Petal & Thorn: Matteo is 6 Months!

We've already reached the halfway mark! It has really flown by, and it's been mostly lovely. Matteo is such an even-keeled baby. Even on hectic days, he remains pretty zen.

He does have his limits though- he likes to be in bed by 7pm, and if I stretch him too far past that, he gets quite fussy. He also wants to eat every 2 to 3 hours, sometimes even more, no negotiations. But his fussiness isn't usually wailing and screaming, it's more sad faces, silent cries, and whimpers. I can handle silent cries and whimpers.

I think he's incredibly secure for a baby. Not only has he been soothing himself to sleep since 5 days old, but I can already see good coping skills during the day, too. He is able to distract himself when he's feeling tired or lonely. He has incredible patience. Although he's getting more active and wiggly, he is pretty content to sit back and watch the world go by. It also means he's not super ambitious with the milestones, but we don't mind him taking his time. Trust me, we are perfectly happy with him not being mobile.

Matteo is so in love with his big sister. Siena's silly antics make him belly laugh. We're trying to teach Sisi that she doesn't have to be his mommy figure (she is constantly lecturing him- "Matteo, don't touch that. Matteo, don't smile at me. Don't even look at me.") But he seems to admire and look up to her anyways, like she can do no wrong in his eyes. I am excited to see how their relationship develops.

Matteo at a Glance:

-Pretty consistent schedule right now. Naps at around 9:30 and 1:30, for about 1.5 hours each, then in bed around 7-7.30, up for the day around 7am.
-Still waking up to eat once or twice a night, but increasingly able to go back to sleep without my intervention. I try to wait at least 10 minutes before I go in, and by that time he's often back to sleep. He gave me a nice 11 hour stretch last night, but that is a rarity and a gift.
- Starting solids today!!! I was trying to find some good solid food advice, so I googled "paleo baby first foods" and stumbled upon an old article I'd written when Sisi was a baby. That's when I realized "if it ain't broke don't fix it" and maybe we should just do exactly what we did with Sisi, since she's a very adventurous eater. So we'll start him on avocados, liver, egg yolks, fish and assorted veggies like we did with Sisi and hope for another amazing eater!
-The only solids he's had so far are tiny bites of raw butter and coconut oil. He likes it.
- Finally takes the bottle (kinda!) Just a few ounces, but it's allowed us to get away from some date nights.
- Starting to embrace independent play. This is a skill that I highly value in my kiddos for their own good and my sanity. I don't think it comes as easily for him as it did for Sisi since he's definitely a people person, so we're being strategic about it. We started leaving him in his crib with some very simple toys for a few minutes here and there, and each day we increase the time. I'm always sure to casually say, "I'll be back" and "I'm back" so he knows I always come back and he doesn't have to be watching for me. He's now doing up to 40 mins of play in the crib, although some days he refuses.

- Our dear Mother's Helper Miss Katie has graduated from high school and can't work for us anymore :( I'm forced to go on more outings with both the kids and it's definitely becoming second nature, but we keep it simple. We go to Dana Point Baby Beach once a week, the local library every 2 weeks, walk to the grocery store and Petco, the mall, etc. But our favorite thing to do is lounge around and sunbathe in the yard. Teo has a pretty good base tan going on.
-Eyes are still brownish/grayish/hazel (aka brown). Inherited daddy's luscious lashes.
-A few weeks ago, he woke up with a light brown birth mark above his right eye. Weird, right?
-I cannot resist his fussy caterpillar hair and his intense Dave Matthews brows.
-Someone said that he has "smiling eyes", and I agree! He is not a super smiley baby (in fact, he usually looks quite serious) but his eyes are very twinkly and full of joy.
-Size 6 mo clothes, not sure about height and weight but we have a well-check appt next week. I am guessing he's still exactly average.
- Nicknames- Teo, Taters, Saj (his middle name is Saja)
-Nighttime routine- nurse, read 2 books, put on his zipadee zip, close blinds, turn on waterfall sounds, sing the "Matteo song" and gently place in the crib.