6 months

Here we are, past the 6 month mark and even though we have both good and bad days, most of the days are good. And even with the REALLY bad nights we had a few weeks ago, the nights aren't really THAT bad. Yes we are still getting up multiple times, but for the most part I have adjusted, and I wake up most mornings before Kieran (I don't always get up) and I am not persuading him to go back to sleep when he's up for the day.

Even if I do have a long and tiring night he always wakes up happy and always has a huge smile on his face. Even if it seems like he only slept for an hour or two, somehow he's rested and he is very excited to start his day.

As you saw in the previous post laughing is happening daily and it makes all of us laugh. Who can resist a laughing baby?

I really am lucky to have such a happy smiley baby. Even when he gives us the sourpuss face it only lasts a few minutes and the smiles are back.

We love our Irish boy!

Just hanging out in his froggy bathrobe.

Practicing sitting, still need to work on it.

First time in the Moby facing frontward

Always lots of smiles!

and he definitely LOVES his toys, or anything he can put into his mouth

Kieran isn't always willing to snuggle up and sleep like he did when he was a baby. Every once in awhile we still get a Kodak moment like this.

Weekends are always fun with the boys. They get to hang out in bed and do what they both enjoy the most. Checking the news and their e-mail.

The weekend before Saint Patrick's Day there was a Shamrock the Block party up in Richmond. We had gone years before and thought because of the nice weather it would be fun to take Kieran. It was definitely nice to be outside and the music was fun. Unfortunately I think every smoker in Virginia was in attendance, and I spent a good portion of the afternoon moving around trying to keep both myself and Kieran away from all the smoke.

Nap time in the Ergo

Luckily for the Ergo Kieran was able to take a nice long nap even with the loud music.

Kieran loves hanging out in the Moby facing forward, that way he can see what's going on.

We love this smiley boy!

Kieran loves hanging out with his buddy Rose the Cow.



We absolutely love this hat my sister Stacy bought Kieran. It's definitely a favorite accessory for most outfits, even if we're hanging out inside.

Kieran had his 6 month appointment last week. Yes he's over 6 months, but his doctor was on vacation so we had to wait an extra week. We have decided to wait one more month to start food. I was thinking we would start after this appointment since he's now 6 months, but the doctor thinks it's best to wait until his adjusted age is 6 months. No problem with us. That means he's striving on breast milk and that makes me happy!

Waiting in the Dr. office chair before his appointment.

The doctor told us to start out slow with a little rice cereal and slowly introduce the vegetables and fruits. I had read before to possibly skip rice cereal but her thought is that rice cereal is bland and basically "tasteless" therefore it lets Kieran practice eating without too much over stimulation of new tastes. That makes sense to me. We were told we could start the rice cereal before the 7.5 month mark (when his age would be adjusted at 6 months) but to wait on everything else. I still think we're going to wait a little bit. Probably until he turns 7 months. Everything I read says wait wait wait, don't rush food. The more you rush food the higher chance of allergies developing and obesity. Plus breast milk is most important until the baby turns one. Once you start introducing food you have to be cautious that the volume of milk doesn't go down. This should definitely be a fun and new activity for Kieran. He definitely seems interested in food based on how he watches us eat. Let's see if it's as exciting to him as he thinks it will be.

He had to get three shots, and no he didn't take them any better this time, he really despises shots, who can blame them. Ask my mom, I used to scream and scream even as an older child, but I guess at least I screamed, poor Kieran just holds his breath. The good news, no shots for 3 months now, instead of 2 months.

6 month stats for Kieran (this is over a week after his 6 month birthday)
Weight:
14 lb. 12 oz 5.55%

Height:
24.5" 1.26%

Head Circumference:
16.5" 6.65%

Things we need to work on are more tummy time. He can hold his head up like a champ but unfortunately he still isn't rolling consistently, (although since his appointment he's gotten much better, probably from the extra tummy time) and he's not doing "baby pushups." I think we need to get him in the weight room and strengthen those arms! The doctor recommended 10 minutes of tummy time 3 times a day. Easier said than done, Kieran usually lasts just a few minutes and gets pissed, that is of course unless he has a little distraction, which is of course what I've been trying to do.

Enjoying the fresh air later in the day. Poor guy still wasn't feeling good after his shots.

I didn't get to do a car bomb last year since I was pregnant. Car bombs have always been a St. Patrick's Day tradition for Sean and I, unfortunately the Guinness was too cold for both of us so it wasn't as enjoyable as it normally is. That just means we'll have to do another one sooner than later.

In case you are concerned, I did this right after Kieran went to bed and once I knew I wouldn't be nursing him for awhile

We've been fortunate to have some really nice weather so I got to dress Kieran up in a summery outfit.

Kieran has discovered his tongue and loves to show it off.

Kieran loves playing with his buddy Nick.

He also loves Nick's toys.

Hopefully they stay good buddies for a long time.

More fun with Rose.

Practicing his sitting, good job buddy!

This is no fun!

This past Sunday I ran my first post-pregnancy half marathon. I was definitely under prepared but surprised myself by running much faster than I anticipated. It was far from my best time, but with an official time of 2:02:46 I was more than pleased. I had told Sean the night before that I would be happy if I broke 2:10, I seriously didn't think that was possibly and than I almost was able to break 2 hours.

I felt strong and really good for the first 8 or so miles and I probably would have broken 2 hours if I kept up my pace. Unfortunately my body started to get tired and than when I reached 11 miles my ankles started to hurt, that's what happens when you don't train and get the miles in. My body wasn't as strong as it needed to be to push the last few miles. Luckily I was able to still run and I beat last year's time. Even though I was 10 weeks pregnant when I ran last year I feel like I was in much better shape going into the race, so I'm hoping this means good things for this year in terms of my racing.

The night before the race, he couldn't make it through dinner, poor kid was exhausted.

Kieran, thanks for getting up with us at 3:45 am to get to the race on time.

His shirt says Mommy's Lucky Charm!

Nap time for Kieran

Hanging out in the beer tent after the race.

My Irish family

I can't resist his feet. These are going to make him run fast some day.

Kieran is quite the talker now. I can have a conversation with him for 10-15 minutes at least no problem. His favorite thing to say is "ahh ahhh ahhh" ok that's the only thing he can say. We're working on MaMa and DaDa but we've had no luck. We're also working on trying to get him to blow raspberries with his tongue. Apparently he should be doing this by now, but he isn't. Sometimes he'll stick his tongue out when we do it, but still no raspberries. We must look like crazy parents blowing raspberries at our son while he just stares at us, but one day he'll get it and be able to blow them back.

Keeping Kieran on his routine is definitely key. Being with him all day I definitely can tell what he needs by his cues and the clock. Its so funny to hear him start to purr and suck vigorously on his pacifier as he gets tired. I wish I could get a recording of it. When he makes this noise you know he's tired and if he isn't already in his bed get him there because he WANTS to go to sleep.

First time in the outdoor swing. I took him next door to our neighbors house. We'll definitely be getting one of these for our backyard.

Don't mind my gross feet, I just love how little his feet are.

Gorgeous eyelashes

Practicing his tummy time, good job buddy!

Oh and just this morning while Sean was holding Kieran he reached out for me to hold him. He's never done this before. I took him from Sean and held him for a minute, than he looked at Sean and reached for him. At least he loves us equal and wants both of us to hold him. Unfortunately this could be bad news in the coming months as we travel to see family. Hopefully he'll be just as eager for the grandparents and Aunties to hold him.