Six Months

Mia Bean,

This morning, when you woke up, your father and I sang Happy Half-Birthday To You. You are six months old today and have come so far in the last six months that I barely recognize the baby we first brought home, and I'm sure you will go so far in the next six months that I will barely recognize the baby you are today.

You scored yourself two teeth this month. You started teething right around Christmas and the first little tooth came in right after New Years, followed shortly by the second one. You are acting like there are more on the way, but we haven't seen any proof of that yet. Overall you have taken the teething very well. You have been a little cranky and most days start screaming if I dare to put you down for a second, but you are still generally a happy little girl. The biggest problem has been the sleeping, which you no longer do, but I can't really blame you for that one. Your grandparents were over for dinner last night and Grandma and Papa said that I never slept either, so I guess I am getting my comeuppance. You have been sleeping in bed with us a lot lately because some nights it is the only way you will sleep at all, and when you decide it is time for me to wake up to feed you or just to give you a hug you reach over and yank on my hair. It works.

Last Sunday night, you rolled from your tummy to your back for the first time in a couple of months. It was like a lightbulb went off. On Monday, we spent hours on the floor rolling back and forth or over and over and giggling like crazy. You have figured out that you can roll where you want to go and will fix some far off location or object with your determined stare and roll your pudgy little sausage body right to it. The most fun is when your father and I roll around with you and then we all kick our legs up and play with our toes.

You are a very clever little baby, so clever that sometimes you scare me. Yesterday we played peekaboo with your blanket. I put it over my face then pulled it away and yelled "boo" and you giggled wildly. After a few minutes of that I gave you the blanket; you put it over your face, pulled it off, and giggled. Then you did it again. And again.

You can sit up, but have to be properly motivated to do it. Usually that means there has to be a cat to look at or you have to be wearing your strangely fascinating ladybug shoes. You prefer to sit with me behind you so you can lie back and then sit back up or bounce from side to side. Your balance leaves a little to be desired, but you are incredibly strong and can be lying nearly flat and sit yourself up. As of right this very minute, you can sit up on your own. Way to get it in just under the wire.

We started giving you solid foods this month, just rice cereal and banana so far. You did okay with it the first couple of days, but have lately decided you would prefer to breastfeed forever and whenever I come near you with a spoon you shake your head violently back and forth so I can't get any of that nasty food into your mouth.

You are a grabby little thing lately. You feel you need absolutely everything and anything you get your hands on goes straight into your mouth. I take you shopping in your Baby Bjorn and have to walk down the middle of the aisle to keep you from grabbing things off shelves. Eating with you in my lap has become an elaborate game of Keep Away and usually ends up with me dumping something down my shirt in my effort to keep it out of your mouth.

Mia, you are growing and changing and learning so quickly now that I feel like I could write for hours and not capture everything, and I would rather just play with you instead, so that's what I'm going to do. You are wonderful and fun and glorious, and when I do manage to get away for an hour I miss you the entire time and hurry home so I can hug you and chew your toes and run my fingers through your crazy hair. Yesterday, my friend Bob said to me "you're such a mommy now," and he was right. I am such a mommy, and I love it.

Love,
Mom