you are six months old {dear beautiful little lady}

dear beautiful little lady

Wow... where did those six months go? It feels a little like you were born, I blinked, and now you're half way to your first birthday already. I think those baby days always fly by quite fast, I know that they did with your big brother and sister too, but your's seem to be going at warp speed. I guess its because we are always so busy with things, and we all know time flies when you're having fun. I'm desperately trying to hold on to every second of baby-ness with you, because I know that growing up just happens far too quickly, but you seem pretty determined to grow up however much I may want you to stay a teeny baby just a little bit longer.

One step on the way to growing up that we've had this past month is that your first tooth has appeared. We've had a good month of dribbling and finger chewing and we knew that it wouldn't be far off, but there is definitely now a sharp little pearly white in your bottom gum line (with it's neighbour looking like it could make an appearance any day.) While you are mostly dealing with teething pretty well, it has upset your sleep a little bit. We knew that we were super lucky with you sleeping the way you were from birth, so we had kind of expected something to rock the boat at some point. It isn't that you are unhappy or in pain, it just seems to be that you are finding the new feelings in your mouth a bit weird, and when you stir in the night instead of just going back to sleep, you set to work feeling your gums with your tongue or your fingers until you've thoroughly woken yourself up. We also couldn't seem to get you to go to bed at a reasonable time either, and had quite a few evenings with a baby for company. We had a week of it being really quite bad in the days leading up and immediately after to your tooth cutting through, but (touch wood) we seem to have turned a corner now. I decided to try implementing a slightly different bedtime routine and that seems to have helped a lot; you are now going to sleep earlier, and sleeping better and longer... until the next tooth I guess.

You have also started to master sitting. I say "started" because you are still a little way off of being able to sit independently, but when you get your balance just right you can sit for quite a few minutes. We absolutely surround you with cushions because you have a tendency once you realise how clever you are to be sitting, of getting a bit overexcited and then falling over. It's so lovely seeing how proud of yourself you are as you perch on your bottom and enjoy the new view. Your big brother and sister are loving having you upright a bit more too, they are so desperate to have you joining in with their play more, and sitting is just the beginning.

Having mastered the roll onto your back a little while ago, you can now roll onto your front too. In fact you seem to be able to wriggle around and travel around the floor quite well generally. When you are on your tummy you are already looking like you'd like to give crawling a go, so we suspect you'll be a crawler at some point. You love playing on your playmat and grabbing at your hanging toys, and you also love being in your bouncy chair. In fact you seem to love most things, you are just such an amenable and content little thing, and you take the craziness of our days in your stride with a big smile on your face.

This past month you seem to have really discovered Daddy. It's not that you didn't like him before, but you seem to really adore him at the moment. Your face completely lights up when you clamp eyes on him, and you'll follow him with your eyes as he moves around the room, as if he's the most amazing thing you've ever seen. It's so cute to see your bond growing and I know he's just going to let you get away with all sorts as you grow. Your sister already has him wrapped around her little finger, but I suspect that as the younger one you'll be even worse. You are so lucky to have him as your daddy, because he'd walk through fire for you. 

We've started to graduate from you living in baby grows all the time, and some more outfits are starting to creep in to your wardrobe now. It felt like all of a sudden you just looked too big to be going everywhere in your jimjams, and while I still prefer a lovely bright baby grow for lazy days, you do have some lovely little dresses now which you look super cute in. Although it does feel like proper clothes have made you look even more grown up, which is always bittersweet, because as much as I love watching you grow and change it just seems to be happening so quickly.

With the arrival of Spring we've been taking you out on more little adventures; the seaside, to London, to country parks and stately homes. It's amazing to see the world anew through your eyes and I hope you never lose that interest in the world around you. I catch you staring at the sky sometimes with a bemused look on your face; I think its because for your entire existence that sky has been white and all of a sudden it's blue with a big warm, shiny thing in it. You absolutely loved your first Easter, I think it was a combination of the pretty coloured eggs everywhere, and two little entertainers high on chocolate running around everywhere. I'm so excited for all the exciting firsts you're going to get to experience over the coming months; fingers in the sand, feet in the sea, picnics.

As you are now six months we are about to start your weaning journey. At present you don't actually seem terribly interested in food. While I can remember the older two watching every mouthful of food go into our mouths by now, and them swiping their hands to grab a bite too; you just don't seem at all fussed. So we are going to take weaning slowly I think, starting in a few day, and just give you a little taste of some different things and see how we go. It may be that once you get a taste for solids that you'll want more and more, or you may just be content to take it slow; we'll see in time. But for now you seem happy on breastmilk alone and are still growing like a weed, so we're just going to take your lead.

I think the overriding thing that I think of when I think of you is simply "happy". You are always so happy, and smiling and giggling at the everything. And it makes me so proud that other people notice it too. Strangers comment on how contented you are, other parents on the school run will praise your happy nature, and you really will smile for anyone. Of course you save your very best smiles for us. You light up at the sight of your brother and sister, and I've already talked about how much you love Daddy, and me, well you look at me like I'm your whole world and honestly it makes me feel like I could cry sometimes. I feel so so lucky that I get to be your mummy, and that I get to spend my days with you; seeing you grow and doing everything in my power to keep you smiling the whole day through.

I love you so much baby girl, the absolute apple of my eye.

mummy xxx

You can read her letters from months one, two, three, four and five by following the links.

A six month in photos...