The first Christmas tree that Teddy saw up close was at my Mom's house. She had decorated the tree earlier in the day and made certain not to turn on the tree lights until I came over after work. We made sure to make a big production about the lighting of the Christmas tree for Teddy. With a fake drum-roll-like sound, Mom plugged in the lights and ... nothing. No reaction out of Teddy. The beautifully trimmed tree sat ablaze before him in all it's magical yuletide glory yet Teddy could not have cared less. Based upon Teddy's tendencies for bright or flashing lights, I thought that a Christmas tree would have blown his little grapefruit-sized mind. Nope. He paid about as much attention to the lit tree as he did to the couch or the stool or the rug. Hopefully next year will be a little different.
Throughout Christmas preparations Teddy's only passing fancy was in wrapping paper. When Jenna set-up a 'Wrapping Station' on our livingroom floor, Teddy would key in on the odd noise that the paper would make. The unrolling, the cutting, the wrapping noises all caught Teddy's attention. I began to wonder if we should have actually spent good money on toys for him and instead just wrapped and unwrapped things in front of him weekly.
On Christmas Eve, the family met up with my Mom to attend an evening church service together. We sat at the back of the church - near an exit - just in case Teddy had a well-timed meltdown. I have to say, Teddy is a great baby when we go out in public. Teddy was fascinated by all the new faces. He even tried to sing along to a few songs. Throughout the entire service, Teddy was quietly scanning the crowd around us. When someone would lock eyes with him, he'd break into a big smile. This kid already knows how to work a room. After the service, an elderly lady came up to us in the parking lot. She asked all about Teddy. She complimented him on how well behaved he was in the church. She finished by telling us how much of a "flirt" Teddy was. He evidently captured the attention of several older ladies who sat near us and would give them little smiles on and off during the service. I'm so proud of my son.
The main thing to speak of over the last month is Teddy's development as a little person. Our good friend Beth (Hi, Beth!) told me a while back that babies' brains just 'switch on' at 6 months. Well, that's so true. Right around 5.5 months, Teddy suddenly became so much more interactive. On our trip to Pittsburgh over Christmas to visit Jenna's family, Teddy was shockingly aware of the changes around him. When he studies his surroundings now, you can see the little gears turning in his head. He's much more adventurous and tries to explore anything that he can get his hands on. Other little things changed too. He no longer hates his car seat. He enjoys getting in the 'Teddy Mobile' car seat each day. Teddy happily snoozes in the car seat now. He also suddenly refuses to have his arms swaddled. (Side Note: Jenna and I are thrilled that we don't have to figure out a way to ease him out of swaddling. Thanks, little buddy.) All of this just changed over night. It's amazing to watch.
Very early in the New Year, we took Teddy to the doctor for his 6 month check-up. Everything is perfect with the little guy. Teddy is now 17 pounds 10 ounces (50% percentile). He's also 28.25" tall (95% percentile). We have a string bean on our hands!
We also talked to the doctor about how much Teddy wakes up each night. We said how Teddy wakes up every three hours to eat still. He's not just snacking at those times either. Teddy is putting down 6-8 ounces with each feeding throughout the night. The doctor said the most amazing thing to Jenna and I. She said, "No 18 pound 6 month old needs to be eating during the night. Stop feeding him." And with those beautiful words, Aggressive Sleep Training has begun. Jenna and I couldn't be happier. Teddy is adapting fairly well to his new routine. He seems to be making the long stretches during the night without feeding just fine. We decided to feed him once around 12a-1a in a decreasing amount over a two week period. We started with 5 ounces and are stair stepping down to no feeding at all. As the little guy adjusts, he'll have a good night followed by a bad night. Either way, he's learning to sleep longer and eat more during the day. I am thrilled. 6 months with very little "good" sleep as an adult is a dagger. Even though we're still not sleeping all the way through the night, the extra sleep has made me feel better already. Hooray! I'll hopefully give an energetic and well-rested update in a couple of weeks.
Here are a few of pictures from Teddy on Christmas Day. He had no idea what was going on but loved the new toys.
Each time I look at this picture, I feel as though Teddy is finishing saying, "I know, right?"
Christmas Merriment
What are you doooing, Mom?
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