Happy Six Months Adelaide Penelope

Dear Adelaide,

Happy Half-Birthday, Kiddo! You are six months old. Wow. Recently, I've started to get nostalgic in thinking back to your birth and those first few weeks after you were born. Mostly about how tiny and, well, newborn you were. Up to this point, I've been excited at every new milestone (and I still am), but now I find myself battling a mixture of excitement at your new growth and sadness that the days are already slipping by too quickly. I want to enjoy you growing up, so  I will, for the most part, keep the nostalgia to myself henceforth.

Let's see, this month, your biggest milestone was rolling over. You were soooo close to doing it last month; you first rolled over on December 26, the day after Christmas, and three days after you turned 5 months. I guess all the festivities of the holidays weren't enough--you wanted to give us another reason to celebrate.

You also found your tongue. You like to roll it around in your mouth, chew on it, and most of all, stick it out. There were a few weeks where, instead of smiles, all we got was the tongue sticking out, for all your pictures.

Your daddy and I made another leap into adulthood this past month. We bought our first family vehicle--a brand new mini-van! Now we can cart you around with all your stuff, and your pal Fitzy. No more tilting your car seat to just the right angle in order to slide it into the back door of my old Nissan Sentra. No more pushing the passenger seat forward until my knees (yes, even my 5'4" frame was cramped) hit the dash so that your car seat fits behind me. No more piling groceries around the already-full (with your stroller) trunk. Now it's heated seats and auto-sliding doors. We are enjoying the luxury!

New Year's 2013 marked your second calendar year of life. We celebrated by putting you to bed early, only for you to wake up to ring in the New Year with us. Did I mention that the holidays were a bit rough sleep-wise for you? Nevertheless, it was fun to celebrate the turn of the year as a family.

Just one week after New Year's, your Aunt Jessica married your (now) Uncle Chris. The very day of their wedding, while I was busy getting all fancied up for the ceremony, your daddy sent me a picture of you holding your own bottle.

You are such a big girl, holding your own bottle and everything. Aunt Jessica's wedding was a beautiful day, and in addition to celebrating her and Uncle Chris, we had a great time dancing the night away. You even made it an hour past bedtime before daddy took you home. Tired girl!

Your latest thing is to kick your legs. You used to sigh in bed while trying to sleep; now, you kick your legs methodically against your mattress. I hear a WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! upstairs, and I don't worry that there's an intruder. I know it's just you, working out all that extra energy before you go to sleep.

Now on to sitting. You can sit for anywhere from 10-15 seconds without support. You have the strength and balance, you just have to figure out how to remain upright when you want to look at something above your head.

We love watching you change and grow before our very eyes!
And we love YOU.

Mama (and Daddy)

Happy Five Months Adelaide Penelope

Dear Adelaide,

The month of December flew by in this house. Before we knew it, you were approaching your 5 month birthday.

We began December with a new babysitter. She is wonderful and we love taking you to visit Meme! You have adjusted well and it gives your mama much more peace to leave you in such loving and capable hands.

You continue to be a smiley happy little girl. You love to talk--lots of squeals and shrieks as you test out those vocal chords and figure out how to make different sounds. You have also started an exaggerated sigh. Particularly when you are getting ready for a nap. You will take a deep breath, then sigh. Take another deep breath, sigh. It goes on for several minutes at a time before you put yourself to sleep.

On December 9th, our families and friends stood up with us at church to celebrate your baptism and to embrace God's covenant promise for you. We look forward to teaching you about Jesus and how much He loves you. It is our hope and prayer that you will follow Him all the days of your life.

This month as also been a month of almosts. You haven't quite managed to roll over yet, but you love to roll onto your side and tilt your head back with those big bright eyes. You are also trying to figure out how to blow raspberries. You haven't quite figured that out either; instead, you just close your lips and make a "puh" sound as you make effort to get your lips to vibrate.

One highlight this month was our family trip to see the meteor shower. Even though the meteor shower didn't start until after your bedtime (and mine, too!), we decided to make it a special event. We crept into your room, scooped you out of your crib, buckled you in your car seat, and headed out to our favorite star-gazing spot, hoping you would fall back asleep on the car ride. That didn't happen, but you seemed content enough that we thought we still might be able to see a few falling stars. Unfortunately, no sooner had we arrived and set our chairs out for a midnight viewing than you decided you had had enough of being out of bed in the middle of the night. So, we caught a few falling stars through the car windshield and called it a night. It was a fun adventure nonetheless.

We finished month five with your first Christmas. You got to stay up late, play with your cousins and aunts, and open up lots of new toys that you will play with for years to come. In addition to many adorable outfits, you got your own laptop, mini-kitchen, blocks, and a special Pooh bear who has become your first sleeping companion.

We love you, Adelaide! Happy 5 Months!

Happy Four Months Adelaide Penelope

Dear Adelaide,

You are a third of the way to your first birthday. This past month you battled your first cold. It was no fun to see you congested and miserable. Thankfully, it hit when I had four days off so I could spend extra time with you. Lots of cuddles and naps together. We also watched President Obama get re-elected for the next four years. Your first presidential election. Crazy to think you will be fours years old the next time we elect a president.

The weather has been beautiful. We took lots of walks together. You are so bright eyed as you soak in the big wide world. One Saturday was even nice enough that we spread a blanket out in the backyard and basked in some warm sunshine.

You started batting at and grabbing for toys. One of your favorites is a moose that hangs from your play yard. Another is this ball. You love to try to put it in your mouth. One game you love is airplane. I put you on my legs and lay down so that you are flying above me and you get so excited. You also drool a lot. I call you my little drool monster. But I can't complain. You have yet to spit up on me while playing airplane, which is a success if you ask me.

Another one of your favorite games is what I like to call "Who's that baby in the mirror?" You LOVE looking in the mirror.  Any time we see a mirror, I say to you "Who's that baby in the mirror?" and you smile so big and squeal with delight. Granny likes to play it with you, too . You've got a killer smile, kid!

We also celebrated your first thanksgiving this month. Not only did we get a great photo of you and your cousins, but we also threw a bridal shower for your Aunt Jessica, who is getting married in January.

Happy Four Months, Bugaboo! I love you.