Six Months! (Half a year old!!)

Dear Adeline Grace,

            My oh my, baby girl, you are six months old! That's half a year old! How did that happen? I say it every month, but this was my favorite month! (Your Daddy says it too.) You know we'll say the same thing about the next month, and the the next, and so on.  We say it every month.  But my what a spunky, excitable baby you are these days! We love it...and we love you!! We've already decided that one day you will win Miss Congeniality!

So what have we learned about you this month and what have you been up to in your sixth month of life?

Here are some of your firsts this month...

-On 4.10.12, you pulled a glass to your mouth on your own for the first time to "take a drink".  We hadn't been working with you on this at all! You just seemed so interested and knew exactly what to do.  I would say we can call you very observant!

-On 4.11.12, you said "Dada" for teh 1st time (intentionally, probably not...but that's okay!).  Daddy got very excited!  You were on your changing table at the time and he came running back in to see you and kept saying "Say Dada" to you.  You started cracking up, which was your first time to really cackle and laugh.

-On 4.13.12, it was your first time hiking! We visited a local state park.  We had a picnic lunch, let you swing, and lots of fun family time! You really enjoyed hiking and being carried in the backpack. You slept through some of it!

-On 4.17.12, we caved and you tried organic carrots for the first time! You LOVED them! You had about a tablespoon.  You showed no negative reaction to them...yay!

-On 4.21.12, you used your sippy cup for the first time.  You seemed to think you were such a big girl and acted very professional about it.

-On 4.22.12, we started rice cereal back up.  You now eat a couple tablespoons of organic rice cereal when Mommy and Daddy eat dinner.  You really love it! You open your mouth when we say "ahhh" like you are a little bird! You LOVE to eat!

-On 4.29.12, it was your first time eating in your high chair! You LOVED it.  You feel like such a big girl! You are not crazy about having a bib on, though, and love to tear it off while you eat in your chair.  You like having your sippy cup on your tray and reach for it when you want a drink.  You also have a "mealtime only" toy that you love to play with when you are finished eating and Mommy is cleaning up the kitchen.  (It's this silly light-up monkey that you can make play music.  You adore this!)

-On 5.3.12, you had a couple firsts.  It was your first time in a pool.  We bought you a bright pink blow-up pool that you loved getting in. You splashed like crazy and your Daddy got in with you, which was so fun to you! On this day, you also played with homemade, edible finger paint your mommy made for you.  You enjoyed squishing it between your hands on your high chair tray, but you didn't try to bring it to your mouth.

-On 5.5.12, you celebrated your first Derby! We went to a Derby/College graduation party for your Uncle Matt's at your grandparents.  We went to your Uncle Matt's graduation from UK the next day.  You were such a trooper all weekend and everyone decided that you were quite the partier based on how much fun you seemed to have all weekend.

-On 5.8.12, you tried organic sweet potatoes for the firs time.  You had about 1- 1 1/2 tablespoons and you liked them a lot.  You made a funny face at first, but then kept opening your mouth for more.  At this point, if we let you, you will pull the bowl of food to your mouth like you're going to down all the food at once.  It's like you're saying, "Forget the spoon, Mom!"

This month you also:

-starting reaching out and grabbing toys as you want them (entertaining yourself)
-sitting up on your own (we still give you a little support because you get wobbly)
-became so interested in food and drink
-started eating "real food" at dinnertime (rice and a veggie)
-"fake drinking" and laughing when you are in your high chair
-playing peek-a-boo yourself with us
-started laughing and smiling all  the time (You always smile at someone when they talk to you or smile at you.  You especially do this when Mommy and Daddy smiles at you.  Melts my heart every time.)
-make an "ohhhh" face (even to strangers)
-started chewing your tongue
-make your Sophie giraffe squeak on your own
-reach out to pet Boone (you also catch his eyes across the room and smile and talk to him as though he's another person in the room)
-crawling/scooting backward (we have to watch you close now, because you will scoot right off the end of your changing table if we let you)

 

So what do you like and dislike?

You love…

-taking walks
-chewing and holding onto your Sophie giraffe
-your Boone
-eating in your high chair
-swimming in your pool
-to touch and grab for things

(continued from last month...)

-your Jumperoo and Exersaucer (this month, you really go to town in your Jumperoo and make it bounce insanely crazy)
-smiling (still all the time); this includes smiling back when people smile at you
-talking
-getting your picture taken (you smile when we say "cheese"--oh my! what a ham!)
-chewing on toys

You dislike…

-sitting still
-being in your carseat in the car, awake and not moving (not a fan at all!)
-getting your diaper changed and changing your clothes (you are just so wiggly!!)

 
What are your sizes?

You are still in 3 month and 6 month sleepers.  You are in mainly in 6 month and 6-9 month clothing.  You are in size 2 diapers when in disposables and are now in the second snap setting on your cloth diapers!

No doctor check-up this month, but you are around 16.5 lbs or so and you seem to be getting longer and longer.  You still have a petite little head and petite little feet.  Your rolls continue to bunch up on your little legs and arms.  LOVE them!!

 What are your eating habits like?

You started the month with the same schedule you followed at 4 months.  However, you started stretching your feedings more on your own and seemed to get yourself into a breakfast, lunch, dinner, bedtime snack and middle of the night snack routine.  We went with it and changed your feeding schedule about halfway through the month.  You are still exclusively taking breastmilk at 1/2 a year old.  (Yay! Here's to another half a year!) During the week when Mommy is working, you now nurse for 15-20 minutes around 5:00 am, take a 6 oz bottle at 8:00 am , take a 6 oz bottle at noon, nurse for 10 minutes at 4:00, eat rice cereal and a veggie at dinnertime (usually around 6ish), and then nurse at bedtime (8:00 pm) for about 10-15 minutes.  When Mommy is home, you exclusively breastfeed.  I really like this new schedule because it makes more sense and seems to set the tone for the rest of your day.  With our work schedules and when you wake up, it wasn't working to feed your right when you wake up.  Now, you are basically eating within 30 minutes of waking up.

You love to eat, but can become distracted.  If your Daddy or Boone is around when you are nursing, I have to make sure they are quiet or leave the room or you will not focus to nurse.  You are so funny.

How is your sleeping?

Well, sweet little one, you seem to be getting more into your naps these days! I really think it's helping that your day gets going with a feeding within 30 minutes of you waking up.  It sets the course for your day.  We still do the same bedtime routine (which is going great!)  We do read some night but some nights we don't, because you're so sleepy.  We put you down between 8 and 8:30 and you go to sleep quickly, with no fuss on your own.  (You love the whale setting on your sleep sheep and your paci in your mouth.  We only cover you with a blanket once you're asleep...because if not, it becomes a toy.)  You sleep until your early morning feeding.  You immediately go back to sleep until you wake around 7:30 (a bit later on weekends).  You now take a nap about an hour after your feedings (so around 9:30 ish and 1:30ish). You still take about 20-30 minutes to get yourself to sleep at naptime.  You also cat nap in the evening.  Sometimes, if you need it, I lay you down for a set nap around 6 ish.  Your naps are usually around an hour.  You often wake up about 30-45 minutes after your go to sleep and need some help getting back to sleep. Your grandma wrote in my baby book around this age, that I fought naps.  Hmmmm...that sounds a bit familiar! ;)

So what makes you, you this month?

You brighten our lives beyond our imagination.  You are so full of life.  I am definitely biased, but I have never been around a baby with such a happy, easy-going, lovable nature.  What a joy you are to everyone you come in contact with.  Strangers immediately melt over you.  You are beautiful on the inside and out.  Your gorgeous, blue eyes have so much soul shine through them.  What a special gift you are...and what a gift I know you will be to so many as God forms and molds you into the little girl He plans.  We love you with very ounce of us.

                                                                                                    Love,

                                                                                                    Mommy and Daddy