Well, try as I might, I can't get this cutie pie to stop growing up! I mean, I do feed her a lot, so what do I expect, right? We feed on demand, which means if she shows signs of hunger, she gets the boob. Or bottle, if she's home with Daddy. She tends to hold out for boob, though, since Mama is only gone for 4.5 hours a weekday, on average. During her time with Daddy, she usually takes down only 2-2.5 ounces by bottle, tops, and even that may take an hour! Any more gets wasted, and we all know how Mama feels about that precious liquid gold! Once I get home, she tends to nurse frequently, or every 2 hours. Sometimes she goes longer, but it's rare. There are days where it seems she just wants tiny snacks every hour! But I figure, hey - I get thirsty sometimes or just want a snack, so who am I to say she can only eat (drink) on a timetable? I know I sure do get cranky if I'm too hungry or thirsty, and we wouldn't want that! So what makes a baby any different? And who would want to force a schedule on this adorable face??
Miss Amelie wears a range of sizes, depending on the brand. She generally wears 6 month sized Carter's Onesies, but yesterday she had on a 12 months Gerber onesie! You may recall that Gerber (who has the trademark on the term 'Onesie') runs small, and was the only brand Ami could wear as a newborn. Everything else was huge. She has some room to grow in those 12 monthers, but still, it's crazy. The point is, this chica is long! She is barely fitting her 6 months sized sleeper with those long legs of hers, so I had to bust out the 9 month clothes, and she is wearing some of those already. Ahhh!
Sizing with baby clothes can be silly, though. As for pants, I actually had her in a size 0-3 months pair by Gap earlier this week, and they fit perfectly (they seem to run long). Anything bigger looks like I could fit two of her in the waistband, even with her fluffy cloth booty! She isn't the chunkiest of kids. Rompers sized 3 months are pretty wide and baggy on her, but look like she's ready for the flood when it comes to length. Oh, if only her mama had this problem! It's a good thing they make baby leg warmers, because Baby Legs solve all our pant-woes with the cool weather. Leggings even 6 mos in size tend to fit her, jeans 3-6 mos do not. I suspect she is around 14 lbs (probably more), and she was 26 inches at her 4 month appointment. We will find out tomorrow when we go in for one of her vaccinations! (We do a modified schedule).
In other news, I suspect teething is on the horizon. Little Miss is cranky more often than usual, and has been waking up after sleeping only a short time. This weekend she was also tired after being awake only 1 hour or so, rather than her usual 90 mins-2 hrs. She has been taking 5-6 (cat) naps! Her cheeks have been rosy, and while I don't see any little white buds in there, I know it can take months. So, I have been putting her amber necklace on her and hoping for the best. I also give her Hyland's teething tablets occasionally for good measure, especially when she's cranky. I tried to offer her a chilled baby washcloth to chew on, but she didn't seem to want anything to do with it. She even used her tongue thrust reflex to push it out if her mouth. Which brings me to another topic...
For now, this chair is just for play ;)
Though many babies are cleared for solid food (re: purées and rice cereal) at 4 months, we won't be giving Amelie anything other than breast milk til she is at least 6 months old, perhaps 7, depending on her readiness. That tongue thrust reflex must be gone (all those parents wrestling with kids spitting out mushed peas are likely starting too soon, in my opinion), and I would prefer her to be able to sit up on her own. Also, we won't be feeding er any purées or baby cereals. When she gets the ability to use pincher fingers, I will give her appropriately sized soft-cooked foods for her to eat. Real foods. It's called Baby Led Weaning, and uses the British term for weaning meaning adding solid foods, not the American use of the word as in phasing out breast milk. Ami will still be getting most of her calories from mama milk and the new foods will mostly be to explore textures and tastes am learn to eat. She will feed herself because she knows her hunger and I see no benefit to spoon feeding her. She also won't be getting any grains to start, and perhaps not until she is a year old or has her first molar (which brings the enzyme amylase so she can digest grains). At least not any wheat til then. Anyhow, I have been doing lots of research and these are some of my favorite sources.
You may be wondering if I will be giving Ami any meat, since I myself am vegetarian. I plan to start her with animal proteins like egg (and I hear butter is great also), but am open to meats as well, so long as they are free range, organic, and hormone free! I'm not a fan of cooking meat, though, so I'm guessing Daddy will be in charge of this ;) While I don't think she needs them, I think occasionally lean meats can be a good part of a kid's diet, and will be a way for her to bond with her carnivorous papa. I'm sure he's stoked about it.
Well, that's all for now! Be sure to check out the 5th month of Amelie videos post, though it is sadly lacking 3 weeks of lost iPhone videos. Here's hoping KC can restore them!!
