6 months

Dear Daughter,
Half a year. MAN OH MAN. I won't lie, lately I have felt this weird compulsion to start planning your 1st birthday.. but then I'd stop myself and say 'no, you crazy fool, it's WAY too early for that!'.. but then wait.. it's not. It's 6 months away! (which, in my corrupted over-punctual mind, is the perfect time to start planning something like this) Should I also start pre-registration for Harvard? It almost feels that way, time is just slipping through my fingers. I wish you didn't have so many delicious baby fat-rolls and I wish you didn't smell as good as you do, because damn. It's going to be gone someday! Your rolls will slowly thin out and your baby-lavender Aveeno soap/baby smell will be replaced with a distinct mixture of Play Doh and cheetos. And that makes me a little weepy.
On a more positive note, you are doing so many new things, I can't keep up. For one, you are a bonafied totally professional unassisted sitter. I don't think Andrew was a pro at this until closer to 7 months, so the fact that you achieved this about a week before turning 6 months old sort of scares me. You hear about girls being early developers than boys, and you even read about it in the preachy over-informative baby development books. And it's scary! Because who wants a 9 month old that can walk??! NOT I. I know, when Andrew was a little on the later side of walking/crawling, I was so annoyingly anxious and sometimes-frustrated, but looking back, man I had it made! I'll take later development over early any day of the week. I don't think you're hearing me on this, though. You're very likely to be walking before your first birthday, and even more likely to be doing our taxes by Kindergarten.
When I put you down in the middle of the living room, sitting up, surrounded by fun toys to grab (and knaw on) so that I can go do dishes or some other quick chore, you often are just fine until you look up and see me somewhere else. You'll make eye contact with me (or I'll be a total noob and call your name to get you to look up, what am I thinking?!?!) and then just lose it. Sad sad sobbing, of the 'why did you abandon me foooorever?!?' variety. And it's SO CUTE. With Andrew, I remember this phase, and it annoyed me, not going to lie. The constant clinginess. But you know, subsequent babies are awesome in that a healthy dose of perspective comes free with package! I know this stage is so fleeting, and you're crying because you want to be around me! How adorable and just awesome is that! It makes it even more awesome when your brother acts out on such a regular basis that clearly, he must have a vengeful pact to put me in the nuthouse. So your obsession with being around me is way more than flattering. It's renewing.
O yes, something noteworthy, your source of food has drastically changed recently. From tap to bottle. It started to become slightly challenging to nurse you, for many reasons.. I knew I would be infinitely happier/saner if I weaned you to bottles. You went probably a good 3 months though of TOTALLY refusing all bottles. You might deign to take a whole ounce, sometimes, if you were starving and the stars were aligned properly. But for the most part, no. You also physically gagged at the taste of just 1/4th formula to 3/4th breastmilk mixture. Long boring story short, after spending much money on much bottles, you finally started taking one. Naturally, the bottle we started with (and thankfully were in high supply of, thanks to secondhand from Andrew) The fact that you now take five 5-6-ounce bottles of 100% formula in a 24 hour period still seems like a small miracle to me. My boobs are still not the dried up lifeless pancakes I was hoping they'd be by now, but I gotta be patient. They'll get the memo eventually.
You think Andrew is hilarious. No matter what he does. He has a very specific intonation of 'Peeeekabooooo' and you die. Every time. He has no regard whatsoever for your personal space, and while this GREATLY annoyed me at first (for while I love you (differently but) equally, you are a baby and he is a germy preschooler), I now have found several parts about it to be oh so grateful for. Like how you grab at his face, because that's just what you do, and he never gets irritated with this. He just ducks and covers or puts your hands elsewhere..  I know all too soon, you'll be going for his hair but not in a curious innocent kind of way. Instead of laughter, I'm sure to hear 'I'm telling!'..  so I'll savor this stage we're in.
You do an indescribably cute pig snort. Yep - total 100% pig snort. You scrunch up your nose and sort of breathe really heavy and fast..  SO adorable. I have plenty of videos of this, of course with me saying 'who's mommy's little piggy???'..  I am saving these little gems specifically for your prom date.
You hate outfit changes. Pulling and pushing your flailing little body into the cutest of clothes is quite the Olympic feat. You often cry - but it's just the cutest cry ever. So high-pitched and just dripping with annoyance over the cruel injustices of outfit changes.. I laugh every time.
You weighed in at your 6 month appointment at 17 pounds 12 ounces. And 27 and 3/4 inches. 99th percentile for height and 88th for weight. Hearty stock.
You nap three times a day still. Always around 9am, then again around 12 or 12:30, then again between 3 and 4. Your last nap of the day will definitely be the first to go - once we attempt to put you on two naps a day. You go to bed almost every night around 7:40. You get a bath every night, too. Totally not necessary, but we are very much creatures of habit, and let's face it: a chubby naked wet baby is the best kind of baby.
You are being very slow about solids.. not ever truly eager to shovel in the puree presented to you.. but we tried puffs yesterday, and they went well. Not at all like the first time I gave one to Andrew, whenst he gagged and then vomited all over himself. You looked confused, but happily let it dissolve in your toothless mouth..  success! You also are a whiz at the straw cup. We're just going to skip traditional sippy cups altogether, lessen the odds of a lisp and all that, so your quick study of the straw has been very helpful. It's that 'voracious suck' (God I love saying that) that all those lactation consultants marveled over..  you sucked the latex glove right off one of those ladies' fingers, as a 2 day old baby, so is it any surprise you know what to do with a straw?!














You are just the most gorgeous, sweeeeeeetest little nugget of baby girl that ever was. You bring me daily joy and laughter and I love you SO SO much. Happy half-year.