Half a Year Old

The keeper:

And others along the way:

Stats:

Height:  27 in (84%)

Weight:  21 lbs (98%)

I have a quick rant.  I love everything about my roly-poly little girl.  So many people comment on her size and how "healthy" she looks, and for the most part, everyone's comments are good-intentioned.  But there have been several times when someone says, "Oh my youngest/oldest/cousin/etc was the same way but now she is a size 0/thin as a rail/itty bitty/etc, so don't worry."  So don't worry.  That's what gets me.  What exactly am I supposed to be worried about?  For the record, we are not worried.  If she is happy, healthy and active, we don't care what size she is.  She will always be beautiful and perfect in our eyes, no matter what size.  Ok, I'm done with that. 

Head:  43.5 cm (79%)

Diaper size:  3

Clothes size:  12-18 months

Unbelievable.  I really cannot believe Peachie is 6 months old.  This is when new developmental things start happening all over again and she starts to really move out of the "baby" phase.  I don't know that I'm quite ready for it.  I think she is more than ready because she basically figures it out on her own and seems to be right where she should be.  With Rudy, I felt he was so "advanced."  (Not really, I just felt like I knew what he "should" be doing)  Not that I don't think Avery is the same, but I don't know how to even tell.  I haven't read a page in the books I was diving into week after week with Rudy, I haven't read through an email from "The Bump" or the like regarding an "average baby" at whatever month Avery is in, I haven't changed up her schedule hardly and haven't encouraged, pushed, or otherwise forced "development"-type things with her.  I just haven't had the time (or energy)!   Lucky for me, she seems to be figuring it out, though!  And according to the doc at her wellness check, she is right on track. (phew!)  But I am making an honest effort to make the time starting now.  Well, maybe as soon as I catch up on the blog...

I started her on rice cereal about a week or so before her 6-month birthday.  We had a lot going on around the weeks before and right at her 6-month mark, so I didn't want to try and start foods, risk any problems or change in our pretty awesome routine.  But once we got home from our short trip, it was game on.  She has had green beans, carrots, peas, apples and pears so far and has done great (although she doesn't seem to care for peas much).  I started with just cereal and one type of food in the morning with her 4 ounce bottle, and have now added in "dinner" of 2 varieties at whatever time we have dinner.  She is always awake at these times and we are generally at home during dinner, too so it hasn't caused any havoc in our routine yet.  (I may sound crazy and OCD about our routine, but when you have 2 kids as close in age and as young as I do, a routine is a life/sanity-saver!!... and its really not that particular or hard to maintain)

She is rolling over like crazy.  She can't be laid on her back without rolling right over.  Even for a diaper change, I have to flip her back over usually.  So tummy time has obviously picked up.  But oddly, she has stopped rolling from stomach to back.  I don't know what her deal is.  She has started rolling over in the middle of the night, too.  Most nights she is able to go to sleep on her stomach just fine.  But last night I had to go in and turn her back over because she was fussing and obviously in distress about being face-down, but she went right back to sleep once on her back.

She wants to chew on everything in sight.  She is so grabby and once she takes hold, it goes straight to the chompers.  Rudy is good at sharing with her and bringing her toys, even his favorite tools.

              

She can sit up on her own and is getting pretty good at it.  The doctor even commented on how good she is doing.  If a toy or something (Rudy) distracts her to move her head too suddenly or reach too far for a toy, she topples over.  I can't leave her alone sitting, quite yet, which makes getting practice often difficult since I am always having to jump up to tend to Rudy (although I've been surrounding her with pillows more lately so that I can step away if I need to and if she falls over, at least it doesn't hurt!).  But she is making progress!

Avery and Rudy take baths together and have been for about a month now.  It definitely was a big step in making bedtime easier and quicker.  She LOVES being in the bath with Rudy.  She pretty much is the happiest when Rudy is around, in whatever circumstance.

She still is sleeping through the night (knock on wood).  Both of them go to sleep about 8 and we get them out of bed about 6:30-7.  Some mornings they are awake earlier, but they both are content to just hang in their cribs until then and so we try not to start our mornings earlier than we have to!  They both go down for naps about 1-1:30.  Avery usually wakes up before Rudy, about 3:30 or so, whereas Rudy will sleep until 4 or 5.  I wonder if it takes Rudy longer to fall asleep and if some days he is up earlier but just hangs out because it baffles me that Rudy would sleep more hours in a given day than Avery.  But I don't worry about it too much because I'm not complaining!

I love going into their rooms in the mornings.  Both pop up with such happy smiles!  I switch off who I get first, for no particular reason.  Some mornings Rudy wants to get in bed with Avery and some mornings he wants Avery to climb in bed with him.  I love not having to be rushed in the mornings.

I have our next family photos scheduled and since the kids are so close in age, I didn't want to do a separate 6 month and 2 year session so I hoped to get a date in between.  Due to our schedules not lining up with the photographer, we couldn't get in until mid-August.  Since Avery will be 8 months by then, I thought I'd try a little mini-session of my own to document Avery at 6-months, with Gran's help of course!

Rudy was close by and wanted to be included, to put it nicely.  Poor guy must have felt pretty neglected to want to get in on the action and have the attention on him... (bare in mind it only took us about 15 minutes... the kid can be pretty needy)