At six months, Miss Zoe has turned the corner on one of the most important milestones to a parent. I have been waiting to share the news that Zoe started sleeping through the night in late February and has consistently slept through the night for an entire month. We sort-of let her cry-it-out a teeny bit, but it wasn't planned. Until late February, I had been the one to attend to Zoe at night because she always wanted to nurse, but towards the end of February, I came down with a bad cold that had me congested, tired and achy. I hate hearing either of my girls cry, so I usually check in on them within the first 5 minutes of their cries. During my bout with the head cold/flu, I was so congested that I didn't hear Zoe cry. Colin did, and went to check in on her a few times. On the first night, she only cried twice in the night and she was calmed by the pacifier and/or Colin rocking her. On the second night, she cried 3-4 times (Colin wasn't sure the next morning). A few times she took the pacifier with no problem and one time he had to rock a bit with her. Colin assures me that Zoe didn't cry more than 10 minutes in any episode. By the third night, Zoe only woke up once or twice again and on the fourth night she started her first of two straight weeks of sleeping from ~7:30/8pm until 7-7:30am. I was looking forward to this milestone so much and expected to feel rejuvenated by now, but I'll admit that I still feel tired. Unfortunately, the cold/flu kicked my butt and the week after I had it, Rose was also sick, which led to her waking up several times in the night for a few nights. It's encouraging that we can put both girls to bed at the same time and they each sleep about 11 hours straight. I just need to get better at going to bed early so I get a full night's sleep as well. It would also help the morning routine be less hectic if I could get up before they do.
Sisterly love
Right around the time Zoe started sleeping through the night and as I was getting over my cold, I went on my first run in over a year. The pace was slow for me (9:50 minutes per mile), but I managed to go 3.16 miles at that pace, which is farther than I expected. Since that first run, I have done a few more, but my pace hasn't improved all that much. I might need to start some interval training. Last month, I was still about 5 pounds above my pre-pregnancy weight and this month I am now at the weight I was when I got pregnant with Zoe. I feel like my legs and thighs are thin, but still have a little baby pouch. I guess that's what happens when you have grown two babies in there. I could do better with my diet, but between running and nursing, I am just always so hungry. And, since I am still dairy and egg-free, I have been eating lots of crackers, vegan desserts, and salty snacks. Eggs were a filling breakfast option for me, and now I'm always hungry well before lunch time.
I continue to be dairy and egg-free because it seems to help Zoe's skin quite a bit. I actually think the eggs are worse and still haven't tested if it might be egg whites or egg yolks. I think the whites are the more common allergen. I have noticed that after Rose ate eggs for breakfast and touches Zoe, that Zoe's skin seemed to get rashy. I've been trying to do a little dairy here and there, especially drinking some kefir to get probiotics. It doesn't seem to make her skin react too badly. We usually treat the breakout spots with a "sensitive skin" 0.5% hydro-cortisone.
Another major milestone this month is that we have started introducing Zoe to solid foods. So far, she's only had steamed carrots and sweet potatoes, avocado, cooked oatmeal, bananas, ground beef, and soup. She isn't that excited about eating table foods, but does seem to prefer feeding herself than being fed with a baby spoon. She also seems to like the soup and beef best. We are choosing again to do a combination of "baby-led weaning" and spoon feeding. In baby-led weaning, we let Zoe grab food on her tray and feed herself. With the carrots and sweet potatoes, we steamed them and cut them in long sticks so she can grab them. Avocados and bananas are a little more difficult to hold because they are so slippery. It's been difficult to spoon-feed Zoe the oatmeal. She seemed a bit more receptive when we added banana to the oatmeal, so it might be the flavor. Because of Zoe's skin rashes and my impression that they are related to my diet, I will likely save eggs and dairy for among the last of the foods to introduce. I'm nervous about all foods, but those in particular. One night when Zoe ate sweet potatoes, her hand turned very red and blotchy. Darwin had been licking the sweet potatoes on her hands, so I assume the reaction came from his saliva and perhaps something he had eaten (food is often dropped on the floor with a toddler). There have been other times where he has licked her hands without problems. I will continue to try and figure out what may trigger her reactions. I'm hopeful Zoe will grow out of it and have been reassured this is normally the case by the pediatricians.
Trying a carrot baby-led weaning style
Carrots are okay, but I prefer mommy's milk
Zoe continues to receive most of her food/nutrients from breastmilk and has increased her intake over the past few weeks or so from 16-20oz of milk during my workday to 20-24oz. Unfortunately, I have not been able to increase my production through pumping, so she had to take a previously pumped and stored bottle. Since I was not egg and dairy free when I first started pumping, the milk she took on the days she drank brought back the rash. It was only a few ounces, so it hasn't caused the rash to be too severe.
Are you lookin' at me?
This past month we also swapped out all the 6 month clothes for 6-9 and 9 month clothes. I'm sad we didn't get to use many of Rose's beautiful 6 month dresses, many of which Rose barely wore. Unfortunately, it was too cold for Zoe to use the dresses. We do have some cute 9 month clothes for Zoe to wear, and some of the 6 month dresses will likely fit Zoe for a few more weeks (I hope!). With the weather shifting here in North Carolina (and practically skipping spring), there might be more opportunities for the dresses.
Enjoying a very warm early March day on the deck
And..look at those rolls!
Here are a few additional updates about Miss Zoe:
A typical day includes the following: wake up at 7am and bedtime at 7:30pm; naps at 9am (1 hour), 12p (2 hours) and 4pm (30-60 minutes); milk at 7:30am, 10am, 2pm, 3:30pm, 6pm, and 7:30pm; playing in the exersaucer, jumperoo, on the floor, or sitting in the stroller during a walk.
Zoe loves watching Darwin and Rose, and gets excited when seeing mommy, daddy and avo.
Zoe enjoys sitting upright in the big girl stroller, but doesn't mind the carseat. We recently introduced her to the swings and she seems to enjoy it.
Zoe's eyes remain blue and her hair is light brown
Zoe is a serious girl and might not give you a grin unless she knows you. But if you do get a smile, it lights up the room. She's a little shy when people give her attention.
Zoe's belly and armpits are very ticklish. She can't control her joy when tickled.
While the jumperoo is a little bit fun, Zoe enjoys all the things to see and play with on the exersaucer much more. She loves standing and does a little pitter-patter dance in the jumperoo.
Zoe is so observant. She loves paying attention at storytime and watching other children, especially her sister. She is very calm.
Zoe only needs and likes her pacifier sometimes. It can be a calming agent when she's fussy, but mostly she prefers to chew on it.
Zoe doesn't love sitting in her highchair at the table, but can tolerate it better if she has a toy to play with.
Zoe still loves to cross her feet/legs when she is sitting in the stroller.
Zoe's still not a big cuddler. She prefers to see everything going on around her. She reaches for all the new objects she sees and they often go to her mouth first.
Zoe has a bit of a witching hour between 6-7pm when she doesn't want to hang out in her high chair for dinner. She's usually okay in someones lap, but really wants to be put in her pajamas.
Chewing on her pacifier in the exersaucer
We had to delay Zoe's 6 month wellness visit/checkup at the doctor because she came down with her first illness. Since traveling mid-February, our household had a cold/virus that kept being passed from person to person. I think we all felt sick on and off for a solid two weeks. Zoe seemed to be doing well, but just as she turned 6 months, she had a fever that hovered around 102-103 for 2 days. On the third day we went to the doctor and sure enough, Zoe had her first ear infection. The 10 days of antibiotics were rough. Zoe hated the medicine and it caused her to not want to be spoon fed either. I couldn't be the one to give her medicine so that she would continue to nurse.
6 Month photoshoot at 6.5 Months
Photos taken too late in the day - Miss Zoe is tired and ready for PJs
No photoshoot is complete without big sister
We finally had her wellness check up around 6.5 months, once she was finished with her medicine. At 16lbs, 10ounces and 25.5" she is at the 54th percentile for weight and the 31st percentile for height. Though she started out on the heavy and tall side, she seems to be getting on the same pattern as Rose, who has always been on the shorter and lighter side. I looked at the growth charts for both girls and they are about the same height and weight at 6 months.
Aside from the amazing developments that occur at this age, the other big news at 5 months is that Miss Zoe's hair has started filling in. Her male-pattern baldness is pretty much gone and her hair color looks brown in dark light and blonde in bright light. At the beginning and middle of January, she barely had any hair on the top of her head and by the time she turned 5 months on February 9th, it mostly filled in. The change happened so quickly and her hair continues to noticeably grow on an almost daily basis. Her eyes remain blue.
Miss Zoe, 5 months on February 9th
Excited about her giraffe, or maybe that her hair is coming in!
We don't have an update on Zoe's height and weight since there weren't any doctor's appointments last month. Thankfully, our little girl has been very healthy (aside from her sensitive skin) and continues to grow like a weed. We've transitioned her completely from the 6-9 month clothing to 9 month clothes. I thought she would be in summer stuff at 9 months, so I'm glad that we had some cooler weather outfits on hand from Rose (who wore 9 month clothes at 8-9 months, not at 5 months!).
I've tried to remain dairy and egg-free as much as I can, with occasional indulgences in chocolate candy or a bite of a non-vegan dessert. Usually when I indulge, we have to treat Zoe's face/skin with more lotion, or hydro-cortisone. I've continued to use a 0.5% hydro-cortisone to treat flare ups and we get by using just using Eucerin or Cetaphil most days. The cold weather in January and early February meant the heat was on and the air was fairly dry, so we had to lather her up with moisture often. We've also been sure to keep a humidifier on all night in her room.
Enjoying fresh air in the exersaucer
On the topic of sleep, Miss Zoe continued to nurse once or twice overnight through 5 months. For a stretch of time, she was doing well going to bed around 7:30-8pm. I'd usually give her a "dream feed" before I went to bed at 10:30-11:30p, and she would wake up between 3-5am for another feed. Most mornings, Rose's not-so-quiet voice would wake her up for the day around 7am.
Getting serious for the camera
We've been fortunate to have my mom in town to take care of Zoe during her 5th and 6th months so that we can delay day care until after the cold weather (and hopefully the flu and most germs) passes. With more one-on-one attention, my mom's been able to work with Zoe on sitting up, tummy time, and socialization. Zoe is a strong, but heavy girl with lots of rolls. She can sit up fairly well, but topples over when she loses her balance or if she reaches for something. We've started putting her in the exersaucer so she isn't laying down all the time. She plays for fairly long stretches of time before taking a break to rest her legs. She's also started transitioning out of the infant car seat and into the stroller seat in the running stroller and in the double umbrella stroller. She loves sitting up and seeing everything as we walk.
One of the first times sitting in the running stroller
We are starting to see Zoe's personality develop at this age. She is very attentive and loves watching her family, especially Rose and Darwin. Darwin's barks often startle her, but she is not scared. Rose's hugs and not-so-gentle ways also often startle her, but she is more accepting than I would have anticipated. She seems to love music and children's songs, especially those that we sing at baby story time at the library and those we sing at home. Rose is a great big sister who often sings songs to Zoe. When we are around groups of people, especially other children, Zoe loves to talk and participate in the discussion.
Zoe Talking at 4.5 months
Zoe giving her sister a big open-mouthed kiss
Zoe listening to her music at 5 months
Zoe is a very calm child who does not protest much, except when she is tired or hungry (or if we try cutting her nails - see comments below). She even tolerates wet and poop-filled diapers. On the topic of diapers, we are still using cloth diapers and have now transitioned her out of newborn/infant sized diapers and into the one-size, adjustable diapers. With two girls in diapers, and a bunch of diapers with stretched out elastics from two-years of use, I was getting ready to buy more when my mother came to the rescue and repaired the elastics on just about all of them. I did buy about 7 more since we do have both girls in diapers, but as Rose continues to work on potty training, I don't want to buy too many. Rose is in pull ups most days at school, so I have plenty of diapers for Zoe and only have to wash every 2-3 days.
Zoe continues to get breast milk exclusively and she takes about 16-20 ounces from wake up until I get home from work. When she sees me, she almost always wants to nurse. From 6pm until 7:30pm, I feel like all I do is feed her. I try to enjoy my time with her because I know it will go fast, but sometimes it is hard to do when I'm hungry, tired, and/or have a toddler that also wants my attention. I continue to be very fortunate to have a private office where I can pump whenever I need to during the day and I'm grateful that it seems I can pump enough to meet her intake during the day. With her sensitivity to dairy and eggs in my diet, I'm nervous about giving her too much pumped milk from the fall. I'm also nervous about starting solid foods. I expect Zoe might have more food sensitivities/intolerances than Rose, and we have not had to deal with food allergies before. At 5 months, we had not yet started introducing solid foods, but did have Zoe sit in the high chair to enjoy family meal time with us. She isn't a big fan of sitting in the high chair and usually wants to get out after a short time, especially at dinner when she is getting tired.
Sitting in the high chair, reaching for the camera
I'll end the post with a few Zoe-isms:
Zoe loves to cross her feet/legs. It's a habit she has had since the day she was born.
Zoe hates having her nails trimmed or filed. Just holding her finger brings serious protests. Because she often scratches at her face, I end up filing or trimming her nails several times a week. It is an activity I dread
Zoe can't contain her joy when we nuzzle her belly with our nose. She's also very ticklish under her arms
Zoe isn't much of a cuddler. At night when I nurse and burp her, she either rubs her face on shoulder, or pulls away to look around, unless she is exhausted. Only then will she lay her head in my neck.
Zoe is becoming increasingly distracted when nursing and wants to look at where sounds are coming from. Unfortunately, this is often painful for mommy since she doesn't always unlatch first.
My apologies for once again being a month behind schedule. I'll try to get the 6 month post up soon. There are lots of exciting updates to share from February! Stay tuned.
We have entered into the phase of significant developmental changes with Miss Zoe. During the month of December, she turned into quite the chatterbox. She loves talking to her family and her toys. When Rose is in the room, Zoe's eyes follow her wherever she goes, and she loves watching Darwin. She has become increasingly more attentive and reacts to our animated faces with great joy. I'm grateful that she has proven herself to be very tolerant of her sister's less-than-gentle ways, and that she continues to be very healthy and strong.
During her fourth month, we continued dealing with Zoe's skin rash and sensitivity on and off. We were in the northeast during early December and had to apply lotion and vaseline to her face daily, and sometimes several times per day because the air was so cold and dry. I stopped eating dairy after reading about the various causes of eczema in infants, which can include the mother's diet in breastfed babies. We did notice some improvement, but it was really difficult to maintain that diet while traveling, and especially hard over the holidays. The dairy seemed be be a major trigger, but there also seemed to be something else that caused the rash that I couldn't figure out. In addition to the dairy, I eliminated breads (because of yeast) and eggs. When I was off all three ingredients she did seem to do a lot better, but it is so hard to stay away from all of these when eating out. So many restaurants cook with butter!
We noticed the greatest improvement in Zoe's skin during the few days that we went to Hilton Head over Christmas. I think Zoe is trying to tell us we need to live at the beach! Her daddy is in complete agreement. During those few days at the beach, we cooked most of our meals at home since restaurants were closed. I was able to keep to a strict yeast, dairy, and egg-free diet. Unfortunately, when we arrived back home, she had a few more flare ups, making me question whether it was diet or environmental. It was so frustrating to not be able to control the rash, and to not be able to completely be in control of my food intake because of eating out on the last day of our trip. I also hated lathering her face with over the counter hydrocortisone cream, which seemed to be the only thing that would help clear her face when it was rashy. The worst though, was seeing her uncomfortable and itchy. We had to cover her hands with mittens because I just couldn't keep her nails trimmed enough or prevent her from scratching her head and face. Leading up to her 4 month doctor's appointment, her face was not only rashy, but raw from her rubbing, scratched up from her nails, and a little dry from the cold weather and forced hot central air.
Zoe at 4 months
At that 4-month doctor's appointment we arrived without treating her face with any hydrocortisone so the doctor could see how bad it was. Thankfully, Zoe was given a clean bill of health otherwise, giving the doctor her full attention and showing off all her skills during the visit. We spent most of the time discussing what to do about the rash. The doctor swabbed the areas that were raw to test for bacteria, and gave us two cream-based prescriptions, a 2% hydrocortisone and an antibiotic, after we voiced our objections to an oral antibiotic. He said the skin was likely infected (needing an antibiotic and confirmed to be a staph, not MRSA, infection), and that we really needed to treat it with the hydrocortisone to keep Zoe from being so uncomfortable. In his opinion, it would be too difficult to figure out the cause of the rash. I had hoped we could identify the cause, but really didn't expect the doctor to have an answer. One of the most helpful suggestions we received at the doctor's office came from the front desk staff who suggested filing nails instead of using the scissors.
Within 24 hours of treating the rash with the antibiotic, it was significantly better. Instead of using the 2% hydrocortisone cream, I found a 0.5% over the counter (marketed "for sensitive skin") that seemed to work really well in combination with the antibiotic cream. I decided not to use the 2% after reading the medication information inside of the package that said no research had been done on children under 2. While I don't like that the 0.5% hydrocortisone also says not for children under 2, I feel a little better that it is not as potent. The doctor told us there would be no problems using the over-the-counter (1%) hydrocortisone long-term, but I will continue to use the minimum amount necessary to keep the rash at bay. We only needed the antibiotic a few days to clear up the rash, and used the hydrocortisone daily for a few weeks. Now, at 3 weeks since starting the medication regularly (and me continuing to avoid dairy and eggs, and sometimes bread), we only spot treat with hydrocortisone as needed.
Sweet Zoe enjoying a rest in the co-sleeper
As Zoe approached 4 months, and I started working in the office again, we transitioned Zoe from the co-sleeper in our bedroom to her crib in her own room. The transition was fairly easy, starting with a few naps in her crib to putting her down in her crib at night. We still swaddle her at night only and try to put her down sleepy, but awake. Sometimes she falls asleep while nursing and I am unable to arouse her before putting her to bed. We've also continued using the incline wedge since she seems to sleep better on the incline than flat on her back.
Her overnight schedule continues to be a challenge, and was especially difficult at the notorious "4 month sleep regression." I had read about it and thankfully only experienced one night where she woke to nurse every two hours on the dot (11:30p, 1:30a, 3:30a and 5:30a). At least it was over the weekend, when I could sleep in the next day! For the most part, Zoe goes to sleep around 7:30-8pm when Rose does, and sleeps until 6:30-8am with only a few wake ups. I always check in on her before I go to bed (10:30-11:30p), and will feed her if she stirs when I walk in. If she is sleeping deeply, I don't wake her, and sometimes get woken up shortly after going to bed. She has been waking up around 2am and/or 5am to nurse. The 5am is the tough one for me, and it is really hard when she wakes at both times.
Zoe gets serious in front of the camera
Zoe's eyes remain very blue and she continues to have a fair amount of hair in the back (with serious male-pattern baldness). She smiles so much, but gets very serious while I pull out the camera! She is a very sweet child, and still gets a little tired/cranky in the evenings around dinner time.
We continue to cloth diaper both Rose and Zoe, with both only using disposables at night. The disposables are great at keeping all the pee in the diaper all night (8p-8a) so I don't have to change Zoe when I wake up to feed her. Unfortunately, they are not as good as the cloth diapers at keeping poop explosions in. There have been a few nights where Zoe has pooped during one of her nighttime feeds and I've had to change her whole outfit when I just wanted to finish nursing and get back to bed.
At 4 months, Zoe is outgrowing her 6 month clothes. The doctor weighed her at the 65th percentile (14.2 lbs) and measured her at 23.5 inches, or 33rd percentile. I don't think her height is accurate, but I will confirm that her 6 month clothes are more tight than too short. :) She is such a cute chunky baby!
Having gone back to work in early January, Zoe now stays with my mom at home while Colin and I are at work and Rose is at school. I try to pump a bottle (or two) before I leave for work and about 3 bottles (all about 4oz each) during the work day. I have a freezer full of stored milk, but much of it was pumped before I went dairy, yeast, or egg-free. I think the first day I went back to the office, when Zoe took a full day's worth of previously pumped milk, was what triggered her really bad rash that became infected. I'm nervous about being able to meet her demand by pumping, and try to pump 3-4 times in the office. So far, no one has commented on my door being closed so often, and I've been able to pump a little extra on a few occasions. I continue to be grateful for a job where I have a private office where I can work as I pump.
Sisterly love for the camera
A couple of friends of mine on Facebook posted a beautiful piece about appreciating each moment in time as it comes. I knew the first three months would be difficult and will admit I looked forward to their passing. But now that Zoe is sleeping a little longer, engaging with us, and sitting up more independently, I want time to slow down. I know life doesn't work like that. Days, weeks, months, and years pass quickly. I want these milestones and these memories to be recorded, which is why I write the blog. But I need to remember to balance documenting the milestones with enjoying them as they happen.
