Well, true to what has become our current status quo, not much is getting done on the timeline I would like for it to...including this post. I started on your actual half-birthday, but as can be expected something came up (or woke up) and I got through about 4 lines. It doesn't help that I typed the entire thing out later this week, and for some reason Blogger deleted it instead of posting it, which did not make me happy, nor feel like spending another chunk of time re-writing it immediately. So thus, the late 6-month entry. Onward.
My sweet Norah, today marks the end of the first half of your first year of life. You are 6 months old, and when I look at you today, I can't imagine only 6 months ago we didn't know you! If today is any indication of how much I can love you, I stand to be amazed at the conclusion of each milestone marker at just how much more my love for you has grown since the last one. Just look at how much you've changed since you were born:
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| Norah Annabel, one week |
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| Norah Annabel, One Month |
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| Norah Annabel, 6 weeks |
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| Norah Annabel, 3 months |
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| Norah Annabel, 4 months |
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Norah Annabel, 5 months
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At 6 months, you are sitting up unassisted, and you are so strong! You have abs that are stronger than I think mine have ever been (and certainly will ever be at this point!) and you are so close to being able to pull yourself up into a sit from lying on the ground. Grandpa said you pulled yourself up on the side of the pack n' play at his house this week, too! You are testing out all sorts of positions on the floor, and can roll to where you want to get in a hot second. Watch out world, Norah's about to be a baby on the move!
We started offering you solids about 2 weeks ago, and it's been one interesting experiment after another. You have had rice cereal, applesauce, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, peaches, peas, a piece of broccoli, butternut squash soup, banana, and ground lamb...each one with its own corresponding facial expression of either delight, confusion, contemplation, or outright dismissal! I've given you purees and some solids that you can hold and taste and feel all on your own. You love your Barry's Bagels teething bagels, for sure! You also love to grab our water glasses and try taking sips; sometimes you actually get some of the water in you instead of just all over you too! But the newest development is that when you sit in your highchair, you like to drink your milk from a sippy cup like a big girl! You still love nursing, and I love it too, and we are not planning to stop doing it any time soon, just adding new foods at meals when we all sit down together.
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| Lainey has also figured out that your high chair is the new golden opportunity for possible extra treats! |
You are babbling constantly, and you say "dadada" and "bababa" and sometimes "mama" but mostly you are still just testing out your voice and bellowing and screeching and giggling. You think Lainey is the funniest thing, and when she walks by you just laugh and laugh. I can't wait to hear what your actual voice will sound like when you say your first words.
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| Not so much loving the 6 month photo shoot... |
You got your first 2 teeth on Sunday 10/23/11, and they both just popped out at once! They are the two middle ones on the bottom, and it was way less traumatic than I anticipated. I could see two little white lines just under the gums, and then later in the day you had a hard rattle which you put in your mouth, and when you brought it out there was a drop of blood, and both teeth were out! No fussing, no apparent pain, just two brand new choppers! Now we have to watch out when you chew on our fingers, because those things are sharp!
Your first Halloween is next week, and mama made you a little sleepy owl. Auntie Allison decided that since you love to hear yourself screech, we should call you a screech owl, and it stuck. So, for your first Halloween you are a screech owl :) The cutest one ever.
You are so inquisitive, and everyone and everything around you gathers your interest and attention. You are a sparkling, social little girl already, and you love smiling and being coy with others. You have such a chill personality, and we just keep remarking about how much of a joy it is to watch you grow. We couldn't have asked for a better first baby.
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The other big development, although not really about your development, is that your mama and daddy bid on a house this week! We are currently still trying to settle on a price with the seller, but we are so hopeful that this could become your first real home, and the place where you will make memories of your childhood. I have so many dreams for you, and just one of them is that we can live as a family of 3 in our own home, and maybe even celebrate our first Christmas together there. When I think of our first home, I imagine it filled with your toys and artwork from school, a big crazy dog (check), and most of all love and family. I hope that we are able to finally realize this goal that we've had since long before you were born, little one. I want this so much for you.
