Six Months

On the night Matilda was born, Chicago was waist deep in one of the worst blizzards on record. We drove slowly home through huge snowdrifts two days later with our 7lb 8oz, 21.5 inch very bundled bundle of pure winter joy.

Today Matilda is six months old, it's 97 degrees, and we drove home from her pediatrician appointment with our 20 lb 11.5oz, 27 inch (whoa!) sweaty, sundress-clad little girl sprawled out in her carseat.

These six months, this winter that faded into a chilly spring and then suddenly cranked into a blistering summer, have just flown by. Our sleepy, content newborn is now a babbling, grinning, social and opinionated girl. I'm not a huge fan of the Dear Baby, You are XYZ Months Old blog posts (mama blogger heresy, I know!) but I do want to remember what Matilda is like at this age and so while the only people who may want to read on are her grandparents, I would to like to briefly discuss Matilda: Six Month Edition.

Sleeping: As of two or three weeks ago, Matilda sleeps through the night. She usually goes to bed around 8:30 and wakes up around 7:30ish to eat, play for a few minutes, and then conks out again until at least 9:30. I know some people say it's a myth that starting solids make babies sleep through the night, and others swear it's the gospel truth. Personally, I don't think that Matilda is suddenly so satiated that she can't bear to wake up in the night (two tablespoons of sweet potatoes doesn't seem that filling) but I do think that the actual activity of eating solids has made her sleepier. We just put away the cosleeper last night because she slung both an arm and leg over it the other day and that just seemed terrifying so now she's happy in her pack'n'play (which we originally didn't think would fit in our room at all - that was based on feelings, not measurements, which are vastly more precise). Now that she doesn't wake up to nurse overnight, I suppose we could transition her to her own room. I suppose...but I love looking over at her sweet sleepy self and she has her whole life to sleep in a separate room. Also, she is not disturbing our sleep and we don't seem to bother hers, so! Baby remains in our bedroom, will update when the status changes.

Eating: Matilda has tried, in order: avocados, brown rice cereal, sweet potatoes, peas, green beans, bananas, and carrots. She could care less about cereal, which is great because I'm not super thrilled about it as a first food. She adores avocados and carrots, detests green beans (as in, spit it into Joshua's face), and is happy enough with everything else. Right now she is only eating solids once a day, nursing four to five times, and clearly is getting all the nutrition she needs. Rolls on her rolls, people. Matilda likes to think she is entirely independent when it comes to feeding herself - she won't really take food unless her pudgy, sticky fingers are also holding the spoon, and she guides it to her mouth with shocking accuracy. She also tries to hold her bottles when I'm at work and Joshua is feeding her, although she isn't very good at it and she gets mad and he gets frustrated and I'm told it's quite a sight to see. Also, if you have had the pleasure of holding all twenty plus pounds of Matilda on your lap lately, you know that if she's hungry she will begin pawing at your shirt and chest and lunging towards you in a socially awkward manner. August is breastfeeding awareness month, so I will just say breast is best! and yes, I'm sorry if you've been attacked by a ravenous (but cute!) blue-eyed baby lately.

Eating, and all that comes After: What comes after is frightening. The first time I changed a diaper (cloth, not the peel-off-your-kid's-butt-and-throw-away-STAT! kind) after Matilda had eaten avocado, I almost threw up. Disposable diapers were literally invented for the horror that is the first time a human's digestive system encounters a vegetable. (A fruit? Avocados are tricky.) But, because I am really dedicated to cloth diapering and because the sight and smell of disposables piling up in the trash makes my little recyclers' heart sad, I did my research, ordered a diaper sprayer and biodegradable liners with free two day shipping and then pinched my nose and went on with my life. After a few weeks of adjustment, stripping the diapers of any ammonia buildup and then bleaching them out in the sun, we are back to 100% cloth.

Playing: The best part of six months, by far, is everything that Matilda can do. She started sitting up a few days after turning five months, and now she can sit and entertain herself passing a toy back and forth from hand to hand, shoving it in her mouth, flinging it on the floor, and then rolling over to get to it. She is amazingly adept at getting what she wants through a combination of barrel rolling, army crawling, and just flopping forward, no holds barred, straight to the floor. It's exciting! And scary! She loves her jungle exersaucer, which we still haven't put the batteries in because we are waiting for the right amount of boredom to set in before we blow her mind with that, and she's outgrowing her playmat completely. She loves to turn the pages in her board books, and chew on them, and chew on anything else chewable in sight. She also adores Helo and Pam, who are so tolerant of her ripping chunks of their fur out and shoving it in her mouth. That's not my favorite. I like when she pats their ears and noses and makes me feel like filling our home with animals and then having a baby was the best choice we ever unknowingly made, and not insane like so many people warned us.

Everything else: Is Wonderful. I love hot, sticky six month Matilda. She screeches and smiles and babbles at everything and everyone, reserving her belly laughs for only the funniest of funny situations. It's joyful and delightful and exhausting and not without its stresses and challenges of course! But I love that I am not just a mother but her mother, and God has given Joshua and I this adorable ninety-fifth percentile all-encompassing gift of a daughter.

Happy Six Month Birthday, sweet Tils. Your mama loves you more every day.