6 Months Old

How is it even possible that our sweet girl is half a year old? On February 17th, Kate turned 6 months old. To her dismay, we celebrated with her 6-month check-up with Dr. Fiedler... along with a bunch of shots. :( But she, of course, got a couple new toys for her birthday/day o' shots from us and from her Grammy who was here visiting from Florida at the time.

I can't even keep track of all the new things that Kate is doing! It seems like she is doing something new every day. Here is what life is like with Kate at 6 months:

- This baby loves to eat! Turning 6 months brought along a whole new meal schedule. She now gets fruits mixed with oatmeal cereal for breakfast, fruits/veggies for lunch, and veggies mixed with oatmeal cereal before bed. Her favorite foods are... I couldn't tell you because there has not been a food that she has disliked. She sits in her high chair in a full upright position and eats so well from a spoon. I have also gone from nursing her about 8 times a day to about 4-5 times a day, which is a relief but also a little bittersweet. Just a reminder at how fast she is growing up!

- Kate is learning to love the wonders of play! It is so great to watch her interact with her toys now. She picks them up, makes sounds with them, and usually they all end up in her mouth. Some of her favorite toys right now are her exersaucer, her green ball, her keys, and her fabric book. She loves anything that she can hold.

- Kate is sleeping so well! Hallelujah! Bedtime right now is usually around 8:00, with the whole process starting at 7:00. First we give her some veggies with cereal, then we do bath and jammies, then story time (if she isn't TOO tired), then I nurse her before she is off to dreamland. She is sleeping so great. Most nights she still wakes up around 3 am to eat, and she will sleep until 7 or 7:30 if we don't have to go to the sitter's that day.

- In the first 6  months of Kate's life we have enjoyed MANY Snow Days at home together! I believe the count now is at 13! Though we will be making these up at the end of the school year, I do not even care. I have thoroughly enjoyed every single Snow Day that I have had at home with Kate. She is only this age once, and it has truly been a blessing getting lots of extra days off with her to enjoy her more and more at every age. But I am still really looking forward to having the summer months off with her!

- Kate LOVES to laugh! So many things make her laugh right now, but a guaranteed laugh will happen if you fake sneeze (ah-choo!!!), if you get out her stuffed monkey (the one bigger than she is),  if you nuzzle her ribs, or tickle under her arms. She is also fascinated by hands. If you put your hand out in front of her, she will mirror you and place her palm on yours... kind of like a slow motion high-five.

- We are still working on signing with Kate. So far we have focused on "eat", "more", and "all done". They all revolve around eating. Though she can't sign yet she certainly knows what "eat" means - the word and the sign. We are careful not to mention or sign it until we are ready to give her some food! She starts kicking her feet and getting so excited and it is so hilarious!

- Another thing Kate loves right now is the "Discovering Water" episode of Baby Einstein. It's on YouTube and if we let her, she will sit there and watch the whole show, completely mesmerized. Nick and I crack up watching her watch this. She breaks out in a huge smile every time the turtle comes on the screen and she laughs out loud at the puppets. It is so stinking cute!

So... as you can see, Kate is growing and learning so much every day! Her personality is starting to shine through and we are so blessed to have such a sweet and funny little girl. It is such a joy to watch her grow and learn!

Selfie!