Happy Half Birthday Laurel!!

Dear Laurel,

It is hard to believe that 6 months have already gone by, but like the saying goes… time flies when you’re having fun!  You have certainly generated tons of excitement for daddy and me.  6 months ago, we had no idea what to expect and how different our lives would truly be, but we have quickly adjusted to a new “normal” and being a family of 3.  When I came home from work today, you were hanging out with daddy on the couch.  When you looked up and saw me, you gave me the biggest smile that lit up my entire day.  It’s such a great feeling!

You are growing and developing fast these days.  We’ll know exactly how fast later today at your doctor’s appointment, but according to my scale, you are 16 pounds.

You have almost mastered rolling over.  You can do it, but sometimes you can’t figure out how to get your arm from underneath your body after you have rolled over.  You certainly have determination though because you keep trying.  You also like to reach overhead and grab things when you are laying down.  This can be particularly interesting when you are laying on your changing pad and decide to clear off the whole dresser when you reach up and start pushing things around.  You are trying to sit up by yourself, but you’re not quite there yet.  I would give it another couple weeks, but I am not rushing b/c the next step will be crawling and daddy and I won’t be able to keep up with you!

You are just beginning to explore foods, but still haven’t shown huge interest.  We’ve tried rice cereal, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, and bananas and nothing seems to be a favorite yet, but I’m sure it’s coming.

Your personality is also slowly beginning to emerge.  Overall, you seem to be very mellow and I have nicknamed you “mellow yellow”.  Daddy thinks the yellow is in reference to your skin color, but it’s not!  You are generally very content and happy.  You usually will only fuss if you are tired or hungry, which is easily managed.  Another clue that you give when you are tired is to put your hands up to your ears  like earmuffs (I put a photo with an example below).  Recently you have also done this when you hear loud noises.  It’s pretty funny!!

You are still putting everything in your mouth…burp clothes, toys, daddy’s finger, and you like to chew on your pacifier backwards.  You probably have some teeth coming in, but nothing that has broken the surface.  You received two jumperoo’s for Christmas and that seems to be your favorite pastime… oh wait… and watching football.  You still love football, so daddy is concerned about what will happen in a few weeks when the Superbowl is over and there is no football for you to watch.

You were sleeping 8 hour stretches at the end of last year and first week in January, but now you seem to be back to waking up every 3-4 hours.  What happened??  Please feel free to return to the 8 hour stretches 🙂

You have brought daddy and I so much joy over the past 6 months and I know that will continue for years to come.  As fast as these 6 months have gone by, it’s already time to start planning your 1st birthday party!  What fun that will be!

I love you!

Mommy