Ellie: Six Months

Whew. Hard to believe six whole months have already flown by since Ellie entered this world.

Yup, I know I say this every time. But seriously, where does the time go? I know, I know. So cliche. Again.

Stats from Ellie's six month appointment:

Height: 26"
Weight: 15 lbs 15 oz (32nd percentile)
Head Circumference: 44 (88th percentile)

Ellie continues to grow and bloom and change and show us more of her personality. The smiles and giggles come out a lot...and they (still) never get old. At home, in her element, she is (mostly) a happy and easygoing baby. Well, when teething isn't taking over...

We had our first dose of teething this past month and it really threw me for a loop. With all the drooling and hands-in-mouth-action we'd been seeing before, it's likely she had been teething for a while. But this month teething was in full force without a doubt. So this past month we often found ourselves dealing with some not-so-fun teething ailments: Split personality (laughing one moment then crying the next), screaming at naptime, waking up during the night, etc, etc. Ellie now has two teeth. I've been told by several moms that the first round of teething is the worst and I'm really hoping that's the case for us.

Sleeping
Like I said, teething threw us for a loop. Pair this with a baby who has become much more social plus wants to work on new developments, and you have a good recipe for sleep "challenges." After about a week of teething we dealt with some mega sleep regression. Well, mega compared to what we were spoiled with used to. Ellie started fighting naps and bedtime BIG TIME and stopped taking long naps and sleeping for long stretches at night. I felt completely lost in this area and overwhelmed. Before this point we had been so insanely lucky with a good sleeper so, aside from doing basic things to encourage good sleep habits, we really weren't knowledgeable (AT ALL) in the area of sleep problems. I started frantically reading up on healthy sleep habits and after (1) the worst of teething went away and (2) some tough love (letting her "cry it out") Ellie is back to sleeping well. As of right now she usually takes two long naps during the day (1-2 hours each) and sometimes a short catnap late afternoon/early evening. Bedtime falls between 7-8, depending on the day and then she's up the next morning between 6-7. It's not uncommon for her to now wake up a few times during the night and stir, but usually after about ten minutes of crying/fussing she will fall back asleep.

Eating
More fun times with reflux in this area. With the go-ahead from her pediatrician, we just doubled her reflux medication and it instantly made a HUGE difference. We've been told reflux usually drastically subsides between 6-9 months and I'm hoping we see a shift here soon. Not counting on it though! So between reflux and teething we had more struggles in this area, but at the time I'm writing this (just over six months) Ellie has been eating great. That said, there's often no rhyme or reason to her eating in the afternoon and evening (drives me nuts) and she nurses anywhere from 5-8 times a day on average. We just started solids so it will be interesting to see how this impacts things.

Firsts

• Teeth! Two chompers now on her bottom gum.
• Taste of solid food. Sweet potatoes were first, followed by avocado. 

Loves

• Her super soft "Little Giraffe" blanket. I mean, Ellie L-O-V-E-S this thing. When she sees me bring it out she starts smiling, giggling, and excitedly kicking her feet. Wrap her up in that blanket and she is one happy baby.
• Her little "link" toys. Best $5 I ever spent.
• Still enamored with Freddie the Firefly.
• Getting out. She is just so curious and enthralled by her surroundings. I try to get us out of the house at least once a day, even if it's just a short trip to the store or for a quick walk. When you put Ellie in the carseat she gets excited!
• Being on her tummy.
• Moving (on her tummy). Put Ellie down on a blanket, look away for a split second, and she will have already maneuvered herself to a different spot. She has important stuff to chase after. You  know, like toys.
• Reading. Especially her new "Jamberry" book.

Odds & Ends

• Girly has a lot to say! The babbling and noises are becoming more and more frequent. And she likes to make lots of high pitched squeals (100% girl, I tell ya). The other day when we were in the car she was "talking" to us almost the entire time. I just wish I knew what she was saying...
• Ellie is getting stronger and closer to being able to stay upright on her own, but I think we still have a ways to go. When I work with her on this she falls into a little baby "tripod."
• Still wants to touch and feel everything. Everything. Oh, those chubby little drool-drenched hands kill me.

On the Horizon?
I don't think we're too far off from crawling. *Gulp*