Happy Friday, Babes! I cannot believe today is Miss Reina’s HALF BIRTHDAY! 6 months with our Roo Roo outside of my tummy…crazy!! Today I am sharing with you all Reina’s 6 month baby update and how life has been since we welcomed our second baby girl. It seems like just yesterday I went for a morning walk with Bernard to come and tell Brody ITS TIME. I had so many nerves while waiting for Miss Reina to be born. The transition to two kids scared me…I wasn’t sure how Noelia would react (read THIS POST for our transition to two kids). Having another girl scared me because all I knew was Noelia! But let me tell you…it is true what they say. Your heart just grows 1000x over when that second baby is born. Miss Reina stole our hearts from the millisecond she entered into the world. Her dark hair and features were so different than Noelia’s…she was Reina.
I will never forget the moment Miss Reina was perfectly placed on my chest after she was born. She was perfect in every way with a HEAD of dark, long hair. After crying and analyzing her perfect body with Brody beside me, I looked back at my Mama and she immediately said “Its YOU!!” According to my Mama, Reina Ruby is my copy. She came out with a head of hair and monkey arms full of dark, peach fuzz hair. Something Noelia did not have! She was just everything we didn’t know we needed…the same way we felt with Noelia, too. You can read my full Birth Story HERE.
24 hours old
6 months old
Reina is truly the happiest baby. She is rarely upset other than the normal circumstances; tired or hungry! She had a couple months of some heavy spit-up we were concerned about but she ended up outgrowing it. Reina has always been a great eater (the girl can EAT) and a great sleeper…up until 4 months of age that is ;). Reina has yet to become ill and by the power of God I hope it stays that way! Noelia was the same way. It seemed that so many little babies around her were always sick but Noelia rarely was! Neither one of my girls have battled with ear infections or any sickness I have had to take them to the hospital for. I know my Mom would say that is the power of Breast milk (which I SO believe) but I also think we just got extremely lucky! When it comes to sleep and bottles with the girls, they are completely different. Noelia would never take a bottle or a pacifier. I ended up co-sleeping with her (no regrets) because the girl would not sleep and was attached to my boob as much as she could be. Reina took a bottle and pacifier right away and slept pretty well up until she hit 4 months. Thats when the fun with Reina began and that was in FULL sarcasm!
4 Month Sleep Regression
Reina was a great sleeper until she hit the dreadful sleep regression that all us Mamas are warned about! It was like a switch was turned on in her brain and she was a completely different sleeper! She went from sleeping 6 hour stretches and taking decent naps to a sleep strike in every way, EVERY DAY. She would constantly wake up and only have mayyyybe 1.5-2 hour stretches if we were lucky at night. We. Were. Exhausted. I feel like I am still recovering actually. Since I am working from home now, it became even more crucial to me to get her sleep figured out. Due to the lack of sleep, my patience was thin, I was always on edge, and I was starting to make mistakes with work. I asked my audience over on my Instagram page (@nickyschmaderer_fit)
what sleep training techniques they used with their littles. An overwhelming response said “Taking Cara Babies”, a sleep training program that a former nurse started to help exhausted moms like me. I did my research and contacted some close mom friends that took her course and everyone RAVED about it. The thing I heard most was “it will change your life“. SOLD. COUNT US IN. We purchased the 4mo-24mo course and started sleep training the day after Christmas. A lot of mamas ask me if you have to let them cry and yes, you do but what I love about Cara is that she explains EVERYTHING. She is so thorough. She explains each step and the behaviors associated with your baby and their sleep. You are still able to touch them, reassure them, and dream feed them until they are fully weaned off. IT. WORKS. Reina got the hang of it in about 5 nights. Early mornings are still a challenge for us. Reina wants to be up at 5 am but we are learning that this is because she is not getting enough day-time sleep. I am currently nap training Reina so we will see if there is an improvement. Overall, I am so proud of how far she has come. I definitely recommend Cara’s course! You can find it HERE.
STARTING SOLIDS
Around 5 months we started introducing some solids to Reina. Some of you may think that is too soon, but she showed all the signs of wanting to start. She was sitting up well on her own, grabbing for food, and opening her mouth when we ate in front of her. We started with baby oatmeal and she loved it!! We now mash up bananas and feed that to her often. We strive to do 3x a day of a mashed up whole food as needed. She still drinks breastmilk like a champ & always shows signs of wanting all the milk and food! She is our little eater. Noelia wasn’t that into foods when we started with her and she is still picky to this day, ha!
We love these teething crackers (warning, they make a mess) and this baby food is our go-to to have in hand when we don’t have time to mash something up
Development
Reina appears to be right on track developmentally or even ahead of the game. She started sitting up on her own without assistance a few weeks ago and has been rolling tummy to back and vise versa for a few months. She has always been a strong girl! She now is showing signs of wanting to crawl. I will put an object in front of her (she loves the TV remote) and she will try to get on her knees and sway back and forth. Noelia started crawling around 8 months so we will see when Miss Reina catches on! My guess is she will crawl sooner than 8 months…and then we will REALLY be in trouble. I can already tell she will be my wild little monkey and get into everything!
Goals in Life; to be as confident as Miss Reina Ruby looking at herself in the mirror
These past 6 months have really been the best months of our lives. We got to bring into the world the most precious addition and expand our family. I never thought I could love another baby (especially another girl) the way I love Noelia and I love Miss Reina Ruby with all that I am. Becoming a parent is a true testament of the Lord’s love. There are billions of people in this world and HE LOVES US ALL with the same Agape love. We are all special and unique in His eyes. That is how I would describe loving our children; AGAPE.
NICKNAMES FOR MISS REINA RUBY
Reina Roo
Roo Roo
Reina Rooskie
Chiquita
Chiquita Banana
Rey
Rey Rey
CHEEKS
TIKA-TOO
Reina Del Sur
Papas
Current 6 Month Baby Must-Haves
// TEETHING //
// SLEEP GADGETS //
// DURING THE DAY //
Are you an avid Pinner?! It would mean the world to me if you could pin this image below!
