In less than a week Maxwell will be 6 months old! It's mind boggling how fast the time is flying by...and how much I am enjoying being home with him. I will never regret taking this time off and already dread having to go back to work in September.
Yesterday M had his 6 month check up and he is a thriving healthy boy! Like his mommy, he is at the top of the growth chart for height and weight (27.25" and 19.16lbs)!!! Not bad for a 5lb premie that arrived 6 weeks early. I hate to say it but as a boy I hope he won't have the self image issues I grew up with as the biggest girl in my class. I was proportional and a healthy weight for my height but that messes with your head when you are 5'5" in 4th grade and feel like a giant among your tiny classmates.
Sometimes it's hard to remember he was a premie and is on the later end of the developmental milestones, yet still doing things you would expect for his age, when he looks so much older. He is almost bigger than my friend's 10 month old daughter...she is on the move while M is just getting the hang of rolling over and sitting up on his own. I'm certainly in no hurry to see him grow up (the time is going too fast as it is). I just have to remember not to compare.
Maxwell is healthy, happy and thriving and I couldn't be happier! Breastfeeding is going well (with a few painful ups and downs...umm can someone tell me why M decides biting is a great idea during growth spurts and forgets how to latch!?! Ouch!) Our next adventure is venturing into the world of food. His pediatrician gave us the ok to start cereal, which I have mixed feelings about (low nutritional value, arsenic levels found in rice) but the dr said I can try any grain and the store bought cereals are iron fortified so not completely devoid of nutrition. She also said that it is really just a way to thicken up my breast milk (she recommends using breast milk to moisten the cereal) to give him a chance to get used to eating and swallowing thicker food. She also said if he hates it then try purées thinned with breast milk instead. It makes sense I guess...any words of advice from moms already having fun with food?
We, like most people, started our rainbow on rice cereal moistened with breast milk. Our ped said that using breast milk would help him eat it better since it tasted familiar. What we found out, though, is that he LOVED oatmeal. Once we made the switch from rice to oatmeal he couldn't get enough. Also, when we moved on to adding fruits, we would moisten the oatmeal with pureed fruits, too. Some days he'd have triple fruit oatmeal (apples, blueberries and strawberries). Good luck with introducing solids :)
ReplyDeleteB's never had rice cereal, only oatmeal as well. It's fortified just like rice, mild in flavor, and something he will actually eat as he gets older-- I love oatmeal still! Whatever you decide will be fine. The truth is, these babies won't remember and they WILL be fed and grow. He's already growing so well, mama! Do whatever comes natural to you and your family chooses as best for your lifestyle. Can't wait to see cute pictures of him chowing down!
ReplyDelete