6 Months Old

Half a year old. My cuddly, drooly, sweet, chubby, happy little girl.


She has been trying so hard to crawl. She'll get up on all fours occasionally (sometimes it's actually all fives, because she will require the assistance of her forehead), and lunge one direction or another. She gets obviously frustrated when she accidentally flings a toy out of reach, and then can't retrieve it. She also rolls around all over the place, and I can't leave her alone on our bed anymore.

We have all been enjoying the warm summer. We don't have air conditioning, but since our house is shaded by big, beautiful trees, it rarely gets above 75 inside. We open the windows in the evening, and let in the cool breeze. If it does get too warm in the afternoon, we resort to letting the girls roam around in just their diapers.


Elaina likes to nap in her swing.

We've stopped trying to use the swaddling blanket at night. Elaina kept wiggling out of it after a few measly minutes, so we decided it wasn't worth the effort. She hasn't been sleeping quite as soundly since, and still thinks she needs to eat about 5 hours after falling asleep. But I don't mind. She's such a sweet, cudly baby.

What we do mind (just a little), is her 5:30 AM opera solo. She likes to poke and slap and claw at our faces, while singing us some shrill tunes.

We can usually wait it out a bit, or pop her pacifier in her mouth, and get some more sleep. We just are not morning people. Apparently Elaina didn't get that memo.

This kid has lungs. Oh my goodness, she has lungs. Sometimes I worry that the neighbors are going to hear her extremely loud wails and shrieks of abandonment (I left her in the other room, after all). Sometimes she's perfectly content to be left alone, but other times it is the end of the world if I set her down and leave the room. She doesn't hesitate to let me know if she is displeased with her circumstances.


Her eyes are still blue, but darker than they used to be. She has a little bit of a brown spot on the lower part of her right eye, but I guess we'll have to wait and see what they do.

Another warm afternoon. Chloë usually asks to join Elaina in the crib for a while. It's pretty adorable.


Sometimes Elaina does practices her duck-lips pouty face. It's hilarious.


We haven't started the rice cereal yet, but I've been letting her have tastes of my food. Last week, her first official solid food was part of a waffle cone. I was munching on a cone without the ice cream, and Elaina reached for it and pulled it to her mouth, and then happily licked and slurped it to a sog. She also likes a big piece of carrot, celery or red pepper to gum during dinner. Last night, she was very pleased with the flecks of herb roasted potatoes that I shared with her.

Still drooling all over everything, and chewing on anything, but no teeth yet.

A warm evening when the Beckers were over. Elaina was pleased. Aaron, not so much.


She loves her bouncy chair (still with the right leg kick) and the Johnny Jump Up, which is fabulous for when I need to get a few things done. She is very happy to be out and about when it's time to run errands, or visit friends, or go on vacation. She doesn't seem to mind the carseat for extended periods of time (thank you, Lord), and loves chillin' in the stroller, taking in all the sights. As long as I stay away from dairy, she is one happy, chill, and all-around fabulous baby.