Vivienne at Six Months

Dear Vivienne,

It’s your half birthday, sweet baby! I can hardly believe it.

You are so cute I could eat you. Nibble those toes, those fingers, those cheeks, that nose. I just can’t get enough of you these days. I want to bottle up your infancy and keep it for the future, when you’re grown and I want to remember for just a moment how exactly it felt to hold you, kiss you, snuggle you, play with you.

I have no idea how big you are (doctor’s appointment is not until next week!), but you’re growing, that’s for sure. You’ve come a long way in just the last month.

For one, we officially ditched the swaddle. You were starting to roll over in it consistently, and after finding you sleeping on your stomach one too many times, we went cold turkey. I was so nervous about it, but as it turned out, I didn’t give you enough credit. You did great with the transition. You did, however, keep rolling over to your belly a lot in the night—and then you’d get angry when you couldn’t get back! There were several nights when we made multiple trips into your room in the middle of the night to turn you back over. Now, though? You’re usually content to sleep on your belly. And you’ve figured out how to get back onto your back pretty well, too. Good girl.

Speaking of rolling… this past weekend, I watched you roll across the family room to get to a toy you wanted. Our days of putting you down in a spot and coming back to find you in that same spot are undoubtedly over!

You grab EVERYTHING. You want to grab things, hold them, squeeze them, pull them, and otherwise manipulate them. You are fascinated with your toys, but also with everyday objects. If I try to use my phone while holding you, or even drink from a cup—your little hands are all up in my business, trying to grab it away.

You’re also putting a ton of stuff into your mouth. Toys, hands, anything you can find in your vicinity on the floor. You seem to be drooling a ton, so maybe teeth are on the horizon? It’s hard to say. I don’t necessarily feel anything on your gums, and your sister didn’t get a tooth until she was 10 months old, so… maybe not. I’m not in any hurry for teeth, so take your time, my love.

We’ve tried solid food a few times. Our first attempt was with avocado, and you made the funniest faces. You ate about 3-4 spoonfuls of it and then refused to part your lips anymore. Next, we tried bananas, and I was surprised when you gave it the same treatment as the avocado. I thought for sure you’d like fruit! Then, last night, I decided to try some baby oatmeal mixed with breast milk. You seemed like you MIGHT give up on it after 3-4 spoonfuls again, but I kept trying and ultimately you started opening your mouth again. You ate the whole (very small) bowl! I mean, a lot of it still ended up on your bib, but I was impressed. It seemed as though maybe you just needed to get used to it a little bit? We’ll see what happens when we try again.

You belly laugh now. It is too cute for words. You have to be in the right mood for it—usually in the evenings, shortly before bed—and your daddy is best at making you laugh. You think he is SO funny. You blow raspberries A LOT, and still “yell” at us often.

You are a social butterfly. You like smiling at anyone who looks at you. You are particularly taken by your big sister and Tessa (our dog). Nora loves to talk to you and try to make you smile. She also likes to make sure to remind you that she’s bigger/older than you are—something I’m sure you will have to put up with for the rest of your lives. Nora is obsessed with the movie “Frozen” right now, and just so you know—you’re Anna. Since Anna is the little sister and all. (And if you’ve seen it, I probably don’t have to tell you that this means Nora is Elsa.)

We’re still dealing with your reflux, which seems to be OK right now. You’re still on medication—the same dose you’ve been on since mid-November, when I gave up dairy—but we’re going to talk about that with your pediatrician at the appointment next week. My hope is that we will be able to get you off of the meds and then, MAYBE I can start eating some cheese again!

We are having so much fun with you. I love this age. Every age is a joy for its own reasons, but six months is such a sweet spot. Maybe slow down time a little so we can enjoy it for longer, mmkay?

I feel so blessed to have you. And I love you always.

XOXO
Mommy