HALF A YEAR! Holy crap. I’m gonna be totally cliche and say it: it’s the fastest 6 months ever and yet I can’t remember life without Tanner as part of our family! Funny how that happens.

While there is never a ‘norm’ for our day to day life, I have tried to pack in as much activity as I could to both entertain a three year old big brother, but also be able to bring my little babe in tow. There have been some seriously fantastic days and some awfully low days- but looking back, they’re all something we learn from and continue to grow!

SLEEP: We were getting long stretches of sleep at night and it wasn’t until last week that we started to get a FULL night’s stretch from this guy. It’s a serious game changer and I can honestly say I haven’t had sleep like this since somewhere around 2016. He’s also now wearing his sleep sack at night and seems to really love it. It stays on him now that we’ve discovered he’s a side and tummy sleeper.

EAT: I think the improved sleep can be partially attributed to the increase in solid food he’s been eating…and it’s a LOT. He can down an entire squeeze pouch and bowl of oatmeal like it’s nothing and then polish off a 5oz bottle…and then nurse. We haven’t introduced formula yet and the longer sleep stretches are enabling me to pump every morning.—> Anywhere from 8-12oz! The freezer in the basement is starting to fill up! I’ve also noticed a tooth on both the top and the bottom about to poke through. Fingers crossed he’s as good as Wes was when teething- there were ZERO cries/complaints/sleepless nights!

CLOTHES: Kiddo is in 18-24mo and 2T clothes. A lot of his summer wear is stuff that Wes wore when he was 1 1/2! (Benefits of being the second baby). He’s in size 5 diapers and they are still really tight around his waist. Maybe it’s because it’s almost 24 pounds?! He needs a manzierre. So chubby and so cute, I can’t even stand it.

ACTIVITY: He can roll over from front-back and back-front. He loves his blue elephants (didn’t realize that I kept buying him rattle/stuffy toys that all just so happened to be blue elephants.) He’s not as big of a fun as the bouncy seat as Wes was, but he enjoys being in it if someone is around to play with him…or if I need to be hands free for a hot sec! I’ve put him in the stroller sans the infant carseat a few times and he seems to like it! Particularly the napping part because I can recline his seat (City Select stroller FOR THE WIN).

MISCELLANEOUS: I am in love with this kid SO freaking much. (DUH). I try to give him a bath every other day and he loves to wildly kick his legs…the jury is out on whether it’s because he loves the water or he’s just too big for the darn tub.

Tanner is enamoured with his older brother (and vice versa) and I catch the two of them having several bonding moments each day. They play with toys, share giggles in the car, and often have fun on outings.

The giggles. He is the happiest baby I have ever come across. He smiles at his own reflection, at everyone he meets, and has the most infectious laugh that can go on and on.

I feel like there is so much more that has happened this past month, but of course now that I sit down to write about it…I’m drawing so many blanks! My biggest takeaways from the month include his ability to roll, his increased food intake, and his side/tummy sleeping all night. I’m beyond ecstatic to continue to watch him develop and grow into another little mama’s boy