hello! caroline…6 months old

my heart is breaking in half as i am writing this post, so please forgive the crazy/hormonal mommy emotional rollercoaster i am on right now dear friends… this could get ugly.

dear caroline,
on monday, we celebrated your six month birthday…you’re half way to being a year old my darling girl and words escape me (can you believe it?). i am so excited for this milestone and the fact that we have made it this far-quite successfully if i do say so myself, yet my heart aches because you’re growing each and every day and i want time to stand still a bit so i can keep you small and spend countless hours holding you in my arms again. other than a few late night calls to the doctor, a few clinic trips to make sure you weren’t sickly, and loads of googling things at random points throughout the day, i’d say we have you pretty well figured out my little monkey.

food/eating. you’re still downing 6 bottles a day, and for two of your feedings (mid-morning and dinnertime), we are feeding you oatmeal and baby food…a girl has gotta have some variety, right? you still love your veggies, especially squash and green beans. other hits include sweet potatoes and bananas, but we’ve had a few misses too-carrots and peas aren’t your favorites whatsoever, but mommy tries to sneak them in from time to time. this next month, i am going to start elements of baby led weaning (BLW) and give you actual real food, so fingers crossed this goes well. first up will be avocado and sweet potato! you’ve gotten a bit annoyed with the bottle as of late so we’ll be trying out a few sippy cups in the effort to keep you entertained. if anyone has any advice on which cups to grab and which to avoid, i’d certainly appreciate it!

nighty night, sleep tight. nighttime is usually pretty peaceful at our house. our routine starts with a bath by mommy and daddy, lotion rub down as we pray, and then it’s time for the nighttime bottle, which normally puts you to sleep. on the whole, it’s hard to complain…you still nap 2-3 times a day and at night you sleep from 9pm-7am-give or take a few. you are a complete wiggle worm once you’re in your crib and i sincerely don’t understand how you move around so much…we’ll find you balled up in a corner at random times, yet you’re sound asleep. there have been some instances where i’ll turn on the video monitor and see you glaring at the camera and i cannot lie…it’s a little scary because it’s as though you know i am watching you and you look at me with those eyes that say “don’t you love me? why don’t you come in here and pick me up mommy?” MELT. MY. HEART.
the clothes situation. i’m going to be the lady walking around in the mall with literally no clothes on since i can’t find clothes i want to buy myself anymore. rather, i venture into janie and jack, gap kids, gymboree, and old navy because i can’t fathom venturing out for a shopping trip and not picking at least a few things up for you. dressing you is absolutely too much fun and ive been going nuts stocking up for fall and winter baby attire. we’re still in 3-6 month clothing, though some pieces are getting a bit snug, so we’re working our way into the bigger sizes as we speak. with the fall weather fast approaching, we will be whipping out your jackets, sweaters, leggings, and moccassins in no time. you’re still in size 2 diapers as well and because your hair has been growing a lot lately, mommy can now put bows on you…ahhh, i have waited for this for a long time ;).
a girl on the go. activity time that is. you’re still in love with the neglect-o-saucer and so am i. constant amusement so i can get chores done around the house and you can exercise those oh-so-cute and chubby legs of yours. you like your morning television time and we rotate between sesame street, mickey mouse club, and yo gabba gabba on most days with a bit of mommy’s favorite reality shows, too. you’re not sitting up on your own quite yet, and when i attempt to sit you up, you squirm and start flipping over and “swimming” like you’d rather crawl. i just took you for your first big girl stroller ride the other day (sitting in the toddler seat rather than the carseat) and you loved every minute of it…it was like you were seeing things for the first time and smiled from ear to ear as we walked to the local produce shop.

other necessary details. people at MOPS and the YMCA nursery tell me you’re usually a sweet little darling, but they’ve also reported that you have “quite a temper”…yes, my dear, you are TOTALLY a miniature version of me. we can apologize to daddy for that one as he has to manage both of us. on the other hand, you smile ALL.THE.TIME and babble and you talk back to us when we try to conversate with you, too. you love when i sing and read to you and as of late we have started working on sign language (thanks Aunt Meg)…we are working on learning “more”, “bottle”, and “sleepy” and you have already mastered giving kisses to everyone. your first two teeth are poking through which has caused some fussiness, but i would be the same way and can’t blame you for getting upset.
items worth noting.
first football tailgate/trip to knoxville: september 15-UT vs. FL
nicknames: CC, baby C, tuttie, peanut, monkey, sweet pea
milestones: first tooth cut on september 14, first stroller ride in the big seat on september 12

monday, we had your 6 month checkup with dr. barrow…here are your current stats: 16.6 pounds (75% percentile), 17 inch head circumfrance (80% percentile), and 27.5 inches long (95% percentile).
of course, the checkup ended with those dreaded shots we all despise, but mommy immediately scooped you up and took you home to rest, relax, and sleep! some other fun items to mention are that we now get to experiment with yogurt (plain), juice (dilluted with water if and when i decide to let you have some), and incorporating more food in your diet, too!

thanks for the love, laughter, cuddles, and kisses my sweet, sweet girl. you are my world, the reason life is worth living and you bring so much happiness to all of my days-being your mother is the biggest joy and i can’t wait for what’s to come! OXOX

and of course,  i just had to do a little picture montage…from 1 month until now, just so i could make sure to capture just how much you are changing (and notice the last picture i couldn’t manage to get a shot without you eating the number 6–hehe)