Clara -6 months

Clara is 6 months old!  She is beginning to sleep better.  I still usually feed her once at night.  Last night she went down at 7:30 and slept til 3:30.  I usually feed her at 10, but I just wanted to experiment to see how she did. She actually slept longer than she normally does, but I knew she was hungry.   If I feed her at 10, I know she will be "fine" til morning--even if she wakes up a few times.

She still can't roll from her back to front.  Probably because she never lays that way!

Some milestones:

Rolled front to back-3 months
Sit unassisted- 6 months
Oatmeal-5 1/2 months
1st food at 6 months-peas...Did not like!
2nd food-bananas...She will eat a little.
3rd food-applesauce-She won't eat this either.

She loves to grab and play with toys.  She also loves tv...and I have let her watch some since I never let brother, and now, he has no attention span for it.  She will not nurse if a children's show is on in the background.  She throws her head back and smiles at the tv.

We don't let her nap in the swing when it is in motion anymore.  She still naps in it some, but only when it is still.  We got tired of buying batteries.

This past Sunday was the first time she ever made it through nursery.  The time before that, she screamed and screamed til I came.  I was so excited she stayed the whole time.

She is still such a joy to hold and cuddle.  This time around, I truly want to cherish and freeze this stage.  It is really such an easy age.  She can't crawl and get into things yet!  Love her!

Things I want to tell someone today..

Through yard sales and consignment shopping today I got... a seersucker suit jacket and pants, a polo khaki jacket, a polo shirt, 3 button up polo shirts, linen shorts, 2 swimsuits for Clara--one a boutique brand, 2 dresses with bloomers-tags still on them, a bookshelf, Melissa and Doug wooden food box, a new big pack of perler beads, brown sandals,and artwork.  I spent 39, but I placed a few items in one of the shops and made 112.  Score.

I passed people posing for prom pictures today. I just love to flip through all my old prom albums.....ha!  Waste of time.

I hate the time change.

Ramblings

He sleeps on his floor now.  He hasn't slept in his bed for months.

When he wakes up, he always ask if Daddy is still on his pillow.  Then, he asks for milk in Mommy's bed.  We usually snuggle while I drink my coffee.  I want to remember that.

We are all done with his paci.  He reads himself to sleep now.  We found him reading at 3 am one morning.  I love that he loves to read.

We are still working on potty training.  Some days.

I still feel like we spend days deep in the trenches.  He is still so jealous of sister, and he acts out because of this.  Clara prefers to be either held or smiled at all day, so this adds to the jealousy. Also,  Huds recently had a severe reaction to his pull ups.  This kept him in the er til 3 am..only to find out that in addition to this, he had an upper respiratory infection and an ear infection.  So, we've all been tired and cranky attempting to recover from his very scary "tee tee" issues.

Clara still wakes several times a night.  I've started giving her oatmeal, but it doesn't help.  I am beginning to wonder if she will ever actually make it through the night.  We've tried letting her cry....this baby will literally cry all night.  She is one strong willed girl! I haven't slept longer than a three hour stretch in six months.  I am not sure I remember what it is like to not feel tired.  I hope I remember one day soon.

I'm grateful for where we are, but I am not pretending it isn't tiring--physically and emotionally.  Raising up these little babies is no small, meaningless task, and if I want to give it my everything, it isn't going to be easy. Some days it is hard to keep perspective on what we are working towards.  Other days it is easier...especially, when I see all of these updates on Facebook where families of little ones are suffering from terrible illnesses and unforseen tragedy.  Heart-wrenching stuff that makes me cry and hold them tightly and repent of my terrible attitude and ungratefulness.

I am rambling.  These are thoughts I want to remember...especially, when these little ones are older and we don't have the same daily trials and struggles.  Oh, how I will miss these faces then: