-Although I won't have length and head circumference measurements until Jackson's six month checkup in a few weeks, we were at the doctor yesterday for a sick visit and he weighed 18 lbs 1.2 oz!
-Jackson is now in size 3 diapers. I've been double diapering him at night with a size 4 diaper over his size 3 due to frequent leaky diapers. Thankfully, it has helped! Clothing wise, his 6 month outfits are quickly becoming too small! I've been incorporating a few 6-9 month and 9 month outfits over the last two weeks. Makes this mama sad!
-Jackson is drinking four 6 1/2 ounce bottles with 3 teaspoons of rice cereal during the day and then a 7 ounce bottle with 5 teaspoons of cereal at bedtime (still on Alimentum). Boy loves to eat! His feeding schedule has pretty much stayed the same with bottles at 4:00 am, 8:00 am, 12:00 pm, 4:00 pm, and 8:00 pm. Right after he turned 4 months old, we started feeding him baby food with his cereal for dinner. We started with veggies (green beans, peas, squash, and sweet potatoes) and then moved to fruits (peaches, pears, apples, and bananas). So far, the only one he has hated and refuses to eat is peas! He now eats a 1/2 jar of a veggie before his noon bottle and a 1/2 jar of a veggie, 1/2 jar of a fruit, and 1 tablespoon of rice cereal for dinner. Like I said, this boy loves to eat! His sleeping has gotten much better over the past month. Some nights, he still wakes up during the night, but we have been able to get him back to sleep much easier. He has fallen into a pretty regular nap routine with two naps a day (one in the morning and a longer one in the afternoon).
-Jackson's been having lots of issues with his ears, which prompted our sick visit yesterday. The doctor has kindly informed me that Jackson has "awful ears." She explained that she has never seen them completely cleared and is positive she will be referring us to an ENT for tubes in his near future. She said they typically like to wait until babies are close to a year old, but she doesn't feel like we will be able to wait that long with Jackson. She prescribed him Zyrtec yesterday to be taken daily in hopes this will clear some of his allergy-related congestion/drainage, which in turn will hopefully clear up some of the fluid in his ears as well. She is hoping this will hold him over until he is 8 or 9 months old, at which point we will further discuss tubes. Oddly enough, despite the occasional fussiness, you would never know by Jackson's behavior that his ears are bothering him! Our only signs that he is having problems are a fever, disinterest in eating, or problems with his sleeping. I'm praying the Zyrtec will help some!
-As I mentioned before, Jackson has grown and changed so much over the last month and a half...it amazes Eric and I! It is incredible to watch him all of the sudden be able to do something new! Over the last two months, Jackson has mastered rolling over (in both directions) and sitting up. He isn't able to go from laying down to sitting up on his own, but if we put him down sitting up, he can stay that way with no assistance! When laying on his stomach, he has started using his feet to push himself forward in attempts to get somewhere (particularly when he is after a toy). He's also started pulling his knees under him and pushing up on his arms, but so far, he hasn't figured out how to move. We've noticed a tiny corner of a tooth peeking through, accompanied by excessive drooling and chewing on anything and everything! He has turned into such a happy baby! The only times he really cries are when he is hungry or tired. He loves to play, especially with his mom and dad. He's had fun exploring all the new toys he got for Christmas. Jackson "talks" constantly. He particularly loves saying "dadadada"...the little traitor! :)
-Likes: Bath time is still one of Jackson's favorites! He now sits up in the bath and has started playing with his bath toys. He particularly loves to slap the water with his hands! He also still loves jumping. Santa brought him a doorway jumper for Christmas and he spends lots of time going back and forth between that and his jumperoo. Most of all, Jackson loves to play with Eric and I. He smiles, laughs, and watches everything we do. It is beyond precious!
Dislikes: With frequent drainage and congestion, we are still having to use an aspirator almost daily. Jackson despises anything touching his nose. He's even started getting mad when I pull a shirt over his face if it touches his nose. :) Hopefully the Zyrtec will clear up some of his drainage so we can put the aspirator away!
I'm so looking forward to watching Jackson continue to learn and develop and can't wait to see what the next six months hold!!
