I feel like this has been a really big month for us. This is one "month milestone" that did not catch me off guard. I have been gearing myself up for you turning six months old, and today was the day. Even though I was prepared, I feel like you got drastically bigger just during the day today. I swear that you are talking more, smiling more, grabbing at things more, nursing more socially, looking around more, and just being more and more cuter. I guess you realized it was your half birthday too!
In spite of all your "getting bigger," there are some ways that you are definitely staying a baby. I actually think you were more of a cuddler this month than you have been any of the other months. You fell asleep in my arms a few times while we were at the beach. You allowed me to rock you to sleep in the brown chair on a few evening occasions where your shorter afternoon nap didn't quite get you all the way to bedtime. You have converted to liking the Ergo. I had to show you a few times that you really can still suck your fingers while in it, but now you believe me. I love it too. When you ride in it, it is like you are giving me a constant hug. We both are pretty comfortable that way it seems. We took another Disney trip this month, and you were even more content now that you were willing to chill and then nap in the Ergo. I'm loving the cuddly side of you.
You rolled over for the first time just a couple of days into this month. It was when the Wessels were getting ready to head back to Maine, and it really caught me off guard. You were just chilling under your "hi baby" toy and the next thing I knew you were on your belly. You seemed pretty proud of yourself, and you did it quite a few more times that day. It quickly became a fact that within two minutes of being placed on your back, you would roll to your belly, even if you didn't really like it once you had done it. Since you know spend a lot more time on your stomach, your head control is getting much better! Two weeks later you figured out how to roll off your stomach and back onto your back. You did it twice that day and haven't done it since. I would really think that that direction would actually be much easier, but who knows. Silly girl.
(Taken with the camera on my phone, right after you rolled for the first time.)
You got pretty sick again this month. We'll blame your loving older siblings again. One Sunday afternoon you woke up from your nap with a cough, and by 5:00 you had a goopey eye, and by 8:00 you had a fever. The doctor put you on an antibiotic for your eye, and that cleared up quickly. Your cough and congestion moved to your chest, and you had to be put on the nebulizer and a steroid for your breathing. It was wheezy and pretty rapid, but just as I was starting to get more worried, your breathing slowed down. I am thankful. Also thankful that you seem to have escaped catching the most recent cold M & M have had. Glad your immune system is growing!
You have discovered Peekaboo this month. When I put your bunny blankie on your face, you will pull it off and smile at me. It is fun to interact with you more. You also learned to sit up kind of out of the blue. You are so "go with the flow" that you were willing to lay on the floor and look at your toy gyms, and I wasn't really thinking twice about it. I typically still hold you in the facing out position that you like so much, and you aren't crazy about spending time in an exersaucer or jumper. Your head control was getting better, but I really didn't think you were getting close to sitting up yet. You were starting to really like standing up on my lap, either facing out or in, and we realized that we hadn't really tried you much in a sitting position. One day we tried it, and we realized you could do it if we held your legs on the sides. We helped you do it for a few more days, and then I realized that you could do it for quite awhile if you just held onto one of my fingers for balance. Then you were able to sit up on your own for about 30 seconds. The next day it was 2 minutes(ish). And then it was five minutes or more. You will still fall down, of course, but it seems like you are getting better about realizing when you are going to fall and bracing for it. You typically fall onto your belly, and you don't seem phased by it. You are an official sitter now. You will play with toys more in this position. Sometimes you even play with toys with your feet so that you can keep balancing yourself with your hands. It makes us smile.
I think you are getting more hair. It is soft and blonde, but there is definitely more. When I put a headband on your head, it is clear that it is actually holding down some hair now, not just a little bit of fuzz stuck to your head. It seems like you have about as much hair as Micah did at 6 months. If you continue to track with him, you'll have quite a head full of hair at 1 year. We'll see. I'll love you regardless, of course.
You are getting a little freer with your sense of humor. You consistently laugh whenever anyone jumps up and down in front of you. You will now grant your immediate family with the privilege of a laugh, not just strangers. Mackenna got you to crack up the other day as she danced around in front of you waving a strand of beads in the air. All was going well until she hit you in the head with that strand of beads - oops (Mommy knows nothing about what it is like to hit you in the head. She has never dropped a camera on your head - no. never.) You also will laugh at the kitty cats sometimes. They really attract your attention; you will follow their every move. Cushan will rub up against you, and you have definitely petted him and given him some love. If you are anything like your sister, you'll be best buds soon.
We haven't started any solid foods with you yet, and I haven't decided if I'm going to yet. You are still nursing well, and I'm confident that exclusive nursing is actually the most calorie rich way to fill your belly. For now, I think that is what we'll stick with. We'll see. I am very curious what you weigh. I think you are growing and filling out, but I also think you might have fallen off your growth curve a little bit. I'm very curious to see what that scale says at your check up tomorrow. Besides it saying that you are perfect.
Your naps have been getting a little shorter, which I think has contributed to your occasional crankiness, but that also could be your teeth that haven't surfaced yet. If you are really tired, you will cover your eyes with your right hand while sticking your middle two left fingers in your mouth. We have decided this position is now the international sign for "I'm done." You have been a little crankier this month than previously, sometimes you are only happy for about an hour after waking up from a nap, instead of two or two and a half. However, for the most part, even if you are way past nap or way past feeding time, if someone is holding you, you really don't put up a fuss or fight. You were mama's little companion as I worked at the Global Outreach Conference at church, and you were just along for the ride on my hip or in the Ergo. You were happy as a clam because you were with me, even though you were tired and hungry sometimes I'm sure. And then there came a point where you weren't happy, you were done, and everyone knew it (you gave the international sign). But you reached that point way past the time where you were fully justified to reach it.
Here is your routine, as of now.
(You no longer sleep through the night. Haven't all month. We are rolling with it.)
- Around 5 or 6ish you usually wake and nurse and then go back to bed...still in your pack n play in the bathroom (without the bassinet part now).
- You wake sometime around 8 and nurse and start our day.
- Back in bed between 9:30 and 10 - usually don't nurse before this nap - swaddled on your back
- Nap until noon - HOPEFULLY - but at least until sometime after 11 - nurse
- Play until 2ish - depending on how long the first nap was
- Nurse before afternoon nap - swaddle on back - sleep until sometime between 4 and 5
- If you wake before 4 or 4:30, you have a really hard time making it very long in the evening. Sometimes you will catnap, or it just means that we have to put a little more effort into making you happy in the evening. If we are on the go, this isn't usually a problem.
- Sometimes you get a bath at night - but not every night - sorry :)
- You will nurse and go to bed between 7 and 8
- Sometimes I wake you up before I go to bed around 11 to nurse you - to hope that you will sleep until 8 - but this hasn't been happening, so I might stop waking you. We'll see.
And that is your day :)
Also, you wake up really happy. I would love it if this would continue throughout childhood. Happy wakerupers make for much happier and smoother mornings, just saying.
Your brother and sister still adore you. Micah probably says at least four times a week, "I love having a baby sister, mom." Today he added, "I love having one baby sister, mom." I do too, buddy. I really do love that you are a single baby. I love getting to know you differently than I knew the twins. I love taking care of you and not feeling so overwhelmed. You fit in our family, and I'm really not too frazzled about it. That is great. (I was even able to take all three of you to the beach without dad one day this month. You had your fussy moments, but I was able to handle it, because there is only one of you. So thankful!) Mackenna adores you, but I must say that she expresses this adoration mostly by showering her baby Raelyn with love. That is probably a separate story, but it is safe to say that Raelyn is a well fed, well changed, well dressed, well played with, well photographed little baby doll - as you are.
We really do love you and are so very thankful for you. Daddy says that if we have more children it will be because of you and how easy you were. We'll see. All I know is that I really am enjoying being your mom. The way you were babbling and getting more active today made me excited to keep finding out the girl you are going to turn into. I can't wait to get to know you more.
I love you,
Your Mama
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