6 Months Old

Dear Noel,

Today you complete half a year. Six whole months. Six months ago today I had no idea that you would be part of our lives later that day...I thought you were going to wait a couple more weeks like your sister did, but you wanted here in a hurry! We kind of thought that your personality was shining through in how impatient you were to get here, but you have proved us wrong. You are the most laid-back, easygoing baby there is. You love to watch ceiling fans go around and around. You love it when I read "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" to you and Lane. And you love your sister. You watch her almost constantly when she's around. You have decided that sucking your thumb is old news and refuse to do it these days, preferring your pacifier. I have to say I'm relieved.

Noel, this past month you've learned how to do a lot. You are now a rolling machine. You can roll from back to tummy and tummy to back with no problems. You can push yourself up onto your knees kind of like you're doing a "girl" push-up. You can push yourself around in circles while you're on your belly, allowing you to reach toys that we've scattered around for you. You found your feet this month and enjoy grabbing them while you're on your back. And you can sit up on your own for a bit before toppling over.

You also had your first solid food this month. You ate an entire avocado over the course of a week, you've tried some banana, and yesterday I gave you a bite or two of carrots. You're not the best yet at eating and swallowing, and it takes you a really long time to get a teeny bit of food into your belly, but you really enjoy eating and attack the spoon to get the food. You'd been eyeing our food and trying to grab it for awhile, and you're definitely enjoying eating, even if you're not the best at swallowing yet. You've grown a bit and are up to 14.5 pounds and 25.5 inches long.

Just chillin' at the park.

You also went to the U. S. for the first time this month. You visited Alaska and Texas and got to meet Grandma, Uncle Ben, Aunt Rachel, and your cousin Maddox. You were such a trooper during the traveling and did so well. I hated to force jet-lag on you, but you've recovered pretty well and are almost back to your usual, sleeping-eleven-hours-at-night self. You're napping pretty well during the day, taking three naps, and being awake for about eight or nine hours total of the day. We also moved you up into 6-month clothes this month, as all the 3-month ones are definitely too small now. You're growing up so quickly but we're enjoying every minute of it. I can't wait to see what you're like in another six months!

I love you,

Mommy

Playing with Daddy after two weeks away.