Six Months...Half a Year!

Dear Tootsie,

You are six months old today (!), and this morning I left as you wriggled on your playmat, gurgled away, and chewed on your Sophie giraffe.  It was hard to leave your gummy grin, bright eyes, and chubby cheeks and rubber-band-ringed arms and legs.  It's such an easy love, loving a baby.  And you make it really, really easy with your cheery demeanor, ready smile, and snuggles.

You used to coo in soft sighs, a determined and wonder-filled look on your face as you made each satisfying syllable-exhalation.  Then you stopped talking for a while (only making me worry a little...), but you were just waiting to unleash your new lower-toned guttural gurgle and excited exhortations, which you manage around whatever toy, finger, or foot you have in your mouth at the time.  By the way, you always want something in your mouth.  Watching you duck your head to lock your gums around a toy attached to your exersaucer makes me laugh, and your sisters love when you shake your head like a ravenous tiger and clamp on to a finger waved in your face.

Let's talk about sleep.  You sleep very well at night, and when I say that, I don't mean you sleep in your own bed for a very long time or "through the night" anywhere.  I mean that you sleep in between your many nightly feedings, mainly in my arms, and often in between your father and me. I am lazily (and mostly happily) maintaining this practice because 1) you're my baby, 2) I fall asleep breastfeeding, 3) you snore so sweetly in my arms, 4) I am invested in continuing to breastfeed you, and 5) I'm not interested in initiating the battle to move you into your own bed.  Truth is, I would miss you.  And you've let me know you would miss us too.  Let's just go ahead and put out there now that when we decide to make that transition, it's going to be ugly (insert link to that future blog post here). 

Your sisters adore you.  And despite the fact that you're huge (could be that all-night breastfeeding?), they still manage to carry you around, and it doesn't always frighten me and other bystanders.  You're still learning to roll over and sit up, but you do awesome ab crunches in an attempt to assert your verticality. 

Needless to say, we feel like you've been around more than half a year (it was actually January 11, 2013 when you first became my reality), as you've become so huge in all of our lives.  We love you, baby girl.