The main reason I wanted to start this blog was for it to partially serve as an electronic baby book, since I haven't been great at keeping up with the paper versions. There is no better time than today to write about the past six months and Punky's progress in her new world.
Right off the top, I have to say that overall she has been the best baby anyone could ever have, and I'm not just saying that because she's mine. Uh-huh.
From the day she was born, she hardly ever cries. Extreme hunger or tiredness brings on the tears but it is usually short-lived. The first twelve weeks or so were rough, as expected, with sleeping but most nights I could get a five-hour stretch somewhere along the way. Right around three months she started sleeping anywhere from seven to ten hours a night, with only a few rough nights here and there.
I had absolutely no intention of co-sleeping. I was against it all around. The first two months, she spent most of the night in her bassinet next to the bed, but when the need to nurse struck in the middle of the night, I began enjoying the convenience of laying her next to me in bed. While she was so tiny, I was too scared to keep her with me all night, but as she grew, we began co-sleeping every night and still are today even though I had to quit nursing at about four and a half months.
I've taken a lot of heat for it from my family. They all have this crazy idea that she will be ten years old and still sleeping in our bed. They never did it, they don't understand why I want to do it, and they've never researched it inside and out like I did once I realized it's what I wanted to do. On the other hand, his family has been very supportive, many have done it, and they understand completely the benefits to be gained from it. I'm not getting into the research here; you can look it up yourself. Suffice it to say that I enjoy having her there, she sleeps well, I sleep well, and nothing in the world beats waking up to your smiling baby cuddled up next to you...happy, safe, and loved...instead of waking up to a crying baby, left all alone, stuck in a wooden cage away from the most comforting things in her life: mom and dad.
So far she is developing right on track, even ahead of schedule on most things. At only fifteen weeks, she managed to pull herself to standing from a sitting position while only holding my hands. It totally blew my mind. She learned to raspberry around four months, and proceeded to give the nurse one after she stuck her with a needle at her four-month checkup. It was a priceless moment; no tears, just a single, solitary raspberry and a look of disgust.
From the time they put her on the scale to weigh her six months ago, she was able to roll right up on her side. She made her first belly-to-back roll at only three weeks old. Rolling was like second nature from the start, and by about four months she had mastered the art.
One of her favorite things is her jumperoo, brought by the Easter Bunny for her first Easter in April. It didn't take long for her to get the hang of it and jump like a crazy baby. She goes like hell in that thing. She would rather be standing than anything else, no matter by what means, so it really makes her happy.
She has started getting up on her hands and knees and rocking back and forth. Crawling is right around the corner; I thought she would have done it before today. Once she does, life will really get interesting. It's hard now with her just rolling all over the place. I can't imagine what it will be like when she crawls. I'll know soon enough.
At her four-month checkup, which was actually two weeks late, the doctor agreed she was showing all signs of being ready for solids, and so the adventure began. Since then, she hasn't met a food she doesn't like. She eats it all, with no fuss...and lots of mess. Carrots seems to be her favorite though, and she's not too excited with sweet potatoes. It took a while for her to enjoy fruit and stop making pucker faces with every spoonful.
At that last appointment, she was still only 11 lbs 9 oz. and 23-1/2 inches long. She was 7 lbs 4 oz 19 inches at birth, so she was still no where near doubling her birth weight. She is only in the 20-25th percentile for both height and weight. My little peanut. Today at six months, she is in a 0-3 month onesie. Most still fit her, along with 3-6 months, and a handful of small 6-9 month items. Now that she's been eating food, you can almost see her growing right before your eyes. I can't wait for her six-month checkup to see, but it's not until July 16th. I'm sure I am overestimating both measurements in my head, just as I did last time.
We had a couple of firsts today to mark her half birthday. We only started using the highchair about three weeks ago. I always feed her food first, then take her out and do her bottle on the rocking chair. I never just left the bottle on the highchair to see what she would do. Sure enough, without hesitation, she picked it right up with both hands and got the nipple right in her mouth. Even though she grabs the bottle sometimes when I feed her, and even holds it herself for a few seconds here and there, it still really surprised me to see her pick it up, all on her own, and totally do it herself. She is just growing up too fast.
Last Sunday, Grammy brought up Landon's old walker. She spent some time in it over the last week. She can make it go in the kitchen where there is no carpet, but it seemed she was moving with no real control over where she was going. Yesterday she ended up next to the garbage can (and stuck both hands right in, of course) but I chalked it up to luck. That changed today. I went out on the porch and watched her maneuver the walker straight down the hallway with determination to get to me. She knows what she's doing.
She had three poops today instead of her usual one. That is also technically a first, but I'll spare you further elaboration.
All in all, she has spoiled me by being such a good baby. On the rare occasion that she doesn't want to go to bed, or a cranky day in general, I have some trouble coping. I can't imagine having a colicky baby. Those poor parents, you have my deepest sympathy. You are much stronger than I. We did a little photo shoot with her today to capture her half birthday. I'll end with my favorite.
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