakes up to nurse, then right back to sleep. I know she's hungry because I she nurses very efficiently then falls asleep. I LOVE that cosleeper bed next to me. I get much more sleep this way.

We're taking Ava to the Irish Fest downtown tomorrow afternoon. We took her to the Greek Fest with friends last weekend and she loved the music. It will be a fun family afternoon!