Walking with the Cooks: Happy 6 months, Anna!

Half a year! Half a year with our dear Anna girl. Time has surely flown as the seasons changed from the sizzle of summer to the wet chill of winter. Our sweet babiest of babies has grown from our soft, sleepy, munchkin into our roly, smily, darling. We love getting to know our girly as the days pass and I delight to watch her interacting with her wee world as I write. The way a baby grows is a miracle at any age, but we certainly count ourselves blessed to have the opportunity to watch this particular stage for the fourth time.

Weight: 22.7 lbs (99%)
Length: 27 in (83%)
Head: 43 cm (66%)
Diaper: size 3 & 4
Clothing: 9, 12 month

Likes: tongue tricks, cheek kisses, sitting in someones lap, the big kids talking to her close to her face, being tickled, playing with her toes (and taking off her socks!)
Dislikes: her bow falling in her face (pirate Anna), squished legs, long periods of sleep in the middle of the night, bottle eating

Eating: We gave Anna her first bite of solid food on her six-month-iversary. Of course, by solid I mean soupy rice cereal. It was predictably messy, but she didn't seem to mind it one bit. I think she will be a good eater like her bigs once she gets the hang of it. Up to that point she was still nursing exclusively and putting on the pounds like a champ.

Sleep: It was a rough month for sleeping! Anna got another ear infection that we diagnosed after a long night of crying. From that point on she went from waking once toward the end of the night to waking two or three times throughout the night. It was hard on everyone! We are hopeful that if she can keep healthy she will get back to a more normal (or even better than normal!) routine.

Routine: Same old, same old. We are even looser about it than we have been the last few months. Anna shows some good tired signs and we try to get her down promptly once we seen yawning and eye rubbing.

7:30 First feeding of the day
8:45 Nap
11:00 Wake and nurse
12:15 Nap
2:30 Wake and nurse
3:45 Nap (usually a shorter one)
5:00 Nurse
7:00 Nurse and down for bed
9:00-10:00 Nurse and back to bed for the night

Physically: Anna is a roly poly and twisty girl. She isn't scootching at all, but enjoys the freedom of being on the blanket on the floor. I think she is close to capable of sitting up unassisted, I just don't ever give her the chance! She spends most of her time in the jumper or on a blanket on the floor. The doctor noted at an ear check that Anna's gums were a little swollen and teeth could be moving. Nothing has popped through yet! She had another ear infection and subsequent cold/cough for most of the month.

Next appointment: TBD