Ruth Evelyn is 6 Months Old!

April 6, 2013

6 months... half way through that first year of life. A dear friend (we love you Morgan Mayes!) calls having a new baby a "dance" for Mama, Daddy, baby and any siblings. I love this! My brother-in-law, Scott, who was Josh's best man called marriage a dance and talked at our wedding about how each dance can be unique. I think this is true in welcoming a baby into the family. You have to learn each other's rhythm. Oh how Josh and I love our dance as man and wife - best friends! And OH how we are grateful to be dancing together with Jacob and Ruth Evelyn as parents! It seems to be speeding up with the addition of BB2! We can't believe we are half way through her first year of life!

Here are some "stats" on our little sweetheart:

Age: 6 months old

Weight: about 14 lbs 

(birth weight = 7 lbs; lowest weight 3 days after birth = 6 lbs, 9 oz)

Height: not sure - will see her new doc next week

Favorite things: Daddy (when he comes in and says, in a way only he can, "HEY!" she just beams!), Mama, breastfeeding, BIG BROTHER Jacob (oh how she wants to follow him!!), her new Camelbak, her feet, shiny pretty things (that's my girl!), snuggles with Mama and Daddy in bed, Daddy playing this hand game with her when she's in her high chair, playing in her exersaucer, playing with her toy phone and stacking balls, this frozen apple teether we have, ice in a mesh feeder for teething, her probiotic (seriously is nuts over it), Hyland's teething tablets, MOVING (she loves to be tossed and dance around - she's been a baby who loved motion from day ONE), books (love my little bookworms - thanks to a Mama who LOVED reading and a Grandmother who is queen of children's books!), PEOPLE (she will intently stare at a person who walks in the room and smile, then stare, then smile - silently begging them to look at her and speak or smile! Melts my heart!

Language: She understands the sign for MILK - I sign it and she gets SO excited (this is what we use for breastfeeding), she babbles a lot with us - her favorite sound is "da" as in "da da da da da" - which we love!

Eating: She is now 6 months exclusively breastfed. I'm still dairy/soy free for her - we've tried a few dairy experiements and we always have early symptoms that it is not a good idea, so on we march! After a great doctor in the DFW area did food allergy testing on ME, I'm now also egg/oat/sesame free (highly allergic do these three) and found I am moderately allergic to coconut/coffee beans/corn/blue berries/cranberries - so I'm limiting these as well. It's a family journey and Josh and I are blessed to be on it! We don't plan to introduce solids for a while yet, but we'll see how God leads. We ultimately did baby led weaning (ie - self feeding) with Jacob and plan to start this way with Ruth Evelyn.

Mobility: She "scoots" when on her tummy - she will pull her arms forward and really wants to figure out crawling, but doesn't push up yet. After a few scoots, she'll "plank" and wildly kick her arms and legs - she wants to move fast! She also scoots in a full circle trying to figure out this mobility thing! 

Other Development: She still rolls tummy to back (since 6 weeks) and tries to pull herself to sitting - watching her try I can't help but think what an awesome core she must have! She can "quadrapod" as I call it when sitting up - balance with both hands - but she usually does this for seconds the reaches for something and becomes a weeble wobble and topples right over! 

Sleep/Routine: Today also marks 26 weeks and we've not had much of a "26 week Wonder Week" - one shorter morning nap and a little more day time fussiness when it is near nap time, and she's waking every 2 hours (calculated from the beginning of her feeding) to eat overnight, but we also decided to have her in her crib all night rather than bedsharing starting a week ago (God compelled me to do this and I didn't know why until the following week!)... so she was used to being on the breast from her first night waking for the rest of the night... so I think her night wakings will lengthen on their own. I've been more tired than I have been since Jacob was a baby since I never got up to nurse her until now, but I am in no hurry for her to night wean or drop any feedings! I love breastfeeding - it is one of my favorite things about having a little one - especially all we learned with my 1st nursling about diet, leaky guts, and lip/tongue ties! So, we don't think her 2 hour night wakings are related to her 26 weeks, but they may be so we'll see what the next week or two holds. I tend to stress over sleep - not because I worry about ME losing sleep, but because of what we went through with our sweet firstborn and I want what is best for my kids and I worry about them not getting the rest they need for mental and physical development. Thanks to a great devotional from my sister-in-law, Beryl, and a wonderfully encouraging Mother, Father, sisters, and husband, I've been seeking peace and trust in the Lord for providing what these little people need as I merely steward their lives.

Right now, she wakes about 7am - 7:30am, we nurse, change diaper, play play play, nurse again, then do her naptime routine around 9am (sound machine on, lights off except lamp, diaper, sleep sack, nurse, book, pray, lamp off, nurse, lay in Rock 'N Play sleeper, then she snuggles her lovey and goes to sleep). She sleeps usually around 2 hours - sometimes 1 hr 45 minutes, sometimes 2 1/2 hours.

She wakes between 11:30am and 12pm, then we all have lunch, play some more, then around 1pm she is either worn or in her exersaucer while I get Jacob down for his nap. Then by 1:30pm, we do her nap routine again and she sleeps about 1.5 hours for her 2nd nap. 

Depending on how long her morning nap is, we sometimes try a 3rd "bridge" nap, but this rarely happens. She gets 3 to 3 1/2 hours of day time sleep right now and has since a few weeks old when she started more of a nap routine (except during her 19 week Wonder Week!) so I don't stress over the illusive "3rd nap" of the day.

We then play and nurse a lot, including our daily walk to check the mail at our community mailboxes, until Daddy comes home and we have our favorite - family dinner! 

Bed time is 6:30pm. She gets a bath once or twice a week at 6:15pm. Then, we do bed time routine (similar to nap) and lay her in her crib with her mobile she loves and her lovey - usually takes her about 30 minutes to talk and play and then fall asleep! From then, she wakes about every 2 hours to nurse and goes right back down. 

Mama is tired but I love our routine and how often she nurses. It keeps me stopping throughout busy days with managing a house and guiding/loving a toddler! And, as her Daddy says, she is a "quick study" and so adaptable and just a really rhythmic girl who dances well in our family!

Here's our girl!!

I chose her 6 month photoshoot dress in honor of my twin sister, Virginia, who is an accomplished runner. Ruth Evelyn is wearing this orange flower that Aunt Rup (Virginia) made. She has been training HARD, harder than she ever has possibly, for her upcoming Boston Marathon (her 2nd) and beyond! We love you Aunt Rup - you are a STRONG woman!!

Here's the story of the orange flower: FELLOW FLOWERS

Virginia, Ruth Evelyn and I all have an orange flower! and I have a blue one Virginia made too!

And all about the marathon in Michigan: MICHIGAN MARATHON AND FELLOW FLOWERS

Love her little tongue while she plays!

Our Ruth Evelyn doll from our dear friend, Alaina.

She suddenly was like "I need Mama's milk and snuggles!" So we took a break! 

OK - Now I'm ready!

Beautiful ballerina girl!

LOVE these ballerina tights/tutu set from Josh's cousins in Austin!

"Thank heaven for little girls" - butterfly bib from Grandmother before Ruth Evelyn was born!

My DARLING little lady!

This is little Virginia Ruth Parish Beard!

I just see my sister in her so often!

Josh and I LOVE when she plays with her feet!

Telling us a story!

Thoughtful darling.

More story!

love this phone from our TN cousins!

Mama - I'm so sleepy!

And off we went for a nap!

Ruth Evelyn at 6 months and her big brother Jacob at 6 months. 

Thank you God for the blessing of being a parent and investing in these precious lives!

~ Mama Bruffey ~

Daughter of God, Wife of One, Mother of Two