Dot is half a year old, which is so hard to believe! She’s been changing so much these days, with new skills and cute little noises on the regular.  I thought I’d give an update on what life’s been like with this sweet little girl in partnership with Gerber’s advanced feeding system, Babynes. Keeping reading to find out about the struggles with her low weight, update on her hemangioma birthmark, and how she’s adored by her siblings…

Oh man, we love this little girl. It’s so cute to see how her siblings adore her as well. Henry happily kisses and holds her on the couch while I sort laundry on the floor. Edie has her moments of jealousy, but for the most part, she’s very sweet and happy to help grab a diaper or feed Dot a spoonful peas. She’s especially into all of the baby toys and loves to bury Dot under piles of them when I turn the other way.

In terms of skills, Dot’s getting really close to sitting up on her own. We prop her in front of throw pillows and watch her wobble and tip like a bobble head. She loves grabbing anything in sight in a split second from a sibling’s hair to a bowl of hot soup (yikes!). She also giggles and makes all kinds of adorable verbals sounds that we interpret as chatty and thought provoking dinner conversation.

We still get a lot of questions about the red, raised spot on her head. It’s called a hemangioma. It’s kind of funny because adults rarely say anything (they’re too polite), it’s always the kids that ask the questions out of concern, “Oh no! She’s got an ouchie!” And yeah, it totally looks like she got hurt, like a blood blister. Luckily, it doesn’t hurt her at all. It’s a pretty common kind of birthmark that grows aggressively the first few months and then starts to flatten and disappear by age 5 or so. We were concerned about it for the first little while, although the doctor never has been. There are medications we can give to help it flatten it, but it would also require some side effects that we aren’t comfortable with. Since it doesn’t bother her, we’re good with letting it take its course. It’s already started to lighten up in color and soften.

A big recent change is that we’ve had to start supplementing a bit with Dot. At her 4-month check-up, her weight had dropped enough significant percentiles that her doctor recommended it. I had mixed feelings about having to supplement with formula. On one hand, it’s a relief to know she’s getting enough food now, but there was something that made me feel like I had done something wrong. Maybe I hadn’t nursed her frequently enough or long enough. Maybe going back to work or her being our 3rd baby had something to do with it. There’s a lot going on around here, and sometimes I’m not the most attentive mother as I should be. Ya know, textbook mom guilt stuff.

I hadn’t needed to use the BabyNes machine before and was excited to test it out. Gerber agrees that breastfeeding is the very best for baby, but sometimes it’s not a viable option, or you need to supplement (like in our case). BabyNes is the most advanced alternative with six different stages of formula for each stage of development. Just like your body’s breastmilk changes as the baby grows, so does the formula grow with your baby’s needs.

It essentially works like a little espresso machine. You put in a formula pod, add water, push a button, and a perfectly mixed (no chunks) bottle warmed to the perfect temperature comes pouring out. It’s also wi-fi enabled, so if you have another care taker or partner making the bottle, you can keep track of when and how much is being fed. It’s so easy and amazingly convenient. Dot takes the BabyNes formula bottle much easier than a regular formula too, which makes going back and forth between bottle and breast much easier.

This news that we needed to start supplementing from our doctor also came right before I had to do some traveling without Dot. Jared was determined to fatten her up and ended up feeding her a lot while I was gone. And she totally gained weight! We also started feeding solids pretty aggressively and now she has 3-4 regular meals a day.  Since then she’s continued to gain weight!  I got a solid high-five from our doctor at her 6-month check-up two weeks ago because she’s jumped up a couple percentiles.

Hooray for surviving half a year, Dot! We love you to pieces!

Thanks to the Gerber feeding system, BabyNes, for sponsoring this post and celebrating all mothers on their feeding journeys.  You can get the machine on babynes.com, receive your first box of formula complementary AND I have an exclusive $50 off on your BabyNes machine by using code SMARTNUTRITION at checkout. Valid through 11/30. They also offer 90 days money back guarantee starting when you introduce formula so you can try out the feeding system risk free. 

Photography by Ashley Batz for Say Yes. My denim dress from Asos (last year). Dot’s blush romper is from Mabo Kids. Thanks to my friend Kim for letting us shoot in her gorgeous kitchen!