6 Months

My sweet baby girl is officially half a year old! How can time fly by so quickly? I was packing up some old clothes and came across the onesie that we took her home from the hospital in. It was shocking to see how tiny it was, and I remember it being too big at the time. My how she has changed! Avery has made such progress this month developmentally and more personality emerges every day.

Here's what we've been up to...

Eating-Avery eats solids twice a day (breakfast and dinner) and nurses 5 times a day. She eats a vegetable for breakfast and cereal for dinner. We have made it through sweet potatoes, squash, green beans, peas, and carrots. I was amazed that she liked them all! I even made my first batch of baby food- sweet potatoes, of course! She eats them quite frequently since I have a big supply.

Sleeping- Well, there have been some ups and downs in this area. I wonder if there will ever be a month that I say how wonderful of a sleeper she is. At least this month she had an excuse...a tooth! Her first tooth broke through the gums. It is on the bottom left side. Tylenol has been our best friend over the past few weeks to help with teething. I tried to get a picture but it just turned out a big blurry mess so I will try to take another once it comes in a little more. She is STILL in her swaddle but sleeps so well with it.

Happy as a clam after her nap (miracle blanket still draped around her)

Rolling- During Avery's 5 month post I wrote that she had been rolling from her stomach to her back. I just couldn't get her to roll from her back to her stomach. Well, one night we were playing with her right before bed. She was on a blanket on the floor, and we were changing her diaper and putting her pajamas on. I tried to lure her with toys to roll but she just wouldn't. When I tried to get her diaper on, she rolled to get away. Such a stubborn child! Remember that she rolled the other way for the first time to avoid taking a nap. What are we going to do with her?! Now she is rolling like crazy. Hopefully, she stays put for another month or so. I'm not ready for crawling to start just yet!

Right after her roll

Sitting- Thankfully, we have made gains in this department also! Avery is only locking her knees some of the time. She could always sit pretty well when I forced her but literally would never want to practice. She HATED to sit. By the end of the month, she started to realize that you can do a lot from the sitting position. She definitely still lops over from time to time but that's okay. I had been worrying that she would never sit!

We now have to watch everything that is within Avery's reach. This is what happens when we don't...

We were having a nice dinner at the table. Billy got Ave out of her chair and was holding her. One of the flowers on our table was within reach and down everything went! She also has grabbed drinks from tables and spilled them everywhere (Sorry Linds!). I guess this is only the beginning of needing to watch her every move!

Some other pictures from this month-

About to go on a walk in the cold weather

Checking out her new PB Kids catalogue after a walk

This is what she does on her belly all the time. She pulls up her arms and legs and looks like she's swimming. I guess she's practicing for the summertime!

I was wrapping presents and took my eyes off of her for one second. This is how she ended up.

So excited about her stocking

We love you so much Avery girl! We can't imagine life without you!

Sweet Potatoes!

When I started solids back up, I decided that sweet potatoes were definitely going to be her first vegetable to try. I am a HUGE fan of sweet potatoes. I could eat one for every meal. So, of course, I thought that Avery would share my passion for them too! I do not plan on making very much of my own baby food, but I thought that this would be a perfect one to make. Bake a few for the baby food and one for me at the same time. Avery had different plans...

So ready to try them!

First bite- not so sure

...and we're done!

She was not loving them at all. She made a gagging face and literally shuddered when she ate them. She seemed so disgusted by them. I also had a bowl of oatmeal ready so I tried to trick her by feeding her a couple bites of oatmeal and sneaking some sweet potatoes in there. She was on to me and eventually would barely open her mouth so that she could taste just the tip of the spoon to see which food it was. What a tricky little girl!

So, of course, I was devastated but decided to keep at it! She decided on the second day that she liked them. I'm not sure if she had to get used to the texture or the flavor but it was a success!

Day 2- She loves them!

Avery, just wait until you can put butter or brown sugar or marshmallows on top of them! They are so good!

Thanksgiving

We had so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. Last year, I was just barely pregnant and still so scared that something might happen. It had been somewhat of a rollercoaster of a year emotionally, and I felt overwhelmingly thankful to just be pregnant again. This year, words cannot describe how I feel. Avery has made such a huge impact on our lives, and we feel so unbelievably blessed to be her parents. She has already taught us so much and certainly has put things into perspective for us. I can't wait to see the changes that will happen by next Thanksgiving! I am also so thankful for a loving, wonderful husband that keeps me laughing and great, supportive friends and family to go through life with!

This year we started the day off watching the parade and cooking in the kitchen. I have great memories of watching the parade on Thanksgiving morning, and I want Avery to have memories like this too (although she doesn't really watch tv yet!). Around lunchtime, we headed to Bill's Grandma's house for lunch.

After lunch, we went over to my parents for an early dinner.

Samantha was fascinated with Avery's bow, and Avery was just fascinated with Samantha in general!

Avery sat at the table too and ate her giraffe instead of turkey

Getting sleepy!

Can't wait for Christmas!!!