Jack @ 6-months-old
James
Drooling Thomas
Brotherly Love: Jack, Thomas, and James
We’ve made it halfway through the first year!!!
It’s a bit cliché to say that the past six months have flown by. In some ways, that is true. In other ways, it has been so exhausting and challenging, it feels like the time passes at a snail’s pace. We now know we can survive, but we have not yet passed into the stage of “thriving.” Things are still day-to-day or week-to-week at best. Perhaps this is healthy for a scheduled and Type-A family.
At six months, there are three most notable developments: teething, solid foods, and sociability. The drool factory and fussiness have been in full force the last few weeks. In many ways, it feels like teething has forced us to revert back to earlier stages of poor sleeping and fussy days. We are hopeful this stage will pass quickly as we’re feeling exhausted and discouraged. It seems as though someone is always upset or needing us, just like in the newborn period.
We started solid foods a few weeks ago. I was eagerly anticipating it as I wanted to do homemade food with Ellie and never did, largely because the excess quantity and food storage overwhelmed me. So, this is going to be my chance. Making the food has been easy. The quantities seem right for three babies and justify the effort. For example, one banana is perfect between the three of them. However, the set up, feeding process, and cleaning up of three babies is tedious. It takes about an hour all told, for two tablespoons of food per person. And, it will be awhile before they drop any nursing/bottle feeding sessions as a result of the added food. It is still fun to see them enjoy the meal and each have a distinct reaction to the process. So far, rice cereal, oatmeal, sweet potato, banana, and avocado have all been hits.
Socially, they are much more aware of one another and will reach for each other and coo at one another. It is precious to watch.
And, a more specific update on each child:
JACK: We have seen the most changes in Jack the last month or so. He is now the heaviest baby and he has caught up on some developmental milestones (if he was ever even truly behind that is). He sits up well, supports his head, jumps and bounces, and is quite active. His reflux is much improved and he can crack a very cute smile. He fusses less, but also he has learned to shriek, usually when he is hungry. He is not much for naps, but he is content to just play or swing if he skips his nap and not demand too much attention. We are happy to see all of this from Jack, especially after feeling overwhelmed by his needs in the early days.
JAMES: He has also had his fair share of changes. He has become more particular about things; he doesn’t assert himself often, but when he does not like something, he is certain to let you know. He is less social than his brothers and prefers being alone sometimes. He is aware of strangers and has a particular affinity for his mommy. He reserves his smiles for mom and a few other people; he’s a discriminating soul. He is still calm and generally mild-mannered, but he is quite bothered by teething. His inconsolable cry is the hardest sound for me to hear. He doesn’t cry often, but when he does, I get panicked because I have come to expect him to be the easygoing one. And, because nothing seems to comfort him during these times, it can be overwhelming. James also does not like being put on his tummy. He’ll sleep that way, but if it is play time, he just rests his head and won’t try to pull up or play. He is very patient with solid feedings and he is eager to eat, as evidenced by digging his face into the spoon. Yet, he tends to spit the food out quickly because he has not figured out the tongue reflex and he’d rather just chew and suck on his fingers.
THOMAS: He appears—at this stage—to have the most animated personality. Ironically, we labeled him “anti-social” at birth because he seemed agitated when he was too close to his brothers. Now, he is the most social baby. He reaches for his brothers—Jack in particular—and makes very loud coos and shines a huge grin at them. It is obvious he enjoys their company. Jack responds back, which seems to encourage Thomas even more. James will tolerate Thomas, but it doesn’t appear that he appreciates Thomas’ interactions or has much interest in responding. Thomas is quite physical. He grabs at EVERYTHING and is so forceful in his movements that I am convinced he’ll move the Exersaucer across the room. Thomas still loves to be held. He is usually the easiest to console as picking him up does the trick. He seems well aware of when Jack or James get more attention than he does, because he will cry and fuss until he gets the attention he believes he’s due. He is also an impatient eater. We do solid feeding with all three at the same time and go down the line. Thomas gets agitated when I turn away from him and grab one of his brothers’ spoons. I get the sense he is the youngest brother who feels a bit perturbed he never got to be the baby!
