Andrew Jay is 5 months old today. It's hard to believe that five months ago, on a snowy morning in Texas, our second baby was born, especially considering all that has happened since then. Here's an update on the little guy.
At just a few ounces over 16 pounds, Andrew is ridiculously healthy and happy. He's rolling over (and over again), and he even scoots around and acts as if he's ready to crawl. Not just anything will make him laugh, but belly tickles are a surefire way to get him started with his infectious laughter. His smile lights up a room.
His personality type, according to Secrets of the Baby Whisperer, is touchy, so if he's unhappy, he's miserable, but if he's content, then he's generally squealing and making eyes at anyone who will give him attention. Because he's touchy, a schedule and routine are really helpful. If he wants to eat, please don't change his diaper first! And if he's tired, don't try to feed him! This boy knows what he wants and nothing else will do. That said, overall, he's a sweet & cuddly little baby boy. He's a bit of a mama's boy, which works out well since his sister is a daddy's girl.
He's always happy when he's getting attention, and just like his sister, he's an excellent shopper. Even with both kiddos, I can generally get a week's worth of groceries from Walmart in 45 minutes or less. Isabelle is so sweet with him. She loves bringing him toys or talking to him to keep him entertained. Like Izzy, Andrew is also a great traveler and has done wonderfully on our trips to Gonzales, LA, Lake Charles, LA, and Houston, TX.
His favorite food? Still milk, of course. We'll introduce cereal and other solid foods sometime after he turns 6 months old, which is the latest recommendation from the AAP's Section on Breastfeeeding. He finally started sleeping through the night a couple months ago, but has put that on hold for a growth spurt these past few nights. Andrew loves snuggling up and burying his face in his lovey to go to sleep.
He still has eczema, which has turned out to be a very mild case, requiring a steroid cream only a couple of times a week. I reintroduced dairy into my diet (yay!) and saw no changes in his eczema, so I'm glad I can have cheese and normal milk again. As we've gotten control over the eczema, it seems to have improved. He still has reflux, but as long as he's on Zantac, he's happy and keeping food down.
For those of you concerned about his overall health after surgery, he is in wonderful shape. His surgeon said the only thing left to keep an eye out for is scoliosis. Since his muscles were cut into on his left side to remove the upper half of his lung, it's possible the muscles on the right side may be stronger, resulting in slightly lopsided growth. It's also likely that he could not end up with this at all. It's just something to look out for as he grows.
Being so young at the time of surgery bodes well for his growth and development. At 3 months of age, he was slightly behind the average baby, but at 5 months, he's average in some areas and ahead in others. His well baby checkups have been great. He'll have another x-ray and checkup with the surgeon in Dallas in December, and after that, he will be released.
As you look at his picture, your eyes are not deceiving you. We have ended up with two little ones who look just like their daddy. Andrew does have fair skin and his hair may be lighter, but it's hard to tell since it's all just peach fuzz. But at this point, his features are all just like his daddy's. Maybe that's why I'm in love with his sweet little face.
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