Half a Year?

Samara is six months today.

In going back through my blogs, I have realized that each month I freak about how quickly time is passing. And it is. But I will leave it at that.

This month, the wee-est has become more mobile, often turning back to front, front to back, back to front and so on. Using this method, along with a see-saw method where she scrunches her butt up and pushes forward on her face before pushing up on her arms, she actually manages to cover some distance. I dread the day she starts crawling. It is completely selfish because it means I will not longer be able to attend my favorite mommy and me exercise class, leave her alone in a room or cuddle her. Supposedly, once they are fully mobile, babies want to be on the floor rather than mommy's lap. Sad for me.

The other fun piece we have to look forward to is baby proofing (shudder). The thought of spending a day installing plastic devices all over our house gives me hives, but it must be done. Right? Actually, must it? Didn't we survive without it with minimal scarring? I am actually thinking of just making the kid pack a parachute. I'll teach her how to pull the rip cord. Then we don't have to worry about stair gates. Yeah. I like that.

She is taking solids like a champ now. So far she has had carrots, sweet potatoes, avocado, peas, bananas and cereal and she has liked them all. In fact, last night she would not go to sleep until R fed her more banana. This, in turn has led to more mommy guilt because yesterday I started putting formula in her cereal instead of breast milk. But since she has started solids, my production is low, low, low. I can go eight hours at night without pumping and still only get about 4 ounces in the morning.

I have started to consider weaning. I am weighing the options. I am proud of making it this far with her exclusivley breastfed, but I never took to it the way other women do. I am not comfortable moving around when I am nursing, I still favor a very stiff position, pillow under her when I nurse and I never got the hang of the various "holds."

She is starting to sit up in a wobbly way. We can let go for about five seconds and she will hover before starting to collapse, but she is much sturdier than she was. It seems just a matter of weeks before she can sit on her own.

She likes to touch everything and when I am nursing, her free arm does circles, hovering, trying to find something to grasp onto. Most of the time, that is my lip or eye or cheek. And then she grabs, twists and pulls. It is both cute and painful. When we are at restaurants, she is fascinated by water glasses and can now express herself enough to make me give it to her. Once she has it (heavily supported by me), she wraps her hands around the glass, brings it to her lips and makes a breathing noise like Darth Vader. I am fairly certain that, rather than actually drinking, she is just depositing warm drool into my glass. But it is cute, nonetheless.

Some other firsts this month: first time at the pool, first time running in the stroller, first time petting the dog, first time drinking water, first foods.

Some highlights: