Half a year.  Half.  A.  Year.  Half a year?!  How has this tiny little sprite been with us for half a year?  In some ways, I feel as though she’s still brand new (and she pretty much is).  In other ways, I feel as though she’s been here forever (I can’t really remember life before her, after all).

Aside from the mind-blowing fact that Peanut is six months old, this month has been pretty peaceful.  She continues to grow and change at staggering speeds.  Watching her play has been the best part of my month, because you can really see her little baby brain at work these days.  Play has become much more intentional as she uses all of her senses to explore and learn.  She’ll hold up her blanket, study it, put it down, taste it, rub it on her face, and the cycle will start all over again.  I’d love to know what kind of conclusions she’s drawing when she does this.  She behaves the same way with her favorite toys: alternates between studying them very methodically and jamming them in her mouth.  It’s adorable, and it’s also just really, really fascinating to watch her learn and explore.  So interesting to think about the fact that we all learned to interact with our world in this way.

I also think – and this might just be wishful thinking, but I believe it’s for real – that she’s already becoming a tiny reader.  She shows amazing patience for books and will happily sit in the Boppy lounger through quite a few stories, especially if she has a toy to gnaw on at the same time.  She’ll look very intently at the book while I read – especially if there are illustrations of babies or children in it.  My Reading Mom heart sings, and I hope she continues to love story time as much as I do!

As for our baby care arrangements, we’re still SO happy to have Auntie Em caring for Peanut while I’m at work.  Peanut is madly in love with her aunt, and the feeling is mutual (no surprises there).  I’ll admit, I was a little nervous about the idea of introducing a third adult into the house – no matter who it was.  It’s not an in-law thing; I have great relationships with all of my in-laws, and E is someone with whom I would want to be friends even if I wasn’t married to her brother.  But hubby and I both have the tendency to be recluses, especially when it comes to our house – we like to escape the rest of the world and we are both quite protective of our space and privacy.  I often run out of patience with “hostessing” when we have houseguests – even close friends or family members, no matter how much I love them.  Eventually, entertaining takes it out of me and I crave alone time.  So I did wonder whether I would be able to deal with having another person around all the time, and I’m SO glad to report that it’s been much easier than I could ever have foreseen.  E has slipped right into our lives and after six weeks it almost feels as if she’s always lived with us.  She’s an easy roommate – eats whatever I put in front of her, helps with cooking and cleaning (even though I wouldn’t ask her to do so – she’s just considerate that way), picks up my books from the library if she happens to be going there anyway, and is happy to do her own thing in the evenings or on weekends, both to let us have family time and – I think – for her own sanity’s sake as well.  She went out of town to visit some friends last weekend and it felt strange to be without her for a few days.  On top of just enjoying E’s company, it means so much to me that Peanut is getting this special bonding time with her aunt.  I really believe that they will always have an extra-special relationship, which will in large part be due to the fact that they’ve been able to spend so much time together during Peanut’s early life.  We’re so lucky!

Okay, enough rhapsodizing.  It’s been an amazing month, but we’ve had our share of challenges, too.  For one thing, I’m still adjusting to being back at work.  It’s nice to see my colleagues again, to contribute to the family income again, and to wear earrings again, but the missing-the-baby thing hasn’t really improved.  The biggest challenge, however, continues to be bedtime.  We’re still plodding along with the pediatrician-prescribed 7:00 p.m. bedtime, and Peanut absolutely hates it.  She’ll happily eat her bedtime bottle, but when the lights go off and the cuddling begins, she immediately screws up her little face into a pout, and the situation rapidly deteriorates from there.  Many nights, we BOTH end up in tears.  Once she finally falls asleep, she’s good about staying asleep (most of the time), but the process of getting there is extremely trying.  Hubby is in favor of throwing the routine out the window, because it seems to be an exercise in frustration for all of us.  We’ve had some limited success with tag-teaming her in the evenings, but it’s an exhausting routine and no one ends up happy at the end of the night.  And then there are the nights where she drops off easily, without a single complaint, leading us to believe she’s taunting us the rest of the time.  (I kid, I kid, I know she’s not trying to mess with us.  But it IS difficult to carry a 12-pound baby up and down the upstairs foyer for two hours while she screams in your ear, especially when you know she’s perfectly capable of soothing and going to sleep.)  We’ll be talking to the pediatrician at her next appointment about whether there are any changes we can make to the routine to make it less painful for all three of us.

And that’s our month in a nutshell.  A few bedtime meltdowns, but WAY more fun, stories, playtime and cuddles.  I can’t complain.

Peanut at 6 Months:

Adjusted Age: 4 months.

Weight: 12 lbs, 3.5 oz

Height: ~23 in

Clothing Size: 6 months, as soon as everyone’s had the chance to see her in their favorite 3 month outfit one last time.

Sleep: Once she goes down for the night, she’s usually good about sleeping until her 1:00 bottle, and then again until her 6:00 bottle – although lately I’ve gone in her room a little bit early in the morning, only to discover her quietly playing in her crib, which tells me that she’s working hard on the art of self-soothing.  (Yay!)  There have been a few instances in which she’s called for a parent to comfort her in the middle of the night (or to play – girlfriend is already hosting slumber parties) but she’s usually an angel once she’s actually asleep.  Bedtime itself is an epic struggle – see above – and we just try to hang on tight each evening until we can fall onto the pillow ourselves.

Likes: Story time with Mommy, Daddy or Auntie Em; gnawing on Sophie the Giraffe (those ears are a particular delicacy); the jangling pig dangling from her bouncy seat; her own hands, especially her left thumb, which is extra delicious; playing Peek-a-Boo with Mommy and Daddy; singing along to Pooh songs with Mommy (cutest thing ever).

Dislikes: Bedtime.  Oh, that nasty bedtime.

Confusing: After six weeks of living with him, Peanut has only recently realized that Auntie Em has a dog.  Ezra has loved Peanut since the beginning, but she didn’t register his existence until now.  When she does take notice of him, which isn’t often, it’s usually to give Auntie Em a look that plainly says, “Did you know this got in the house?”

Favorite Toys: Her Madeline rag doll, who is getting a yarny rat’s nest on top of her head from having her hair sucked and chewed; Sophie the Giraffe; Bright Starts elephant (crinkly ears are too cool for words).

Milestones: Her latest skill is razzing, or “motorboating,” as Auntie Em calls it.  (She does sound like a little outboard motor.)  We’re excited, because it’s an important step toward verbalization, and it’s also freaking adorable.  And juicy.  Especially when she does it with a mouthful of formula.  We’ve all been sprayed in the face several times.

Quirks: This kid has a set of lungs that you wouldn’t believe.  (You’re welcome for the betamethasone, Peanut.)  Recently, she discovered that she can shriek and she gleefully added that skill to her verbal repertoire.  They’re not shrieks of distress, just particularly loud, high-pitched vocalizations that she likes to sprinkle into the little baby conversations she conducts all day long (with herself, Mommy, Daddy, Auntie Em, her toys, her blankets, the ceiling grate, etc.) and they are SO. FREAKING. LOUD.  Especially when you get blasted right in the eardrum.  It’s too cute to complain about, though, even when you go temporarily deaf.