(my apologies if the color and quality are off with these images...computer on the outs...new one on its way!..tip: looks better viewing on a desktop rather than a laptop)
You are 6 months old.
Feels weird to say that.
It's been the longest and slowest 6 months of my entire life.
Big news!!!! You are crawling!!
..I guess you are still "army" crawling, dragging your belly along but you can get anywhere you want. If there is an iphone on the ground you will find a way to get it in your mouth.
You seem to be more deliberate about everything.
You remember if I take something away from you and sometimes cry if you are mad about it!!
You have gone up another size in diapers. Size 2 thank you very much.
You officially weigh 14.7lbs. Still a small thing but growing.
I can't believe I did SO much cloth diaper research and here you are wearing disposables. I should have started with cloth the moment you were born.
You are close to sitting on your own but don't care about that very much. You would rather be on your belly inching along or jumping.
Speaking of jumping we bought you one of those excersaucers because you loved to stand so much. Every time you get in it you get the silliest grin on your face like you've tricked us into giving you what you want.
Your hand control is crazy good now.
You constantly pinch, pull and grab your dear ole' Mom.
My hair fascinates you. Especially my bangs.
You have been giggling when I swish my bangs in your face and sing, " check baby, check baby, one two..."
I think you might be into fashion. If I have a new article of clothing on, you notice. Makeup on, you notice.
If a towel is on my head it's almost more than you can handle. It might be the most intriguing thing you have ever seen.
When you wake up in the morning you just crawl all over us. This morning you pulled at my bangs and grabbed my checks until I sang you your morning song. "In the leafy treetops the birds sing good morning...".
You are still sporting the swaddle although we are trying to get you to nap with one arm out. You fight being wrapped but refuse to nod off to sleep without it. Sigh. Some babies fall asleep on a blanket mid play right? Tell me it isn't so!
You only want your binky as you are falling asleep. Never when you are awake. And once you are asleep out it pops.
Eating + biting. You know what I'm talking about and it's not funny.
You kind of thrash around when you sleep and are rubbing a lot of your hair off. Dad likes to constantly point out your bald strip in the back.
Your favorite things to play with: Anything that is not toys.
Anything we put near our mouths you want. Water bottles, cups, chapstick. Remotes, phones, computers, the fuzzy carpet we don't want you to eat, boxes, books...
I actually think your two main sources of food groups are; breastmilk and print. You love eating paper. You actually just love putting everything in your mouth and paper just happens to dissolve.
We have tried feeding you solids. Mostly you just make icky faces and act like we're gagging you. I can understand that reaction to the brown rice I made you but sweet potatoes? bananas? apples? Sorry to break it to you honey but food doesn't get much sweeter than that. Maybe we will just breastfeed until you are 18. YES!!!!
You do have a couple favorite "toy" toys, the dolly Aunt Amy gave you and the duckie Grandma Thurston gave you. Thank you!
Papa saw a license plate holder last week that said, " Only the best Dads are called Papa". That's why we call him big Papa!!!
You have outgrown your puj tub for the sink. Well..size wise you still fit but you were too active. And you figured out how to turn the water on and off. We are now giving you baths in the tub w one of us.
You always jump when we pull the shower curtain back. Always.
Bedtime still consists of the L-O-V-E song, jammies, recapping our day, swaddle and feed to sleep. You are almost always asleep by 7 and don't wake up to play until 6:30am.
That isn't to say you don't wake up.
I'm starting to think your nighttime wake-ups are a product of co-sleeping and not much else. I am there, you stir, decide you want a drink and 5-10mins later you are knocked out and we both fall asleep again. Is my sleep interupted, yes. Is yours? Not sure. Can I imagine you in another room at nights yet, no. Both of us think it seems more natural to have you with us and so we do.
I think for most intents and purposes you don't need a book to care for a baby. You just do what feels natural and usually that's the best thing for everyone involved. I know this doesn't always work but for the most part this is how we have gone about it and have been happy. Yes, I own tons of books on the subject but am learning instinct is my best tool.
You are starting to recognize your name...although we fear you think your name is "nutty". What if you grow up and people call you Nutty, or Nutzies or Do Do? Nutty Porter...I guess it works.
I think you are starting to finally gain some weight and you are wearing 3-6mos clothing. Although some of your long onesies are still 0-3.
You and I do this thing where either one of us will start making little cooing noises and the other one will intimidate the other. You definitely are on to the game. It's so fun..like we are singing a duet together.
You went to Hawaii this last month. You lucky baby.
You sucked on a strange lady's hand on a plane once (she said she had just washed and didn't mind).
Also a crazy french flight attendant begged to hold you so I let her and she proceeded to greet everyone entering the plane with you..Saying you were Delta's youngest flight attendant.
So many people in airports reach out for you like I am just going to hand you over. Umm, I don't think so! Every once in a blue moon...but is that normal? Hi I am a stranger and you have no idea if I am a nice person..please hand me your baby so I can breath on her and possibly kidnap her. Thanks but no thanks.
Lately I am getting worried that you are bored. I know I am crazy. It's me getting use to the simple interaction that a baby needs. We play on the floor, go for walks, read books, dip our toes in the pool, sing songs, bounce in your bouncer, practice sitting up, you get independent play time, attack each other like we are eating the other one for dinner, snuggle, kiss....and yet sometime I find myself asking your Papa when he leaves for work what we should do while he's gone. Unless he's home to help I can only really work when you are asleep which is on and off for about 3hrs a day. Otherwise I feel guilty doing anything but tend to you while you are awake. I live for you and care more about your and Papa's well being above anything else but the truth is..sometimes the days feel long. Being a Mom is full time.
I'm always a little sleep deprived. My sense of style has flown out the window. Doing my hair is the last thing I have time for. A stack of papers grows in the office. I catch you licking our cement floors and I don't always stop you. I am on my iphone too much. I should be productive when you go to sleep and instead I want to watch the John Adams HBO series with your dad.
I'm far from perfect..but my love for you is.
Lately after you fall asleep on me eating, before bedtime..I will roll you into the crook of my arm and just look at you. I get really close so I can smell you and feel your breath and I am filled with shooting star exploding kind of love. My eyes get kind of misty and I try to decide if the size of your head is really as big as it seems to me. When did you grow so big? You are not my newborn anymore...but in the dim light of our bedroom with you in the crook of my arm and my eyes kind of squinted I can see the same face I saw February 18th 2011 at 10:27pm. I see those cheeks and those eyes. I see you. And then I try to decide if I should just stay awake all night staring at you because you might not fall asleep in my arms for very much longer. Surely staying up all night staring at you and wondering at the wonder you are would be a good idea?...It's a dilemma every night.
Shooting star exploding kind of love for my Nova. My Super Nova.