6 months old

You’re six months old now, halfway through your first year! It is incredible how much you have changed since birth, in such a short amount of time—you’ve gone from a floppy, myopic little thing to a goofy, busy girl. You weigh 15 lbs. 9 oz. and are 25.6 inches long and are such a happy, smiley, giggly baby! The pediatrician says you are a very active, alert little girl, and that’s so true.

We had so much fun this month! Since you can sit up unassisted now, you love how you can play with whatever you see—and you’re starting to lunge forward to get toys that are just out of reach. Recently, at a mommy-baby playgroup, where you had so much fun watching the bigger babies toddle about, you discovered all kinds of new toys, so we went out to thrift stores and stocked up on rolling/blinking/talking/jingling toysies for you to explore. We also go to the park when it’s nice out (it’s been a mild winter here in Georgia) with some of your baby friends and you swing and try the slides. You always enjoy the outdoors, so sometimes we’ll sit on the rockers on the porch and just watch the birdies at the birdfeeder, the people walking the dogs, the trees moving in the wind, the squirrels chattering.

You love to grab and crinkle up the mail every day when it comes after your afternoon nap, and you stick lots of things in your mouth. You also love your jumping exersaucer; it has so many interesting toys and you can twirl and bob around in there and choose what to play with all on your own. Being upside-down is also a favorite (I think you like how different everything looks), and you giggle like crazy when Daddy gives you loud kisses on your tummy and back. When Daddy comes home, you always have a big, big smile for him—you think he is so much fun! Mommy is really boring in comparison.

But we do have our fun. You like peek-a-boo, and patty-cake, and the ABC song is absolutely hilarious to you. By the letter D you are always grinning! I’m trying to teach you to clap, high-five, and give kisses. You know, ever since you were 2.5 months old you’ve enjoyed standing, and you especially like us to hold your hands while you stand and rock you back and forth on your feet. But now you have started moving your arms to rock yourself all by yourself when we do it—you’re really strong and determined! This month we took our first bath together, so it was your first time in a tub full of water instead of being in the baby tub. You had so much fun splashing the water and grabbing at your bath toys! You loved the sounds and how the toys kept moving around in the wake of your splashes. And you are starting to enjoy story time more; you love to grab at and pat the books while I read them, and try to turn the pages!

Lately you’ve started sleeping 12 hours at a stretch. Mommy misses cuddling you at night, but you’re growing fast and need your rest. You also take two good naps every day, usually at around 11 AM and 3 PM. We started using cloth diapers on you, in all different colors, and they look so cute! As for food, you’re still just on milk but we’ll start you on solids within the next month, I think. What an adventure that will be! I wonder what you’ll think. And you also had your first real cold this month, but it only disturbed your sleep for one night, poor thing. Now you just have a runny nose, but you don’t seem to mind. After your six-month vaccinations you were a little sadder than usual, but you fared much better than after your four-month ones. It was only a few days ago and now you’re happy as a clam again!

Now that I’m back in graduate school one afternoon a week, your Grandmama comes and watches you. She always tells me how you smiled and shrieked in fun during her visits. You give her a shy smile when she comes, and try to bury your head in my neck, but then you remember what fun she is and enjoy bouncing on her knee. She likes to take you around the house to look at the animals, and you enjoy watching the birdie eat a peanut, and she tells you all kinds of stories. I’m so glad you are getting to know her!

Your Papa Bear sent you a beautiful hand-drawn Valentine’s Day card and a book for your half-birthday that we’ll read when you are older, and we made Valentine’s Day cards out of your footprint. It is so much bigger now than when you were born! Your Daddy keeps comparing the two and marveling at how you have grown. He likes to tell you that you wouldn’t be able to fit inside Mommy anymore! You wouldn’t want to be in there anymore, anyway—you would miss watching and interacting with the world like you love to do now.

You really study the animals very closely; Pudding is still your favorite, though we have to work hard to keep you from pulling out a chunk of her fur, and when the puppies playfight, you have started laughing and banging your hands up and down in excitement. It’s so cute! Whenever you see Pudding, you twist and hurl your body around in your efforts to get close enough to “pet” her. You just think she is too fascinating!

And when you do try to talk, it’s often to her, too. You aren’t truly babbling yet, though you do say, “muh muh muh” when you are sad and want to be picked up. Maybe that will turn into “Mama” sometime soon! However, you do vocalize a lot, mostly in shrieks and squeals right now—you love to see how loud you can be! Alice, the parrot, is starting to imitate all the fun sounds you make. I wonder what you think about Alice, by the way, since she talks just like Daddy, if it’s confusing. You’re a smart girl; I bet you know the difference!

You are a wondrous, amazing person, and we adore you! Happy half-birthday!

Love from
Mama