J
Jenn
Guest
Six month newsletter
Dear Caitie,
Today marks six months that we've spent together. It's been the best six months of my life.
You've learned so much this month and you're doing so many things now that it's nearly impossible to chronicle them all. To name a few, you're blowing raspberries, popping your lips, pulling yourself to sitting and standing when we give you our fingers, you've got your first tooth (September 5) and your second tooth (September 6), you can pick up and play with your own toys, you know how to make your exersaucer sing for you by jumping and wiggling, you hold your own bottle or sippy cup ...
We had your six month check up the other day and you were 18 lbs. 1 oz. and 26.25" long ... in the 80th percentile for everything! You are a big baby! You're wearing mostly 9-12 month sleepers and 6-9 and 9-12 month clothes. Soon you'll have to move up into a bigger car seat!
We started solids this month. You love cereal and carrots, and you will eat some peas but you're not real sold on them. You've also tried some apple juice - you prefer water - and a bit of banana. We tried Cheerios, but you think foods that aren't mushy are just wrong and you spit them out.
We have little games that we play, you and I and you and daddy. You love to imitate us and we love to imitate you. It's so much fun for us to see you try to do something new!
Early this month you tried out a Jolly Jumper for the first time. Previously, we thought the swing was the best thing ever. Now we know that it's really the Jolly Jumper. You love to bounce and walk yourself around in circles! It's also a lot of fun if we pick up your feet and swing you back and forth. You smile and laugh and keep us so entertained!
You're definitely becoming a little ham. If we're laughing about something, you smile and laugh, too. If I laugh, you laugh. Sometimes we don't even laugh at anything in particular, we just laugh for the sheer joy of the feeling of it.
You like being scared. You'll startle if we make a new, weird noise, but then you'll laugh and so we'll do it again and again until you don't think it's funny anymore. You like it when your daddy tosses you in the air and catches you.
Animal noises and nursery rhymes are a big favorite with you right now. You love it when mama repeats animal noises or sings to you. I can put you to sleep just by holding you and singing to you.
This month you proved that in some ways, you're smarter than your mama. We did cry it out one night in my room. You cried for 40 minutes and then slept for five hours. It was awesome. I was sure I had this whole sleep thing licked. Until the next night, when I wouldn't give you what you wanted - namely, my boob - you decided not to cry, but to wake up and play for an hour so I couldn't sleep. I finally gave you the boob just to get you to go back to sleep. Crying it out only works if you're crying. I don't know how you figured it out so fast!
We tried crying it out again, this time using the crib. It worked really good the first night, you only cried for 25 minutes and then slept for over six hours!
Your favorite toys this month, besides mama and daddy, are a play phone that talks to you when you hit the buttons and an assortment of rattles and teething toys that you love to alternately shake and chew.
You're getting more and more mobile and that makes me sad. For every inch you wiggle on your own, you need me less. Now you roll to reach a toy, and when you're on your stomach, you can push yourself backwards and sideways by using your hands. When you're on your back, you can kick yourself sideways and downwards and often make complete circles.
You really like our cockatiel, Mr. Squaggles. He likes to fly down to the floor and you watch him as he walks and hops around. If you're in your jolly jumper, you'll stop bouncing and watch what he's doing. Sometimes I think the two of you have whole conversations that us mere adults can't possibly understand.
We spent some time outdoors this month every day that it wasn't too hot, too cold or raining. Mama and daddy caught lots of frogs for you to look at, and sometimes we would find those yellow and black fussy caterpillars for you to watch. You mostly wanted to put them in your mouth.
Feeling trees is another favorite activity that you took up this month. You're very interested in how the wind moves the trees, and you love to feel the different leaves and needles and flower petals.
You saw your crazy cousins several times this month. They run around and make noise and are very fun for you to watch. They adore you, for the most part, and hang around you just to see what you're going to do next. They bring bugs and toys for you to look at and touch.
Your grandma and grandpa finally came to see you again this month. Despite not seeing them since the end of May, you loved them and didn't play strange. We're theorizing it's because you talk to them on the phone all the time. Maybe it's just because they love you so very much.
You have a huge vocabulary of non-sensical babbling and noises this month. It seems like you're always coming up with some new kind of noise. You like to play the "Hey" game with your daddy. He says "Hey," and you say "heh." You'll do it several times a day, every day.
You're indescribably beautiful. Your eyes are a darker shade of blue than mine. Your hair is brown, reddish-brown in some lights. Your cheeks are irresistible and I am compelled to smooch them. Your little hands and feet are always busy. You are always chewing on your hands and if I take your socks off, those little toes are headed for your mouth, aided but your hands. I don't blame you. I want to nibble on them myself, they're so cute and tasty looking. Your skin is so soft, there's nothing I can compare it to. Your little bum finally has some fat on it and feels kind of like bread dough. I have to squeeze it every now and then, it's so cute.
You are incredibly expressive. Everyone who sees you has to comment on how cute you are, how bright you are, how strong you are, how big you are. I'm so proud of you!
Being with you is the best part of my day, everyday. I miss you when you nap or when I'm driving and I can't see you in your car seat. I miss you when other people hold you. I love you almost more than it's possible to love someone.
I hope you'll always know how much I love you. I'll do my best to always tell you and show you, but really, there's nothing in the world that I can show you that is equal to my love for you. I could import an elephant from Africa and it wouldn't be enough. I could buy you a large tropical island and it wouldn't be enough. I guess I'll just have to settle for hugging you and kissing those soft cheeks of yours a hundred times a day, for singing you nursery rhymes and country songs and making your noises back at you, for getting down on the floor and playing with you, for laughing with you and for not even minding the roughly 1800 diapers I've changed since your birth - and I don't even want to think about how many of those were nasty poopy diapers.
Because really, what greater test is there of love than being willing to clean up someone else's poop?
Love,
Mama
We also did her official six month old pictures today. We chose biker baby as a theme because daddy just bought a pocket bike. It's pretty proportionate for her size! Watching him on it is like seeing 12 clowns come out of a tiny car.
Dear Caitie,
Today marks six months that we've spent together. It's been the best six months of my life.
You've learned so much this month and you're doing so many things now that it's nearly impossible to chronicle them all. To name a few, you're blowing raspberries, popping your lips, pulling yourself to sitting and standing when we give you our fingers, you've got your first tooth (September 5) and your second tooth (September 6), you can pick up and play with your own toys, you know how to make your exersaucer sing for you by jumping and wiggling, you hold your own bottle or sippy cup ...
We had your six month check up the other day and you were 18 lbs. 1 oz. and 26.25" long ... in the 80th percentile for everything! You are a big baby! You're wearing mostly 9-12 month sleepers and 6-9 and 9-12 month clothes. Soon you'll have to move up into a bigger car seat!
We started solids this month. You love cereal and carrots, and you will eat some peas but you're not real sold on them. You've also tried some apple juice - you prefer water - and a bit of banana. We tried Cheerios, but you think foods that aren't mushy are just wrong and you spit them out.
We have little games that we play, you and I and you and daddy. You love to imitate us and we love to imitate you. It's so much fun for us to see you try to do something new!
Early this month you tried out a Jolly Jumper for the first time. Previously, we thought the swing was the best thing ever. Now we know that it's really the Jolly Jumper. You love to bounce and walk yourself around in circles! It's also a lot of fun if we pick up your feet and swing you back and forth. You smile and laugh and keep us so entertained!
You're definitely becoming a little ham. If we're laughing about something, you smile and laugh, too. If I laugh, you laugh. Sometimes we don't even laugh at anything in particular, we just laugh for the sheer joy of the feeling of it.
You like being scared. You'll startle if we make a new, weird noise, but then you'll laugh and so we'll do it again and again until you don't think it's funny anymore. You like it when your daddy tosses you in the air and catches you.
Animal noises and nursery rhymes are a big favorite with you right now. You love it when mama repeats animal noises or sings to you. I can put you to sleep just by holding you and singing to you.
This month you proved that in some ways, you're smarter than your mama. We did cry it out one night in my room. You cried for 40 minutes and then slept for five hours. It was awesome. I was sure I had this whole sleep thing licked. Until the next night, when I wouldn't give you what you wanted - namely, my boob - you decided not to cry, but to wake up and play for an hour so I couldn't sleep. I finally gave you the boob just to get you to go back to sleep. Crying it out only works if you're crying. I don't know how you figured it out so fast!
We tried crying it out again, this time using the crib. It worked really good the first night, you only cried for 25 minutes and then slept for over six hours!
Your favorite toys this month, besides mama and daddy, are a play phone that talks to you when you hit the buttons and an assortment of rattles and teething toys that you love to alternately shake and chew.
You're getting more and more mobile and that makes me sad. For every inch you wiggle on your own, you need me less. Now you roll to reach a toy, and when you're on your stomach, you can push yourself backwards and sideways by using your hands. When you're on your back, you can kick yourself sideways and downwards and often make complete circles.
You really like our cockatiel, Mr. Squaggles. He likes to fly down to the floor and you watch him as he walks and hops around. If you're in your jolly jumper, you'll stop bouncing and watch what he's doing. Sometimes I think the two of you have whole conversations that us mere adults can't possibly understand.
We spent some time outdoors this month every day that it wasn't too hot, too cold or raining. Mama and daddy caught lots of frogs for you to look at, and sometimes we would find those yellow and black fussy caterpillars for you to watch. You mostly wanted to put them in your mouth.
Feeling trees is another favorite activity that you took up this month. You're very interested in how the wind moves the trees, and you love to feel the different leaves and needles and flower petals.
You saw your crazy cousins several times this month. They run around and make noise and are very fun for you to watch. They adore you, for the most part, and hang around you just to see what you're going to do next. They bring bugs and toys for you to look at and touch.
Your grandma and grandpa finally came to see you again this month. Despite not seeing them since the end of May, you loved them and didn't play strange. We're theorizing it's because you talk to them on the phone all the time. Maybe it's just because they love you so very much.
You have a huge vocabulary of non-sensical babbling and noises this month. It seems like you're always coming up with some new kind of noise. You like to play the "Hey" game with your daddy. He says "Hey," and you say "heh." You'll do it several times a day, every day.
You're indescribably beautiful. Your eyes are a darker shade of blue than mine. Your hair is brown, reddish-brown in some lights. Your cheeks are irresistible and I am compelled to smooch them. Your little hands and feet are always busy. You are always chewing on your hands and if I take your socks off, those little toes are headed for your mouth, aided but your hands. I don't blame you. I want to nibble on them myself, they're so cute and tasty looking. Your skin is so soft, there's nothing I can compare it to. Your little bum finally has some fat on it and feels kind of like bread dough. I have to squeeze it every now and then, it's so cute.
You are incredibly expressive. Everyone who sees you has to comment on how cute you are, how bright you are, how strong you are, how big you are. I'm so proud of you!
Being with you is the best part of my day, everyday. I miss you when you nap or when I'm driving and I can't see you in your car seat. I miss you when other people hold you. I love you almost more than it's possible to love someone.
I hope you'll always know how much I love you. I'll do my best to always tell you and show you, but really, there's nothing in the world that I can show you that is equal to my love for you. I could import an elephant from Africa and it wouldn't be enough. I could buy you a large tropical island and it wouldn't be enough. I guess I'll just have to settle for hugging you and kissing those soft cheeks of yours a hundred times a day, for singing you nursery rhymes and country songs and making your noises back at you, for getting down on the floor and playing with you, for laughing with you and for not even minding the roughly 1800 diapers I've changed since your birth - and I don't even want to think about how many of those were nasty poopy diapers.
Because really, what greater test is there of love than being willing to clean up someone else's poop?
Love,
Mama
We also did her official six month old pictures today. We chose biker baby as a theme because daddy just bought a pocket bike. It's pretty proportionate for her size! Watching him on it is like seeing 12 clowns come out of a tiny car.
