Six Months Old!

Happy Six Months Kate!  Kate is an absolute delight nowadays.  Our sleep issues are in the past (for now), she is laid back, happy, well adjusted and so much more interactive.  I really love this stage, and am trying to enjoy it while it lasts.  We don't have very many changes from last month as far as firsts and routine.  Kate is still doing really well at the sitter's, and is pretty consistent in her "schedule".  She is still a power napper, and is sleeping so much better at night - getting up only once between 12 am and 3 am usually.  We have made the trip home 4 times this month (4!) and Kate has done unbelievably well in the car and with the disruption to her "normal".  I think we have forced her to become a good little traveler.  We have tried several new foods and she continues to pretty much like everything - peas, sweet potatoes(her favorite), applesauce, apricots and baby oatmeal.  She is getting very good at sitting on her own and can lean forward and sideways and pull herself back up.  She also does this funny thing with her legs when she is laying on her back (mostly while being changed), she lifts her legs a couple inches and tries to sit up, we think she's going to have abs of steel! She likes to "lounge" now, and will just lean back on a pillow and hang out.  She still likes to play with toys in her booster seat and daddy discovered that she likes to pick out her own toys from her basket.  She loves when people clap for her, and slams her hands down on her legs when we do it.  She has just started to try to clap her hands together, and actually managed to do it once for Becca and I.  She has started to pick up on signs, and most definitely knows the signs for "milk" and "eat"(she gets really excited and shakes her hands and legs).  I think she has tried to sign "milk" back, but it could just be a coincidence that she is making a fist.  She still likes swimming with Chutchie Kristin, and gets to go fairly often since we've been home so much!  She has also started kicking while getting a bath - so we've had to switch to the real tub so mommy doesn't get all wet!  Kate, we feel so incredibly blessed to have you in our lives and we are really enjoying watching you grow and change.  You are so loved by your family and friends, we had a tough week this past week with the loss of your great grandmother and great uncle, you were a source of light and comfort in a difficult time.

 

 

Leg Lifts! (and those thighs!)  This picture actually shows how long her torso is, and her short little legs.  She is long for her age, and has been growing out of clothes so quickly (we're in 12-18 months people), but it is mostly because of that torso!

 

 Loves that thumb.

 

First Haircut

It's quite obvious that Kate has a lot of hair, but what might not have been as clear is that it was getting very long.  Too long in the back, she had a single layer that extended about and inch below the rest of her hair .. and she looked like she had a mullet!  It also was starting to stick up all over the place and get in her face a lot.  So we went ahead and got her hair cut!  Holly has been cutting my hair since I was in kindergarten, so it was nice to have her be Kate's first hairdresser.  Kate was really good, and only fussed for about ten seconds.  Holly was quick too, just cleaned things up and we were on our way.  Her hair looks so much better and falls nicer, so I am very happy we did it.

Before:

 

After:

Happy 5 Months Baby Girl!

Month 5 was a lot better than month 4 for Miss Kate.  She was generally less fussy and more laid back.  She was still waking up multiple times a night until very recently, but we're definitely on an upswing where that's concerned.  She is still a very happy and easy going baby, but is now a whole lot more busy.  She's always has something going on, and likes to be active.  She's very aware of everything that's going on and wants to be in the middle of it all.  She is definitely developing a personality and has a temper!  She will throw a little fit if she wants something she is not getting.
So many new things this month too:
- Got her first cold, which lasted about a week. This also contributed to sleep issues.
- She started rolling over last month, but had only done it a couple of times, and Kevin and I hadn't ever seen it!  Around the middle of this month she really started rolling over (back to tummy) regularly and for awhile would do it every time she was placed on her back.  This caused some sleep problems because she would roll over and be mad that she was on her tummy and we'd have to turn her.  Just in the last couple of weeks she has started consistently rolling from her tummy to her back, and she now seems to be able to go back and forth at will.  She's really cute when she rolls ... she tucks her little legs up (or under) and uses them as momentum to roll, or to push off when on her tummy.
- She is a lot more mobile in general, she rolls back and forth and turns both on her back and front.  She has started scooting a little bit, but generally gets frustrated on her belly.  We can tell she wants to be able to get to things she can't reach!
- She loves getting kisses, and will give them back by opening her mouth and leaning in.  She also likes to get kisses from the dogs and has started to stick out her own tongue when they kiss her!  Needless to say, we try to avoid open mouth doggie kisses.
- We have started sitting her in her booster seat at the table, and she is very content to sit there and play with toys.  She has learned to throw them on the floor, which means we are constantly fetching them for her.
- Sitting on her own!  She is still a little unsteady, but can definitely sit unsupported for a couple of minutes at a time.  She also tries to sit up from laying on her back - she is going to have some strong abs!
- She found her toes and loves playing with them!
- Still really likes music and when Kevin sings to her, also likes watching him dance.
- She is still doing really well at the babysitters, and has had a really great few weeks lately (napping well, being content and happy while awake, i.e not as fussy as she was the prior month!)
- Started solid foods - we just started, but so far she likes butternut squash, avocado and bananas.  She was not a fan of pears.
- She is now sleeping in her own room exclusively.  She had been napping in there every once in awhile, but would always sleep in our room at night.  After a couple days of really long naps, I decided to keep her in there at night - she did well and has been in there ever since.  I was worried about this transition and I'm glad it went smoothly.  She is sleeping a lot better the last week or so, and I think being in her own room has helped.
- She is now a power napper - a normal day consists of a 1 hr and another 30 min nap in the morning and a 2-3 hour nap in the afternoon.  Sometimes she takes a snooze after dinner before going down for the night.  Bed time is between 7:30 and 9 depending on her cues and how the day has gone.  She has JUST started sleeping longer than three hour stretches and last night just woke up once.  I hope this continues!