Mya's 6 Month Update ⋆ Growing Up Kemper

Since COVID struck, we are making big celebrations out of little moments. We’ve had half birthday parties, cake for our favorite stuffed animals, a whole room made into a fort just because we finally got a rainy day. We’re making things special that would typically be just a regular day.

So imagine how we’re handling Mya turning 6 months! Not only is the entire family completely obsessed with her and she can do no wrong in our eyes, but she’s hitting milestone after milestone that the boys can actually see and understand. She’s growing up right before our eyes and we are celebrating each and every moment BIG! ❤

Eating

Mya’s down to eating 5 times a day, every single day. I nurse her three times with 2 bottles in between. Honestly, I probably could easily take away one of her feeding times in the afternoon, but I’m more concerned with my supply dropping off a cliff. It works for now so we’re keeping it.

And YES! I am still nursing. I went 6 months with Jackson and only about 4 months with Colton, but I give myself grace with him. I had Colton whenever Jackson was just 21 months old. I was reaaaaallly in it. 😳

I haven’t had the pull to stop nursing sweet Mya Girl just yet. It’s a fair mix of her being my last baby, nursing coming so easily for us, and that we’ve been home basically every single day since she was born. First, the dead of winter. Then, the pandemic. It’s been easy to keep it up when we’re not hauling around from place to place every single day.

It works, so I’m going to keep at it. And I’m not ready to give that part of us up just yet. I want to keep that alone time with her, that connection, and that bond.

As far as real food, homegirl LOVES to eat! She snacks on everything from pureed fruits and veggies to crackers to cheese to really whatever we’re eating that day. So far the only real dislike has been eggs. She can roll with almost anything, but eggs are a look of sheer grossness, gag a little, and spit it back out kind of reaction. 🙂 We’ve tried all the big allergy foods and so far, we haven’t had any issues. Whew!

Sleeping

I haven’t seen Mya in the middle of the night since she was 8 weeks old. That was mid-February. Man, she’s amazing. She goes down for bed around 7pm and then wakes anywhere from 6-7:30am. It started to fluctuate a little and turn a little earlier, but I’m awake already, so I never mind an earlier start with just my girl and I. I love the peacefulness of the morning, and she is just fine with that, too. Never any chaos, never really loud. We just snuggle together and take in the start to the day.

As for naps, she’s hit a bit of a regression this week, but MOST days she takes 1.5-2 hour naps twice a day, followed by a short nap to just make it to bedtime.

She’s no longer swaddled, but sleeps in a fleece sleep sack. When we remodeled our home a couple years ago, we added a second HVAC system to our upstairs to keep the two stories regulated. Year round, we have our upstairs set at 69 degrees at night and 72 during the day. She’ll keep that fleece even in the hottest of hot days. 🙂

All About Mya

Starting just this week, Mya fed herself for the first time! She picked a piece of cracker off her high chair tray and was able to put it straight in her mouth! Woohoo! That hand-eye coordination is really charging up…and her dad is loving it! Future athlete on our hands, Jerod? 😉
We’re officially saying that Mya can sit up independently! We still have those moments where she leans a little too much and goes down, but we’re writing it on her calendar, so it’s official. 😊
At 3 months, Mya started rolling from belly to back. At 4 months, she started rolling from back to belly. Ever since, she’s a little gymnast! She flips herself around so fast, it seems like the smallest bit of effort needed. There’s an effortlessness and grace to her right now that I can’t wait to see develop!
Mya doesn’t like to sleep on her stomach. I lay her down on her back and she’ll barely move around her crib at night, always staying on her back. The boys were big time movers and loved to almost instantly flip over to their bellies to sleep. Not Mya! She loves sucking her thumb and sleeping right there on her back.
Baby girl’s eyes are still ever-so-slightly cross eyed, so I’m looking forward to her doctor’s appointment on Tuesday to discuss what our options are moving forward to strengthen her eye. Mya’s right eye seems to be the strong eye, while her left is the weaker. I’m certain we will probably be patching her in the future, but we’ll see what our pediatrician says. Regardless, her eyes are a gorgeous grey-blue that I have all the eye envy over! I have dark hair and eyes, born with eyes almost black. Three kids and not a single one has my hair or eye color. All light brown hair with green, grey, and grey-blue eyes. What?!

This month hit me a little harder than the last. I’ve started seeing her lose some of her baby things that I adored so much. No more baby bald spot on the back of her head. No more being held in my Boba wrap while I make dinner. No more lounging in her bath tub. It’s all about sitting up and being on the move. A tooth is in her near future. And she’s talking up a storm. All such amazing moments that I thank God for allowing me to witness, but I’m already looking back and realizing how fast it went. Slow it down, girl. We’ve got plenty of time to grow up. For now, let’s stay my baby just awhile longer. 🤍