Sunday, March 3, 2013

Happy Five Months, Sophia!

The months are just racing by. It surprises me every time it is time to write an update on Sophia!



Sleep

Wouldn't you know it, the day before she turned five months old she completely turned a corner. Throughout the past month we were slowly seeing improvements as she began to heal. She sleeps best if we keep her awake for longer stretches of time, preferably out and about.

Sophia starts her day at 6:30 and stays up for 1 to 1 and a half hours and then sleep for 1 or 1 and a half hour. It's not quite a 3 hour schedule like I'd want, but we go with it. Her naps are ruled by the 45 minute intruder but we are trying to remain consistent and get past it.

Nighttime was still rough though. She went down for the night at 7 and then would wake at 10, 1, 3, 5, and then start her day at 7. It was rough.  The day before she turned 5 months she dropped all but the 1 (it is now a 2 am) feeding. Yay for progress.

Food

She still nurses all day. At 4 and a half months we started her on a plain rice cereal, to help with reflux issues. Sometimes I make it more watery and use a medicine syringe to squirt it straight into her mouth. She needs the cereal (in my opinion,) but her tongue thrust reflux is getting in the way of her eating correctly off of a spoon. Any day now and I'm sure it will get better.

Still no bottle. Boo. I've tried 5 different bottles and 3 different formulas when she wouldn't take my frozen milk. Still nothing. She is a little calmer and will chew the bottle without screaming too much, so she usually swallows about an ounce in the process, but that is it.

Activity

So much has changed this month. We unswaddled Sophia in early February! It was a long two days but it really wasn't that bad. And, just like with Grace, when the process is over it makes putting her down so much easier! I'm very Pro swaddling and I think most babies need to be swaddled longer than the parents have the patience for. But it is SO nice to just be able to lay your baby down and walk away, without having to wrestle them into a blanket!

After Sophia's diagnosis of Silent Reflux at the beginning of the month, we saw drastic improvements with her medicine but we also kept her bed elevated and had her sitting upright for at least an hour after feeding. This meant, for about 2 weeks that she didn't get any chance to lay down or sit upright on her own while awake

When she seemed to stabilize a bit we started laying her down or sitting her in her bumbo and she is starting to learn how to roll over and sit up on her own.

Miscellaneous
*Sophia loves her Sophie the Giraffe toy and will squeak and chatter to it all day long!
*She loves to be diaperless and is most happy during diaper change time
*Everyone tells me she is so tiny, but she is bigger than Grace was at this point!
*I think she would love to sleep with a little blankie or lovie but I am not comfortable with any loose bedding being in the crib yet! Maybe in a couple of months.
*Most people say that they can tell S and G are related but that Sophia takes after me while Grace takes after Ian.
*She would rather be around people then off by herself!

Stats from her 4 month appointment
Weight- 11 pounds 3 ounces
Height- 24 inches
Clothes- 0-3 months (yes, still!)
Diapers- Size 2


Dear Sophia,
Wow, so much has changed for you this month! You are like a whole other baby! I love to turn you around to face me and get a huge grin and an ear splitting shriek of happiness. You made us a family and I love you for that. It hasn't been easy and I know things won't always be smooth sailing in the future, but I praise your Creator for blessing us with a life when there was once only His idea of you. I hope you know how much you are loved and treasured.

Love,
Your Momma


3 comments:

Emily Powell said...

what bottles have you tried. Georgia hated the Medela bottles! And, for some reason a lot of bottles don't come with slow flow nipples. Make sure the ones you have are slow flow...Georgia used to drown!

Cara said...

Oh how precious. PingTL with you for such a great report!

Tami said...

I definitely see you in Sophia! Especially in the pictures you posted in the post after this one!