Annie :: 6 Months Old

Ten days have passed since Annie's half birthday. What? How did that happen so quickly. Surprisingly, so much has changed in those last ten days. I am going to try to accurately capture her right at the 6 month mark.

Our little princess is growing up too quickly. I'll admit that at times I still worry about missing anything she does.  I am definitely guilty of staying home more than anyone should admit. But she's just changing so quickly. I send James videos daily and we can hardly believe the changes over night. As much as I miss my snuggly newborn, every stage becomes my new "favorite." Lets be honest though - every stage is amazing. 

Annie is on the move. This is the biggest thing in her life at the moment. She still does about four crawls and then goes to her belly. But my goodness she can get somewhere in a hurry with her odd little crawl. I sometimes wonder if she will ever really crawl, since she does so well with her own moves. She is also starting to use her arms more and more to pull on things. It will only be a matter of time before she is pulling herself up. (this is one thing that has already changed in the last ten days)

Her happiest time is still in the mornings - when James is here. I live for that hour. She crawls all over him with this huge grin the entire time. When he walks into the bathroom to get ready she piers over my legs and follows his every move. I usually put her down while he is doing his morning routine and she crawls all around his feet and in the closet. The best hour of the day.

She sits up like a champ and rarely topples over anymore. It is so amazing how fast they learn these skills. She loves her hands and will twirl them in a motion and just stare. It is hilarious. She also rolls her hands on just about every surface. Sometimes I will hear her hands scratching the sheets in the baby monitor before I even hear her make a peep. She is also pretty ticklish but hates to be tickled on her feet.

One day Annie woke up and was piercing her lips and making this silly blowing sound. We could not figure out how she just woke up doing it. But it was her favorite sound for several days. She mostly does a high pitched squeal and lots of grunting while reaching and playing. She also coughs. I can't figure out if it is a little fall cough or if she has just learned how to cough because she's been doing it for a week or two.

Since we stay in quite a bit, she is getting on quite the routine. Wakes up around 7:30. Naps around 10, 1 and 4. Give or take. It definitely isn't a science but that's kind of the routine. She still goes to bed around 7. She is doing a thousand times better at putting herself to bed. But don't be fooled - her sleeping isn't great. She still wakes up several times in the night. Usually around 11 and five. Sometimes there is even a third waking. I am tired. And I need to fix it. But there is no manual for this stuff and I am trying to ease our way into it. We will get there.

Her swing has turned into a toy. She loves to push it, get under it, and crawl into it. She is still thoroughly enjoying toys and will play for quite awhile. But her favorite is when Mom or Dad will play with her. She has learned how to cry when something is taken away from her. Little smarty pants. It is especially hard when I take something away that she shouldn't have (paper towel, paper, car keys etc.). Usually distracting her with something else works. Speaking of which, she LOVES the car keys. I am fairly certain that they are her favorite thing about life. I'll admit. I let her have them more often then I should.

She loves to watch videos of herself giggling and will smile from ear to ear - before plunging the phone in her mouth, of course. Everything is still going in the mouth. Her two bottom teeth are adorable and she is drooling quite a bit. I am praying those top two don't break for quite some time. I love this stage.

She is still nursing 100% and is on a great schedule.  She nurses right when she wakes up from naps - and when she wakes in the night. Gosh, I love nursing. It is the only time Annie really sits still (and it isn't even for that long). I get to stroke her hair and she will stop and smile at me. Gets me every time. If I don't eat a huge serving of oatmeal in the morning I notice a significant difference in my supply. I am getting terribly sick of oatmeal but it is definitely worth it. 

Speaking of hair - hers is really starting to grow in.

She is loving solids. I think we are having a little bit of digestion issues though and I am trying to work through those. Her very favorite food is most definitely sweet potato. I swear the girl can eat a whole sweet potato in one day. It is amazing. She also really enjoys pears. At first I was only doing veggies but quickly learned my lesson with that one. A good balance between fruit and veggies is key. I am making my own food for now and quite enjoying it. But it is hard to keep up with at times. We will see how long that lasts. No promises.

She is still in 3-6 month clothing and size 2 diapers. I went and bought some 6-12 month winter gear and James was in awe when I got home. We can't imagine her being big enough to fit into them. Hopefully she does. Thanks to my Mom, we finally have a nice stash of tights. Why are small tights so hard to come by?

She has started to give kisses when we say "kisses and then smack our lips." She usually clobbers your face with her hands in the process of giving you a big open mouth to the lips. She won't do it every time but gosh it is adorable.

This month I would describe Annie has curious and active. Although I have noticed she is pretty shy in public. Funny how that happens at such a young age. But around the house she is a spit fire and does not sit still. No more snuggling for us. I live for those moments when she falls asleep in my arms. It is rare but my goodness I love snuggling her up close. I say it all the time, but I wish there was a pause button. I get weepy thinking how fast these last six months have gone by. Never has time passed so quickly. Please, someone invent the pause button - and make it snappy!

Miss Annie, happy half birthday. As your Dad says, "You are just a joy!"