six mos.

We took Piper to the pediatrician for her six month well-check today. It was a little bittersweet as Dr. Rollin, who is also McKinley's pediatrician, will be moving to Eastern Oregon at the end of the summer. So, when the time comes for Piper's next doctor visit, we will be seeing a new pediatrician.  Piper really slowed down her growing as her percentile ranks in height and weight dropped extensively from last month.  She weighed 15 lbs, 11 ounces, which placed her in the 38th percentile and measured 26 1/2 inches long, which placed her in the 62nd percentile. We had many questions regarding solid foods, as we just gave Piper her first rice cereal yesterday. Apparently a lot has changed since McKinley started eating solid foods.  Dr. Rollin encouraged us to try a wide variety of fruits and vegetables and meats right away, not waiting the original 3-5 days to introduce something new. She also suggested I feed her solid foods first and then nurse, instead of the other way around. Lastly, she said we could start feeding her yogurt and eggs around 9 months.  Overall, she was pleased with Piper's development and amazed that she sleeps through the night.
We are truly thankful that the work we put in early on has definitely paid off, as her daytime and nighttime routine are pretty consistent day after day. We recently moved up her last feeding to 8:30pm, so most nights I'm in bed by 9pm. Hallelujah! She gets 6 milk feedings a day, about every 3 hours, with the first feeding around 6:30am.  She takes 4 naps, still swaddled and sucking on a pacifier, and we no longer use the exercise ball, as she soothes herself to sleep.  Hallelujah again! She's pretty content sitting on the floor playing with whatever's in reach, especially if sissy is close by. She loves the exersaucer and chewing on wooden blocks. She is pretty attached to me but still gives her Dadda plenty of smiles. Though, she reserves most of her smiles for big sis. She is a joy to be around as her personality is slowly blooming.