Where do I even begin?? Well, when I thought about how Claire was turning 6 months old on Saturday, I got a little emotional and teary eyed. I can’t believe we’re already halfway to 1 year old! This age has been so fun with her starting to crawl, scoot, sit, babble, and laugh (she only really gets going if she’s laughing at Zoe). I find myself not wanting to put her down to sleep in her crib when she falls asleep in my arms or, actually, whenever she’s feeling snuggly. We just love when she wants her mommy and daddy and try to soak up every moment.

CJ and I were talking the other day about how we need to be better at putting her down in her crib for naps. She’s been in so much pain lately with teething that she’s having trouble falling asleep without us. We’re trying so so hard to be more strict about the sleep routine but then again, we just want her to sleep and sometimes she won’t fall asleep without mommy or daddy nearby. I commented on how I always thought that I would be more strict as a parent and his reply was, “You’re a big softy”, and to that, my reply is… Yes, yes I am. 🙂 How can I not be when I’m looking at such an adorable little face?!?!

Here’s a summary of what 6 month old Claire has been like lately:

• Weight: Not quite sure. We last weighed her on October 11 and she was 14 1/2 pounds, so she’s probably 15 1/2 pounds now. She’s been gaining about a pound a month. She’s a petite little one compared to other babies her age but she is extremely strong for her size! Exhibit A: She’s already doing planks 😉

• Loves:
  • Sophie la girafe and all other teething toys.
  • Moving all over the place – now that she can scoot and army crawl, she’s constantly on the move. She’ll scoot or crawl across the room to catch Zoe and take periodic breaks to sit.
  • She thinks Zoe is the funniest thing in the world and will laugh at her for basically anything – walking, chewing on her ball, running… Zoe is pretty much a comedy act for Claire and they are SO cute together. Zoe loves to play catch so we’ll throw the ball and she’ll bring it back and drop it in front of Claire as if Claire is going to throw it for her next.
  • Being outside. She loves the fresh air!
  • Bath time – Imagine that! Just changing the bath tub has made all the difference.
  • Putting anything and everything into her mouth
  • To scream in a really high pitched voice. She’s definitely testing out her vocal chords and leaves no note unsung. It’s a happy scream thankfully! And she loves to babble too now – mama, dada, nana, and baba are the most common “words” she’s saying.
  • When we say “Mama” or “Dada”, she gets the biggest smile on her face.
  • Her favorite song is “Itsy Bitsy Spider”
  • Tilting her head back and forth to examine things
• Hates:
  • Teething… need I say more?
  • Diaper changes

• Talents:
  • She loves to scoot and crawl everywhere! She is definitely a curious little one and loves to explore.
  • She started sitting last week! It is sooo cute to see her sitting on the ground playing with her toys now.
• Sleeping:
  • Hasn’t changed much since last month. Still sleeping through the night most of the time but, with teething, we think that pain has been waking her up on occasion in the middle of the night. She goes back to sleep pretty quickly but seems like she’s in a ton of pain for that short time. Poor baby. 😦
• Other Random Facts:
  • We’re getting better at feeding her baby food now! She’s a little skeptical and looks at us like, “Are you sure I’m supposed to be eating this?” but we’re making progress. So far, she seems to like sweet potatoes but is undecided on carrots and peaches. To be continued!
  • I’ve really grown to love breastfeeding and am so glad I stuck through the first couple of months which were definitely hard. Prenatal classes warn you about how hard and emotional it can be in the beginning  but I scoffed at the idea of it being difficult until I went through it myself. Luckily, they were also right in that once we get in the groove, it is the most wonderful thing. Those quiet moments where it’s just me and Claire feel so sacred and I love the bonding time with her.
  • We’ve noticed this since the beginning but it’s becoming even more apparent as she gets older – Claire is quite opinionated and knows what she wants. She may or may not get that from me. 😉 She can’t speak yet but she can definitely babble at you if she’s not getting what she wants which sounds something along the lines of “MAMADADABABANANA”. She will make noise until she achieves her goal which typically is that she wants to get back down on the floor to scoot around, go to a new room because she’s bored of being in the same room for too long, or she wants to be held.
  • We’re working on putting her on a specific schedule for feeding and napping. For the past few months, she’s been pretty predictable but the naps weren’t always at the exact same time although they did start within a general time frame. We’re going to work on making that more definite. Stay tuned.

So that’s a summary of our little 6 month old! We are constantly amazed at how quickly she’s developing and becoming her own person. We love her SO much and are so thankful to have her as our daughter.