Baker Bree | 6 months

SIX.

Welp.  That was the fastest 182 days of my life.  It literally feels like yesterday that we brought her home from the hospital.  Here we are an entire half of a year gone by.
The end of her first summer.
Her first Halloween.
..and then there was Thanksgiving.
Rounding out the end of the year with her first Christmas.
I  still cannot believe some days that she is ours.  Our sweet, silly, happy, and content baby girl.  All wrapped into the perfect little package.
Oh.  and her cheeks are basically the cherry on top of every single day of my life.
They are as squeezable and kissable as they look.
just like Play-Doh, ya'll.
But- she's SIX WHOLE MONTHS!
What?!??  No.  Time you are just the biggest bully!

banner // hooray everyday

1/2 birthday hat / bow / lemons tee / cardigan 

remember what she looked like just 26 weeks ago??

this leetle babe!!

Baker at SIX months

Weight: 15 pounds 1 ounce (31st percentile)

Birth: 6 lbs 13 oz

Height: 25.8 in (50th percentile)

Birth: 19.1 in

Head:  44.5 cm (93rd percentile)

Birth: 34.5 cm

I took Baker in for her 6 month check up all by myself .  Which was a little bit of a dream.  Her big sisters were in preschool and her daddy was working overtime at the fire station- so just me and this little boo.  I sent this picture to a friend and she said

"why is she sitting up?!  knock her over."

..and she's right!  Miss Baker is too big for her little britches.

She's gained two pounds and has grown an entire inch since her last well visit at 4 months.   

..and her head in the 93rd percentile. 

She get it from her mama.  Sorry girlfriend.  You'll grow into it eventually.  

Dr. Butler gave her the once over and listened to her lungs, checked her ears, and stuck the stick down her throat- all clear!  We went in a couple weeks ago because she was still pulling at her ears a little after finishing up antibiotics from her ear infection at the beginning of December and she did still have some fluid, but no infection.  So, I was glad to hear its resolved completely!
She was impressed with her sitting ability, attentive demeanor and how calm she was while she checked her out.
We talked about beginning solids and Dr. B was on board with BLW and I am so excited to start.  This girl is ready and her mama is, too!
We also talked about starting with oatmeal- but keeping it a little more chunky so that it introduces her to foods in such a way that she will be able to still successfully do baby led weaning.
I do plan to share my learning experiences along the way with this- so stay tuned!

Whats new...

• Sitting.  She's almost perfected the seated position and will sit unassisted pretty well for several minutes while she plays.  Still a work in process, but she's got a really strong core, so it won't be long before she's able to do it all the time on her own.
• Mickey is her homeboy.  She shouts, screeches, yells, giggles, stomps her feet, and makes the funniest outbursts at the television when he is on.  It really is so funny and so strange how quick these babes pick up on the glories of Mickey Mouse.
• She loves to play with her sisters!  Their interaction has really increased over this last month and Parker is nearly the only one that can make her giggle at all whatsoever.  So we encourage play a lot so we can hear her sweet little belly laugh:)
• Speaking of giggles: she still doesn't laugh on a regular basis.  She makes the best noises out of excitement- and I'm beginning to think that those raspy screeches is her way of laughing.  She does it when she is the most happy- and its so freaking cute, so I don't mind if she laughs anytime soon.
• Loves to play.  She prefers to play either in her exersaucer or on the floor.  She LOVES tummy time!  She rolls all over the place to get to where she needs to go and plays with anything in arms reach.  Its been an interesting fete to overcome with all these Barbies and their accessories strewn about.  
• Recognition.  She definitely recognizes faces now.  She started this a little last month- but this month she knows and recognizes her people: BB, Papa, Daddy, Jolie, + Parker. 
• She really loves her mama.  She likes her daddy pretty well, but when I walk in two her eye's line of view she does this laugh/whimper thing, especially when its time for her to eat. 
• Reaching.  She's started reaching out to be held.  It is the sweetest- and the look on her daddy's face when she reaches for him is a m a z i n g.
• Airplane.  She's not crawling yet but she will lift her whole chest, arms and head/neck off the floor and kick and scoot her legs like she wants to go somewhere. 
•  She is still a social little girl and wants to be in the mix of everything all the time- so when we leave she is noticeably upset, depending on what she's doing or her mood. 
• Teething.  Still working on her two bottom teeth.  She is busting them both at the same time- and sweet girl is working them with her mouth, tongue, lips, and anything she can get her hands on to stick in her mouth.  You can see those teeth just barely under the gums.  Wont be long!  
• She still totally digs the solly.  I wear her any time we go out and she will snuggle in and snooze.  Especially since its been pretty chilly out- she loves being warm and toasty while being worn.  
• She a big fan of her fingers and feet- if she can see her toes they are going in her mouth!
• Bathtime is her FAVORITE.  If she is fussy- which happens often in the evenings close to bed time, I stick her in the bathtub and her entire attitude changes.  She loves it!  I think once she's sitting up in the bathtub she will love it even more.
• Diaper changes have become nearly impossible.. the moment you lay her over on her back she is hard pressed to flip herself over to her tummy.  The changing table terrifies me.
• She made her first visit into the church nursery this last weekend!  She did great!  I said from the beginning that I would keep her with me until she tuned 6 months.  Even though she doesn't fuss while we are in service-  she's pretty vocal while she plays.  So.. it was time.
• Baker is still in size 2 diapers- I just bought some size three diapers because she just about busting out of her size 2.  We recently started her into the nighttime diapers and thats a game changer, wearing some 0-3 months clothing still.. but growing into and fitting better in 3-6 months.

E A T 

According to those Michelin Man rolls that line her arms and legs- she has no problem eating her way through her little life.  It is her favorite thing to do.  We have had a really good time with breastfeeding- so I am excited to say we are still going strong. I am home about 3-4 days a week when I can nurse her for every feeding- and while I'm away those other days she gets two (six ounce) bottles of breast milk.  Most of the time she sucks them dry- but after nursing exclusively for three days straight, that first bottle can occasionally be a hassle.  For the most part Baker sleeps and eats and plays around the same time every day.  3-4 hours is still the norm between feedings, eating 5 to 7 times every day.  We have been sort of all over the place because her wake times have not been very consistent- but here's the typical: 5-6am every morning when she wakes and then 10am, 1-2pm, 5pm, 8pm before going down for the night.  MOST of the time we hit this schedule pretty well- and for the most part I like the stick to it pretty strictly during the work days away from home because at the 10am and 2pm she gets a bottle and I pump while at work.  So it keeps her on a good schedule and me, too!  I do want to mention that she rarely spits up these days which is such a relief.  I don't think she really had a problem with reflux, but it was more swallowing gas, and those gas bubbles being the culprit behind her spitting up.  We started gas drops before every feeding last month and have seen a huge difference.

We will start solids this week- so I'm sure her eating schedule will tweak a bit then! I am reallllly excited about this!

P L A Y / D E V E L O P M E N T

bow / onesie 

The biggest change in this area is her consistency and improvement in last month's skills.  She can pick up her toys or objects and flips them over and back to see what it looks like from all sides.  Her balance has improved and she can sit for longer periods of time- in fact she sat for the entire exam at the pediatricians office.  Baker definitely prefers being on her belly and has learned to maneuver herself from a wobbly sitting position to her tummy.  She can't stand to be in one place and being on her stomach allows her to barrel roll all over the place.  She is extremely curious and is constantly finding objects to play with that are NOT toys (Parker + Jolie's toys, paper, my phone, a diaper wipes, lint on the floor (!!) etc.).  Parker and Jolie weren't really into playing as much as she is.  They would do a little tummy time here and there and keep busy with toys, but Baker actually prefers to play this way- and its been really fun to have a baby that doesn't scream through tummy time. I used to set her in the bouncy seat in the bathroom while I got ready in the mornings, but now she's literally trying to crawl out of it while buckled in- so I just lay a blanket out on the floor with her favorite toys and she is happy as a clam just playing away.   

She's really started to become aware of her sisters and want to play and be right in the middle of them.  If they are in her eye's view she is making every noise, squeal, squeak her little body can produce.  She tries every way possible to get their attention!  It is absolutely amazing!  Standing back and watching this interaction is like every parent's dream come true.

That little voice is still as talkative as ever!  She has started recently putting together more sounds- the most noticeable and happens most often is "mama mama mama mama".  She does this when she's hungry and knows it is time to eat and I'm doing things to let her know its time to eat - like pulling out the boppy or sitting with her in the chair in her nursery.  She knows whats coming!  I highly doubt she's associating 'mama' with ME, over that of the comfort of nursing.  Whatever it is- I'm not denying it.    

S L E E P

We are still under mass confusion in this department.  Some nights she gives me every bit of 14 hours and other nights she's awake every two hours.  I have realized that I've created a monster of a bad habit in nursing or rocking her to sleep and not allowing her to self soothe.  For some reason this came to light when the nurse asked me if she self soothes to sleep..
um, no?
There is a combination of several things I think that wakes her at night.  She has been congested for what seems like forever.  She had a little bit of a cold..which has turned into this terrible cough..and then she started teething..coupled with this runny nose.  We have slept in the swing.  We have slept on the boob (for real.)..on the couch.  in my bed.  We have tried lots of things to get through the night with a decent nights sleep.  I learned that Baker wouldn't cough as much or be bothered by congestion if she was sitting upright in the swing.  Enter the wedge.  She has been sleeping much better since we brought in the wedge for her to sleep on.. still waking at night once or twice- but you guys, I'll take that over the once every hour party were having over these last several weeks.
crib sheet

Bedtime is about 7:30pm.  Typically she will sleep until about midnight or 1am, wake to eat and then sleep until 5am-6am and wake to eat again.  Most of the time she will go right back down- and usually sleeps in the morning until about 8am. This is a good night!  It is an even better night if she will go down about 7:30pm-8pm and sleep until between 4am-5am and then back down until about 8am.  Thankfully since we bought the wedge and she's able to have that little bit of elevation in her crib she is sleeping more soundly and better rested during the day.  Lately she's been napping two solid naps during the day (depending on when she woke it is typically about 9:30-10am and around 1pm) and one cat nap late in the afternoon of 45 minutes around 4:30pm every day.

Most of the time we nap really great for 2 solid hours and then sometimes its just one hour.  Or even 30 minutes.  AND THEN occasionally I am fighting her for an hour just trying to get her to go to sleep for longer than 10 minutes.

The sleep struggles are real.

..and confusing.

B A K E R 

My sweetest girl.  You are growing way too quick for me.

I remember those last couple months of pregnancy, anxiously waiting for your arrival and constantly daydreaming of who you would be.  I couldnt imagine what it would be like getting to become a mother to a third baby girl.. and now that you are part of our lives and I know your every laugh, every baby cry and every look that you get in your eyes, we couldn't imagine life without you. 

This month you have definitely come in to your own. 

Your personality is really shining through these days- especially when you have the attention of mom or dad.  Like limbs flailing around happy.. and if you make eye contact and say your name its never without a big ol' grin!  Speaking of grins- you are smiling so much these days!  And when you do, it is adorable.  It's a very shy smile: your eyes crinkle, your mouth opens in a huge grin, and then you immediately turn your head to the side to avoid eye contact. Such a little flirt!  Looking for anything to bury your head into just to be silly.  You are independent, loving, and smart. You are also so curious and mischievous.   Our days have become much busier and more active lately as we spend our days exploring everything.  I cant have anything within arms reach without you grabbing, swatting, or slapping at it.  Oh my stars, little girl. You impress me every.single.day.  For me to say that you are just amazing is an understatement.  The phrase “you are so much fun” comes out of my mouth at least 3 times a day.  At least.  Always smiling, always laughing, always looking for the attention, but then again, totally content playing in your own little world of toys and tags and anything else you can get your hands into.  So often we hear how you are 'the perfect blend of Parker and Jolie' but really over this last month you have completely come into your own self- you are Baker.  JUST Baker.  

Your raspy little voice.

baby bird hair.

chuuuuby cheekies.

and those pretty grey doe eyes.

Definitely one of a kind.  There is absolutely no one like you, baby girl.

 hat / tee / bloomers (last summer) / leggings / boots

Each day with you brings something new to remember and I’m so thankful for your happy spirit. 
My heart is so full with your constant hilarities- I cannot imagine my days before you, Baker.
I simply adore you pieces. 

S I X MONTH PHOTO D U M P

bow / bag

bow / tee / harems/ teether

activity tray top

hat / jammies

bow

hat

wrap / coozie

necklace / jammies

bow / sweatshirt + pants

jammies

jammies

sweater 

These six months FLEW in all the normal clichéd ways- but one thing is for sure, she's the tiniest apple of my eye.  
Love you mucho, Baker girl.