What's new in Miran's development

Since last week, Miran has

--eaten mashed banana in addition to the avocado (egg yolk is next, followed by sweet potato). He is really enjoying the solid foods and tries to shove the spoon into his mouth when you don't move fast enough.

--begun pushing his butt into the air, ever-so-briefly, while on his tummy. Occasionally, he even lifts his whole torso off for a split second. A precursor to crawling!

--started making rudimentary consonant sounds. Nothing very distinct, and no babbling, but it's a start.

Can't wait to see what's in store this week . . . our sweet boy changes and grows so rapidly, it seems.

Miran Is 6 months Old

Today Miran turned 6 months and had his first taste ever of solid food -- avocado (he didn't seem to love it, but he did eat it). Here is my favorite picture of the past month.

quick update

As of 9/11:

weight: 17 lbs., 2 oz.
length: 26.75"
general health: excellent

He Can Sit!

Okay, I'm calling it: Miran can officially sit up on his own. He still needs to balance on his hands a bit, and he still topples over eventually, but he can stay upright so long and so consistently that I think I can safely say he has reached that milestone. i can hardly believe that that little boy, who was once so very tiny, is growing and developing so fast. (He's also totally discovered his toes now, and he's just starting to get upset when you take a toy away from him.)

The past week was rough. After waking generally only once each night for the past several months, Miran had begun waking every two or three hours again, just like when he was a newborn. I don't know for sure, but my guess is that it was due to a combo of growth spurt and teething. At any rate, the past two nights he's only woken up twice, so with any luck he'll be back to his more normal routine soon. I certainly hope so, because the timing is terrible: I started back at work yesterday.

So far, it's been okay. He's home with his grandmother (Kieryn's mom) during the day, and I know he's in the very best hands. I do miss him, but my job keeps me so busy that there's no time to sit around dwelling on it.

I'm pumping twice a day and, I hope, will continue to produce enough milk to not have to use any formula. (I've got about 15 or 20 bags of frozen milk, too, but that wouldn't last more than a few weeks.)In a couple of weeks, we're going to introduce solids, and that may help fill his tummy and slightly reduce the amount of milk he needs while I'm away. Right now, with me gone from 7 to 4, he seems to need about 12 ounces during the day. I nurse him from one side for his night feeding (sometime between 2 and 4 am) and then pump the other side. I then nurse him from both sides in the morning so that he starts the day good and full. He gets three bottles during the day, and I nurse him again when I get home around 4. At around 7, Kieryn gives him his goodnight bottle and puts him to sleep, and then I pump gain before bed. So . . . that's the routine for now.



Okay, off to bed.