Tessa Finley - 6 Month Update

I realized today that I haven't published any updates about Tessa since she was born! Originally, I planned to write a new post every month to share how she was growing and changing, but then the busyness of motherhood and homemaking would take over and they would never get finished. There are probably a lot of you who were wondering what happened to us and how things are going!

How She's Changed
Considering I never got around to those monthly posts, Tessa has changed a LOT. I've been taking pictures on the thirteenth day of each month to chronicle how much she's growing and changing. Here are the pictures, starting from when she was one week old:

G and I laugh because her mature and exaggerated facial expressions make her seem more like a little girl than a six month old baby. She has a very feisty personality, and will let you know quickly if she doesn't like something or someone. We suspect that she is going to strong-willed when she's older, mostly because she already is! Although she has a flair for the melodramatic, she is also very sweet, funny, and intelligent. Tessa giggles and squeals with excitement, and there is nothing better than looking down at her while she reaches up, touches my face, and stares at me curiously with those big, blue eyes. She truly is a joy to be around, and I'm excited to see how her personality will continue to blossom as she grows.

We kept her crib in our room until she was five months old, and then we moved her upstairs to her own room. She was no longer waking during the night for feedings or dirty diaper changes, so it seemed like a good time to make that transition. At first we weren't sure how it would go, but I really believe all of us sleep so much better now. Tessa took to the new sleeping arrangements beautifully, and without a single issue. She sleeps from about 7:00pm/7:30pm to 7:00am. Some mornings, I have to wake her up to feed her because she's still snoozing away! She also has one scheduled nap at 9:00am, and will sleep anywhere from an hour and a half to three hours. She doesn't have a scheduled afternoon nap, but usually will catnap for 30 minutes to an hour around 2pm.

Since we've been following Dr. Denmark's schedule, Tessa started solids at 3 months. And before you throw any stones, know that her pediatrician gave us the green light (though he personally disagreed on the timing) and Tessa did very well with it! She eats a mixture of pureed foods after every nursing session, and is growing at a consistent rate. So far, she's had oatmeal, brown rice, eggs, chicken, black-eyed peas, greek yogurt, sweet potatoes, carrots, green beans, peas, winter squash, butternut squash, pumpkin, spinach, applesauce, bananas, prunes, pears, and a few mixed squeeze pouches with lentils and quinoa. It seems like maybe she's had a couple of other fruits and veggies as well, but I don't remember what they are at the moment. I usually take a protein and mix it with fruit, vegetables, and a starch. Because there is a lot of fruit in the puree, she doesn't really notice the flavors that aren't as sweet, so she's getting a lot of wonderful nutrients from the mush. The plan is to keep her continue with this way of eating until her second birthday, at which point I will switch her over to the THM eating schedule.

Tessa will be crawling very soon! She can already hold herself up while standing (though will topple over quickly if she starts bouncing with excitement), and as of yesterday can lift one arm in the air while she's on her hands and knees. I think she will be all over the place and into everything the second it clicks in her brain! G and I are already planning a trip to Babies R Us to get some cabinet locks. She is also very talkative, and mostly says "ma ma ma" or "na na na." When she wants me to get her, she'll start fussing and saying "ma" repeatedly, so I think she's making the connection between me and "Mama." She recently started lifting her arms a bit when she wants you to pick her up, and she will reach for me if someone else is holding her and she's over it. Tessa is suspicious of people she doesn't see on a regular basis, and gets very upset if someone she isn't familiar with tries to hold her. That's normal for babies, and I'm not going to force her to go to someone if she isn't comfortable yet. I was always a shy little girl, and though I don't think she's shy, I can certainly understand why she wouldn't want to be held by someone she doesn't know.

After a lot of prayer and intense study, G and I did decide to get the dTap and Polio shots for Tessa. Neither of them use aborted fetal cell lines (if you don't know what I'm referring to, I really encourage you to do some research), and that combination was relatively low in aluminum. Anyway, we decided that the consequences of Tessa getting whooping cough, tetanus, diphtheria, or polio (as slim as the chances may be) outweighed the possible risk of vaccination injury in this case. We deemed the other shots as unnecessary, either because she had no need for it (as in the case of HepB) or it would not give her an immunity (such as the flu shot as well as the chicken pox vaccine, where immunity can be lost over time). All of the other vaccines compromise our religious convictions and pro-life stance, so we will be avoiding them as well. However, this is something we will continue to research. If future vaccines are introduced that do not use aborted fetal cell lines in their development, various illnesses begin to increase in society, and the new vaccines prove to be a safe an effective way to combat those illnesses, we will revisit the situation at that time. I understand that many who read this update will take offense to our decision but our responsibility is to do what we believe is best for Tessa, not for anyone else's child. I can assure you I've looked at all sides of this issue and spent years in intense research, so please understand that this was a very informed decision. Anyway, she's had her first dose of dTap and Polio, and there was no obvious reaction apart from a very low fever for a couple of days in the evenings. I will be doing my part with Tessa's diet and lifestyle to cultivate excellent health as she grows, and a healthy immune system is the best way to avoid illness.

How We Are Doing
G and I are getting lots of sleep at night again, which is really wonderful. It was tough for the first few months. I still try to sleep while she's napping in the mornings, but being on plan with THM is really helping to increase my energy levels. G has finished several projects around the house (which I hope to write an update about soon) including installing a whole-house water filter, finishing the window trim and chimney chase in the living room, and working to reinstall the central vacuum system that was in the house when we moved in (but had to be cut out to make room for the HVAC ducts when we upgraded everything). We love being parents, and feel like we've found our "parenting groove." Hopefully it won't take another six months to write the next update on Tessa (though I am already planning her first birthday party)! Keep checking back here for updates!

We hope you had a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!