We went in for Samuel’s six month check up on Friday, and the doctor had some concerns about his weight gain, or lack thereof. When Sam was born he was smack-dab in the middle- 50th percentile at seven and a half pounds. He did fine the first few months, even though we had a lot of struggles with breastfeeding, but kept steadily declining on the growth charts. I know that a lot of people don’t put a whole lot of trust in the growth charts, and I realize they are just ‘guidelines’, but Sam had almost completely stopped gaining weight (yet was still getting taller) so there was some reason for concern. He isn’t quite up to 15 lbs, which puts him officially off the charts in terms of weight, and he is just over 26 inches, somewhere in the 30th percentile for height.

So, the doctor wants us to try to get as many calories into Sam as possible, so on top of increasing the amount of nursing sessions a day we are going to do 3 ‘solid’ meals a day. Sam loves to eat, so it’s no problem for us, but trying to figure out higher calorie foods for him to eat is a bit harder than I thought. Avacado’s aren’t in season right now, and the ones I found were kind of nasty looking, but upon some suggestions from other mama’s I am adding coconut oil to his sweet potatoes and carrots. It’s really high in calories and very mild tasting.

But other than his apparent lack of being able to gain weight, Sam is ahead on almost all of his milestones! He is rolling both ways, sitting unassisted and can crawl by doing “The Worm” it’s hilarious- he pushes himself up onto his arms (like a pushup) and then fill launch off and arch his back and flop himself forward. It’s entertaining to watch! He is grabbing and pinching and loves to give open mouth kisses on my cheeks. He also loves blowing raspberries. Yesterday the weather was fantastic, so we went on a really long walk around town and Sam got to try out the swings for the first time. He was in heaven! He absolutely loved it and wouldn’t stop smiling and giggling. I wish I had thought ahead enough to bring my camera with me! He’s also finally sprouting a little bit of hair on top of his head! It’s still pretty blond, so it’s hard to see in pictures, but it’s there alright!

And starting today we’re babysitting another little girl 3 days a week while her mama is in class at U of I, and I am hoping that it goes well, Sam is a bit of a social baby, so I am hoping that he is good while she’s here. Maybe she can teach him some new tricks, too, since she is 3 months older.

If anyone has any tips for fattening up a lil’ baby, feel free to leave your suggestions in the comments!