6 months old

My beautiful, beautiful baby. You are six months old now. Half of a year has gone by since you were born. Crazy, isn't it? How fast everything has come and gone? You've hit so many milestones, grown so much into your beauty and personality. You put Papa and I in awe everyday.

At your check-up, you measured 25.5 inches long and 14lbs 13oz, so nearly 15lbs. Of all six month-old babies, you're only in the 17th percentile. I find that so odd because Papa and I think you're already so big. You're petite and developmentally perfect.

Motors:

You grab at everything. You have been doing this for months now, but you're open to grab more things because of how much stronger you've grown. You have a shape-sorter toy that is made of recycled milk jugs. With all of the shapes inside, you can pick it up, swing it around, and slam it everywhere. You love slamming things; it's hilarious to watch how excited to get at your strength and the sounds you make when the object in your hand hits a surface. Your fine motors are getting better too. I'll have something like an earring just sitting on the table and you help yourself to grabbing it. You sit up so, so well. It's been a bit easier to watch you as I can sit you on the couch with me and surround you with toys, while I do my homework. You're very good at rolling from front to back, but don't really care to move from back to front too often. 

We practice standing with you everyday by slipping on your grippy, organic moccs, holding onto your waist, and letting go with our hands inches away to catch you while you get off balance (which is instantaneous, haha). A week after you turned 6 months (so on March 4th), we did this practice with you at Five Guys; however, in the middle of all this, we let go and you just stood! It was so incredible watching you hold your own for the first time. It was only 4-5 seconds, but you didn't tilt or sway. You didn't even know you were standing on your own, but you were.

Emotional/Social:

You display your emotions pretty well on your face- you let us know when you're happy, grumpy, sad, confused, startled, and tired. Papa says you and I are a lot a like, and in being social, you are definitely like me and not Papa. You love people! You are always smiling at everyone who says hi to you while we are out and about. You let the women at the co-op hold you and play with you while Papa and I do some groceries. In the few times I've taken you to school, you are so open to sitting in my classmates' laps and love being an example baby for the teacher to use in our daily lesson.

Cognitive:

You have really learned your name. You respond to "Valentina" very well. You also respond to music, enjoying things with an emphasized, low pounding beat. Papa beat boxes to you and you just stare in wonder before you bust out a smile. We still read everyday. Sometimes it's only one infant book; other days we can get through an infant book, a simple child's book, and a bit of a children's novel before you get fussy. I try my best to keep you entertained by using multiple voices in the dialog. 

I've also taken you to class where my teacher, Ms. Skahan, diagnosed you as being an "easy temperament" baby! I'm guessing that's because you and I had an amazing pregnancy. She also tried an experiment with you that you passed amazingly well- object permanence. She took your organic teething green beans toy and placed it under on of your fabric toy pouches. You easily revealed the toy underneath. You may not be advanced in your motors, but cognitively, you are so intelligent and alert. I'm so proud of you. Maybe you'll be like your Mama and skip a grade or two. (;

As far as talking goes, you haven't learned any words yet. You just seem to babble on occasion. My gosh have you learned to scream! I'm going to guess that you have my strong vocal chords, courtesy of several years of Taekwondo.

Play:

You are paying more attention to your wooden toys. You can now lift the heavier, large wooden rattle I bought you a couple months ago and had to shake for you. Now, you plunge full force into slamming it! You enjoy my cousin Tim's old rattle the most. It's a simply, long wooden rattle. I promise I have washed any and all old drool on it with castile soap and have coated it with beeswax, so you're not putting your mouth on any "yucky stuff." You also enjoy your shape sorter, your Sophie Giraffe, and most of all- the Playstation controller. We don't have cable, but we borrow your Uncle Robo's Netflix which we use through the Playstation. If that controller is around you, into your mouth it goes!

You are also very much my daughter- you love the water! I'm so happy I have a love for water I can share with you. Hopefully we can take you to Guam sometime because I really want you to love the ocean. You'll be my very own little mermaid. How do I know you love the water? When we do baths, I sit you up in your tub for a while. You splash, and splash, and splash with no care. The water launches into your eyes, your face, as well as mine- you continue anyway. You get so, so happy that now giving you a bath is a designated play time as opposed to just something hygienic. I also try to give you sensory play. On top of the sensory bottles I made for you, I try to let you explore the feel of things in the house. You get a bit confused at running water- you don't hate it, but you don't love it.

Last to add to play is that I finally made you a treasure basket! This means that I have added a variety of items of different textures, shapes, and purposes for you to explore, all in one place. Your favorite is the plastic measuring spoons: they click against each other, they're different colors, they brush against your hands, and I'm hoping it'll get you more familiar with the use of a spoon.

Eating:

You still need a little bit of help holding your little glass, but you know how to drink water just fine. You have an understanding that in order to get more liquid out, the glass needs to tilt upwards to let our the water. But because you don't know that you can simply only tilt the glass, you lean your hole head back and get water all over you. I'm sorry, but I laugh at this because it's hilarious. Then I dry you up and let you try again. You haven't understood your stainless steel spoon yet. I put some mashed avocado on it, and you grab and pull the spoon towards you which is excellent. You're still nursing like a champ- solids are in no way even close to being 2% of your diet. You play with it more than anything which is fine. I let you explore and enjoy what you wish to.

Sleeping:

This will be a short section as you've always been a great sleeper. You usually take a nap or two, perhaps an hour long, every day. You wake up maybe twice in the middle of the night, but once I start nursing you, we both fall back asleep.

Thank you for making motherhood so wonderful, my beautiful. I am so happy of all the little girls the universe could have given me, I was constructed the most perfect one, far more wonderful than I ever could have dreamed of on my own. I love you.