6 months

My baby girl was 6 months on the 18th.  That's half way to a year (in case you didn't know there were 12 months in a year)!  I don't even want to think about her birthday party yet.  

She obviously had a runny nose that day!

I don't know if you noticed, but Lily's sitting on a new quilt!  I used the quilt that Ainsley's great-great-grandma Mary made for her for all of Ainsley's monthly pictures and then used it for all of Lily's until this month.  I thought Lily needed a baby quilt since Ainsley had one, so I asked a family friend to make one for Lily.  Lily's quilt is perfectly beautiful!!!  So, Lily will be using her own quilt for her monthly pictures in the future thanks to Jean Langley!

I took Lily for her 6 month wellness check that Friday morning.  She had been extra cranky for the week before and I had even taken her into Prompt Care earlier that week to check for an ear infection.  Prompt Care said she didn't have an ear infection and told me it was probably just teething.  I was still skeptical.  It's crazy how as a parent you really do know when something is wrong with your child.  Sure enough, three days after going to Prompt Care, her pediatrician confirmed that she did have an ear infection.  We've been pretty lucky and Lily's been healthy, with the exception of this first ear infection and her hemangioma (more on that later).  So, we started penicillin that morning when we got home.  I was scared of the antibiotic because Ainsley had such a hard time with every antibiotic she ever took.  She would have terrible diarrhea with the antibiotics, which would lead to terrible diaper rashes.  Luckily, Lily didn't have any side effects and even loved taking her medicine and would slurp it right down! 

Just look at her chubby cheeks and lips!

At Lily's 6 month check up, she weighed 21 pounds 9 ounces and was 27 1/2 inches long.  She's in the 99th percentile for weight and 96th for length.  I think that her length may be a little skewed, because the tables at the doctor's office have a dip in them.  I'm thinking she's closer to 27 inches.  She's definitely a big girl though!  (Ainsley was only 18 pounds at 6 months!) 

She's wearing some 12-18 month clothes, but mainly 18 month.  She's in size 3 shoes and she should really be in a size 4 diaper, but we're squeezing her into the last of the size 3's and using them up! 

Because of her ear infection, the doctor recommended we wait for her 6 month vaccinations.  We had to go for a follow up appointment the next week to make sure her ear was cleared up, so we ended up getting her shots then.  Her ear infection did go away, and this Mommy was happy.  A cranky baby is no fun!  While we did Lily's vaccinations, we went ahead and did her flu shot also.  Ainsley went with us to the doctor, so she was able to get her flu shot also.  Let's just say I had two girls that were not very happy!  Ainsley moved her leg right after the nurse did her shot, so the needle scratched her thigh and made it bleed, which made Ainsley very upset.  We put a band aid on it, but it bled out of the band aid and onto her jeans.  We had to change the bandage, which made Ainsley even more upset.  Let's just say she wasn't very cordial to the nurses after that!

I took Lily to her follow up appointment on her hemangioma with the pediatric dermatologist last week.  The hemangioma hasn't changed since the last appointment.  It hasn't gotten bigger, but it also hasn't gotten smaller.  They usually grow rapidly until 6 months of age and then steady off.  The doctor thought the center may be a little more gray than two months ago when we saw him, but he thought it looked pretty good and wants us to continue with the medication and see him in another 4-6 months.

Lily started sitting up almost a month ago. It's amazing how quickly she caught on and how well she does.  That is, unless her sister pushes her over.  We're still working on that....

Sitting up by herself also means that she's now taking baths in the big bathtub every night.  That has been a lifesaver for me, since Joel's been in the fields.  I stick both girls in the tub after supper and it makes our nights much easier.

She still doesn't roll over very much.  She'll roll from her back to her belly, but very rarely rolls from her belly to her back.  She can inch her way once she gets on her belly to a toy if she really wants it.  We don't think it's going to be much longer before she's crawling.  She puts weight on her legs pretty good, but isn't close to standing by herself or pulling up.

Lily's eating baby food twice a day, and usually eats a container of fruit for lunch and then a container of vegetables with some cereal for supper.  She loves her baby food, but has recently started blowing raspberries as soon as I put the food in her mouth.  There's been a few nights where she didn't get any baby food because the little stinker wouldn't quit blowing raspberries!  I also started giving her some of the "puffs" on her highchair tray a few weeks ago.  The first week, she would get one in her mouth every so often, but is getting to be a pro.  She still makes an awful face when she actually gets one in her mouth.  It's so funny to watch her with them because as soon as I put some on her tray, she gets really excited.  Most of them end up in her chair or on the floor, but she's getting the hang of it!

Concentrating on picking up that puff!

This is her "I just got a puff in my mouth" face

She's saying:  "Take THAT, Mommy!"  This was right after a sneeze while she had baby food in her mouth...

We went through a "rough patch", if that's what you want to call it a few weeks ago.  She got up in the middle of the night for 4 days straight. She'd wake up, take her bottle and then go right back to bed.  She's been sleeping through the night for months now, so getting up in the middle of the night again was hard on Mommy!  I can't complain; it was only four nights.  I'm pretty sure Ainsley was still getting up through the night at 6 months, and we've been so lucky with Lily!  Lily's back to sleeping through the night again (thankfully) and will usually go to bed around 8:30 and sleep until 6:30. 

When taking a bottle, she has to have my hair.  What is it with both of my kids?!  Ainsley still has to have her hand in my hair while drinking, but at least she doesn't pull it anymore.  Lily pulls and yanks it until she's pulled a few hairs out of my head.  It's pretty pathetic watching me when both girls are tired.  Both of them have to have my hair, and Ainsley's usually stuck standing beside the chair reaching for my hair while Lily's in my lap.

Lily's favorite person in the whole world is her big sister.  She can watch Ainsley all day long, and studies every thing she does.  If Ainsley gives Lily even the slightest bit of attention, Lily gets a smile on her face.  I absolutely love watching these two.  Ainsley will tickle Lily and it gets the biggest belly laugh out of Lily.  The rougher Ainsley is with her, the harder Lily laughs.  It's amazing!  Lily will start laughing and then Ainsley follows.  It's the sweetest sound ever.

I know both girls will kill me one day when they see some of the pictures I have taken, but the one below cracks me up!  Is it a picture of Lily's butt crack or her thigh?!

It's her thigh "crack"

Who doesn't love chubby baby legs?!?!