6 months

How is this possible? How is it possible that HALF of your first year of life is already behind us? This milestone serves to remind me to really take the time to take every one of your days in because each day you are so different...changing so very quickly. This morning you sat quietly on my lap, head on my chest playing with my hands. I realized that you weren't going to do that for very much longer; realizing soon that there were much cooler things to explore and play with than mama's fingers. Like the toilet and electrical outlets. I just sat there and smelled your head and took it all in, wanting to remember that moment forever.



Last month I packed away all of your newborn clothes, and cried the whole time. Each piece I folded up looked so tiny, even though it seemed for the longest time you were swimming in the 0-3 month size. Now, and even before your half-birthday you are almost able to fill out the 12 month size! At your 6 month check-up this morning you weighed 17 lbs. 4 oz. up almost 4 pounds in just 2 months. People often tell me that you look much older than your age. Cut that out.



I fed you your first "solid" foods a few weeks ago, and although we got off to a rocky start, you have taken to eating like you are your mama's daughter. So far you have had pureed butternut squash, sweet potatoes, avocado and peeps. Just kidding, the recommended age for artificially colored, sugar-covered marshmallows is 9 months. But just you wait.



You are a very smiley baby, but you reserve your laughs for things that are really funny, like Daddy and Lola. Sometimes you laugh me, but that laugh is more like a "heh. heh." Like, "Yeah, I appreciate the effort and all, but your really not that funny. But I'll give you this fake laugh so you don't feel bad."



Just recently you have learned how to sit up on your own. You are quite good at it already, but sometimes your giant super brain gets a little heavy and you topple over. That's where the peeps come in handy. They will fill out the bottom half of your body to support that genius-sized head of yours.






(I think you may have been a little mad that instead of picking you up and taking the leaves out of your mouth, I snapped this photo. You'll look back on it one day and laugh. Or use it against me in therapy.)

Now we can take you to the park and set you on a blanket so you can watch your second favorite person in the world: Lola. You love this dog. Sometimes she will just walk by and you let out this laugh and look at me like "Did you see that?! That smelly, furry thing just walked by again and I think I'm going to pee my pants. Hilarious!" In fact you seem to like all dogs. As long as they are not small, yappy chihuahuas named Samson. Case in point: The following picture is of a very large dog who you had never seen before. This dog came right up to you and licked you square in the mouth. You loved it.


* Yes, we let a huge, strange dog walk up to our baby and lick her face. We are awesome like that.





I cannot begin to tell you how much your Daddy is enamored of you. He is totally smitten. And you are quite the Daddy's girl in return. Your face literally lights up when he walks into the room. He throws you into the air and flips you upside-down and you eat it up. He makes you laugh harder than anyone else in the world. That makes two of us. He makes up songs about you, complete with choreography. And the nick names! My favorite: Lillie Mae Chubbybuns, I presume? Seriously. Anyone who knows your Daddy won't believe that, but you melt his heart and is a new person because of you.



We are all new people because of you. You have filled our hearts to beyond what we thought was capacity. Even in the middle of the night, Daddy will volunteer to feed you and put you back to sleep just so he can see you. And even I find myself holding you a little bit longer after you've closed your eyes, just to admire your sleeping face. You are an amazing little girl and we are so excited to watch you grow. Just do me a favor, grow a little slower please.



So, Miss Mae, my doodlebug, monkey-moo...Happy half-birthday to you.

Love,
Mama