Milestones!

Dear Elsa, sweet baby,

I think so often of things to write on your blog, but when your brother is down and you are awake, I choose to be with you instead of to get onto your blog to write.  I think you would approve of this decision!  You really crave my attention and seem to benefit so much from face to face time.

You are six months old now, and with that specific age come significant milestones for a baby.  First of all, you are a solid food eater.  Solid food is a bit of a stretch though, since your food really resembles pudding!  So far you have had an entire container of fancy organic brown rice cereal that you tolerated, half a box of Gerber white rice cereal that you think is delicious, fruit, and veggies.  Your favorite foods so far are (in this order) peaches, plums, applesauce, sweet potato and apples with cinnamon, pumpkin/squash/potato blend with nutmeg, butternut squash with apples, white potato/rutabaga/pumpkin with nutmeg and cinnamon, and then acorn squash/potato.  You do not like peas, and you tolerate carrot.  Soon I will introduce spinach and green beans. I am paying such close attention to the food to make sure I think its palatable, and trust me, it is! I often eat a few servings of your food after its roasted but not pureed, and its DARN GOOD.  I also try to sweeten up your foods a tad with apples, carrot, or mango and add spices to the other foods to make them enjoyable.  When you eat something you do not like (peas! oatmeal!) you make a surprised and disgusted face.  When you are eating something you love (fruit!) you smack your lips and giggle.  You slurp in your food and suck on your top lip, begging for more!  Its fun to feed you, darling.  You eat nearly three meals a day, in addition to your liquid diet of mommy's milk, which you have about six or seven times per day.

Another milestone is movement. You are wiggling more than ever, and your new trick is developing your leg muscles.  You are working your quads by lifting your bottom off the ground and keeping your feet planted.  Its a pilates move!  You are able to roll from your back onto your stomach, but you still do it rare circumstances.  In the last week you have been able to lift up more and seem to enjoy it, but usually you just reach your long arms to the side to grab what you want, and roll back onto your back.  You are kicking your legs more often in your bed, probably listening to and observing your kick's affect on the mattress.  You still move your left arm updownupdownupdown with rapid succession when you are excited and bored.   I often give you a toy for that hand to watch you bang. 

You are making much more noise lately.  You seem to say UMMMMMMMMM when you are eating a good food, and you often groan or growl a bit during meal times.  You make a cough/clearing throat sound to indicate you are thirsty. You pant and giggle when its time to nurse and you get to do it.  You laugh and shriek when your brother comes in the room.  You love to be nearby to him so much! You two speak the same language, and that is of friendliness and squeals.  Your other main noise is this... WAIL! You are so dramatic when you are offended, startled, or mistreated.  The triple threat is when Daniel takes your toy, yells something too loudly, and then steps on your arm or another minor injury. You get so loud so fast!  And you pout, too.  Sometimes you are offended by loud noises, and other times you are offended by tardiness.  You get upset when I take too long to prepare your baby food or come to get you.

You've had a pretty nasty diaper rash as a consequence of starting foods (perhaps its the olive oil I use in roasting? we don't know) that means you get some diaper free time and extra baths with oatmeal.  You like both of these treatments!  I think once its healed, I'll do the same things for you just to make you happy.

I am reluctantly letting your infancy slip away, baby girl.  You are getting more personality, becoming more capable, and growing in size.  I loved you as a newborn and a small baby, and I am certain I'll love you when you no longer resemble a baby.  You do very much still look like a baby with your minimal hair, lack of teeth, adorable roundness, and happy demeanor.  I think you seem a bit younger than six months old to me, but that's probably just because it seems like you've been here less time because our days pass so quickly.  Its so hard for me to imagine you as a toddler, dancing with music or interacting with a book on my lap when I compare you to your older brother.  One day you'll be the one playing play dough and sharing your opinions.  But for now, you are content to watch the action around you and smile your way through life.  You are so pleasant and you are SO loved.

Goodnight, sweet heart.  Love Mama