Oliver’s 6 month update: Teething + Jet lag

Catch up on previous updates:

Oliver’s birth story | Month 1+2 | Month 3 | Month 4 | Month 5

Daniel captured this special picture of us at his sister’s place outside Pietermaritzburg in SA.

At 6 months, Oliver has already flown over 17,000 miles to South Africa and back.

We recently took a month long trip to South Africa and I feel like we brought home a totally different baby. Isn’t it amazing what they can learn to do in a month? One day he was face-planting while trying to sit up and not having a good time at all, but the next day he was holding himself up beautifully and was super proud of what he had learned!

Sleep

Day: Oliver takes 4 naps a day. He is finally able to sleep more than 30 minutes at a time which has helped me catch up on some house work. His naps are anywhere from 1-2 hours with longer and shorter ones on the odd occasion.
Night: Oliver goes to bed between 9-9:30pm and wakes up between 6-8am. Sometimes he stirs during the night but will go back down by himself or after a few pats on the bum. He slept pretty well on the plane in the bassinet but jet lag was rough for us once we were in SA. Oliver was up in the middle of the night/early morning for about 1½ hours before going back to bed. He’s never been awake and wanting to play in the night since he was born, so I was not prepared for that. We did cross seven timezones so it was understandable for him to need some time to adjust. It took him about 6 days before he slept through the night again like normal. How have you/your children handled jet lag?

Oliver sleeping at our cousin’s wedding while we waited for the bride and groom to get back from taking photos.

We just took that mattress everywhere we went and Oliver slept so well! Note the blankets to support him when he rolls off.

Feeding

Day: Since we have been back, Oliver has been feeding every 3 hours almost to the minute, but for most of month 5-6 he fed every 2-2½ hours.
Night: For the first five days in SA Oliver fed once in the night, but quickly started sleeping through again as normal.

I pretty much learned to breastfeed anywhere and everywhere. Here in my swimsuit by the pool was probably my favorite spot. On another note – my left toes always flex like that when I’m feeding!

Milestones

He can sit by himself!
Makes repetitive sounds like “ooooo” “bahbah” “nana” “dada”
We don’t have to walk and “shush” him to sleep anymore. He can fall asleep with us just singing and patting his bum. One step closer to him falling asleep totally on his own!
More complex movements with his hands and fingers.
Can reach for something on his left with his right hand (and vice versa).
Recognizes our sign language signs for “bath” and “milk”

Sitting by himself for the first time in Bergview, SA. Ps- We took that spatula (Oliver’s favorite toy) to SA and forgot it there, but have no fear, I have a blue one back here in USA.

Bath times are still his favorite. All the splashing!

Fun Tid Bits

Oliver loves crunching up paper and eating it. He also enjoys the tags on blankets, stuffed animals and toys. He loves chewing on cardboard cup warmers, glass and tissues.
We haven’t started solids with him yet but he has enjoyed some tastes of cucumber, potatoes, watermelon and avocado.
I want to cut his hair but Daniel won’t let me.
Oliver seems very content now that he can sit. He is able to entertain himself on his little rug with his toys. He “calls” me when he falls over and wants to get back up again.
Everyone on the plane thought he was a girl. He does have long hair and eyelashes 😉
He had his first swim and play in the sand pit over in South Africa. He even went underwater for a second.
He started teething (the top two) while we were in SA and he had a rough two or three days altogether. We even gave him some meds one evening as he was inconsolable. We had already tried the teething necklace, teething toys, ice and rubbing his gums (which he did not like). The top two have actually popped out at 6½ months but are taking there time to really come out properly. He did not have a problem with the bottom two but I guess these ones are bigger and more uncomfortable. Poor guy, I can’t imagine how sore the pain is! Luckily we forget!
He is 70th percentile for length and 50th percentile for weight. He is growing out of all his onesies again. Any good consignment sales happening soon?
He can’t roll over from his back to his tummy yet.
Oliver snakes his way off his mattress in the mornings when he wakes up and then rolls from his tummy onto his back. We often catch him on the floor when we hear him stir and go in to check on him.

Waking up from a nap at Aunty Kirsty’s house in SA. I’m not sure if that Amber Teething Necklace even works?

Oliver’s second time in the pool at the Drakensburg Sun resort in SA.

Mama

I am doing so well. I am really growing into my role as a mom and I am loving it. Breastfeeding is going well and I am able to enjoy a cup of tea and get some of my “to-dos” done now that Oliver is sleeping a little longer. I am doing yoga and walking regularly and have felt better in my body this month. Whenever I leave Oliver at the gym childcare or our Church’s nursery (like I did for the first time on Sunday) I feel so excited to work out or listen to the sermon, but I also feel like something is missing and I keep wondering how he is doing. I feel like mothers can never win because you want the space away from your kids for a healthy break, but then you worry about them and feel guilty for leaving them. I’m sure it gets easier with time as do most things.