Six-Month Update

Samantha and Conor turned six months just (mumble mumble) days ago, so it's the perfect time for a six-month update.

The big news is that they started sitting up this month.  Samantha started a bit earlier than Conor, and at the moment, is more steady than he is.  They're now content to sit for minutes at a time, playing with their toys or posing for pictures.  This makes their mama very happy.


Another awesome development is that they're over their hatred of the car.   No more attempting to sing over the sound of screaming babies on the way to daycare?  Priceless.

This week -- on the same day no less -- they both pulled themselves up to almost standing when in their bassinet and cribs (Zachary advised me that Samantha was going to fall out of her crib and bonk her head, so he suggested that we get a ladder so that she could climb down instead).

When together, their favorite activities are (1) annoying each other, (2) stealing toys, and (3) mauling each others' faces. 






(Trust me, Conor does it too, he's just more stealthy about it.)

Samantha now weighs 14 pounds, 12 ounces and is 25 and 1/2 inches tall.  She's my sweet baby girl who likes to be held more than anything.  She lights up when she sees me.  She's easily bored, and craves new toys and things to look at.  If there's something that she wants, she'll slither to go and get it, so I anticipate that she'll be crawling soon.  When she's bored or wants attention, my girl will screech.  It's awe inspiring, really - she let loose in public once, and I heard a man say, "Oh my God."  He wasn't overreacting.  Although her impatience can be frustrating when I'm trying to do something other than hold or entertain her, it also means that she is extremely content when we're out shopping because of the constant change of scenery, and she'll happily look around from her car seat for hours.  She's also a dream to put to bed; she gives an obligatory half-hearted screech in protest for a half second, rolls over, puts her thumb in her mouth, and falls asleep.  She generally wakes once during the night for a feeding then goes right back to sleep.  One of my favorite parts of the day is holding her, rocking her, and singing her a lullaby before bed -- she lays her head on my chest and sucks her thumb contentedly.  I gush.  And while she often holds back with her laugh (unless I'm pretending to eat her feet), she is generous with her beautiful smile.  She is sweetness and love.


Conor now weighs 15 pounds, 8 ounces and is 25 and 3/4 inches tall.  He continues to be just happy to be alive.  He's got the world's best giggle, and it doesn't take much to elicit it from him.  He bounces so hard in the bouncer that he bounces it several feet away from the wall.  Although he will play in the bouncer or with toys for quite some time, he doesn't like being restrained without things to do for long periods of time, and thus is generally not content on long shopping trips.  Being awake, being able to move, eating, and being talked to are his favorite things ever, so being put to bed ranks among his least favorite things (next to sitting in poop).  It often takes him 20 minutes or more to work it out before he falls asleep, and we can almost hear him cursing us.  He wakes to eat and curse about three times per night.  All is forgiven by the morning, however, and he will light up and giggle on seeing our faces.  He is sunshine from his adorable head to his cute little feet.



So things are getting better around here.  While there's still a lack of sleep, there's an abundance of love.