Look Whooo Is 6 Months Old!! (Updates Added 3/20/14)

I know I say this every month, but how in the world is this sweet girl already 6 months old?? Time with her is flying by way too quickly! At 6 months, so many things happen! Babies can start eating solids (if they haven't already), you can give Motrin, babies can start taking swim lessons (which we're looking into starting very soon), babies can go into babysitting centers at gyms, and so much more. I feel like 6 months signifies babies moving from being tiny infants to becoming bigger babies (I don't really know a better description). I definitely don't think of her as a tiny infant anymore. In one way, it makes me sad, but in another way, I'm excited because I LOVE watching babies grow and develop into toddlerhood! Here are some fun facts about Audrey this month:

Weight: I don't know the exact number, but I'm estimating about 15 1/2 pounds 15lbs 10oz (50th %ile)

Length: 26 inches (50th %ile)

Head Circumference:  16 1/4 inches (25th %ile)

Sleep: Audrey still takes 3 naps a day. Her morning nap is 45min-an hour long usually (though this morning she was out for 1 1/2 hours!); her afternoon nap is 2-2 1/2 hours; her evening nap is an hour, sometimes an hour and a half if her earlier naps weren't that good. She goes to bed between 8 and 8:30, and generally still wakes up at 7:20 on the dot (though since daylight savings time has occurred she sleeps until almost 8!).

Eating: She eats 4 times a day. I always prepare a 6oz bottle for her. If she finishes it quickly and is still sucking hard on the nipple when it's empty, I'll make another 2oz. If she takes awhile to finish it, then I don't give her more. In a normal day, she eats 24-26oz. On days where she's really hungry, she's eaten as much as 29oz, but it's rare, and then the next day she eats like 18-20. Apparently, she's got a small appetite...not sure where she gets it from! But all her baby fat goes to her thighs...and I do know where she gets that from! :)

Clothes: I just cleaned out her closet and drawers yesterday to rid us of all of her 0-3, and 3 month onesies, outfits, and pj's. There was two days a couple of weeks ago where she ate 6 times a day, and ate about 30oz each day. Since then, her 0-3month things just don't fit anymore! Can we say growth spurt?? She's mainly in 3-6mo and 6mo clothes, onesies, and pj's.

New achievements of this month (I had to start writing them down b/c there were so many!):
1. When changing her diaper, she automatically lifts her legs.
2. Responds to her name sometimes. Some days I'll say her name when she's not looking at me, and she'll get a huge smile on her face and make eye contact with me. There are days when I can do this "game" 10 times in a row, and she'll respond to it every. single. time. Then there are days that I do this game with her and she doesn't smile or make eye contact at all. At least I know she does know her name....and that she has selective hearing :)
3. Recognizes songs. I don't know if she recognizes which song is which, but if she's fussy and I start singing a song, this is a surefire way to get her to stop fussing, and almost always gets a big smile!
4. She can blow air (I think she learned it b/c I sing "This Little Light of Mine" to her, and her *favorite* verse is "won't let Satan (blow) it out". She smiles as soon as I start singing these words...which makes me think she is discriminating songs.
5. Sometimes when she's "eating" the toys on her exersaucer, she'll make a chomping/smacking sound with her lips. I think it's because anytime she eats something, I make that sound.
6. She's still consistently "talking" using the sounds ba, blah, and bwah. According to my babycenter.com updates of what your baby should be doing, she should have ga, da, and ma in her vocabulary. I've heard /d/ once, but not consistently by any means. I've heard /g/ quite a bit, but it's not like talking with gagaga sounds, it's gurgling in the back of the throat, so I don't know if that counts or not. I know I haven't heard any "M" sounds. I have heard /p/ sounds several times, though.

Things she likes:
1. Ninja - he likes her, too....but only from far enough away that she can't touch him. :) He lays in the floor a couple feet away from her if she's on her blanket, he'll come in her room when we're in there reading to her at night time, etc.
2. Definitely still loves talking
3. Sucking her toes! It's hilarious!
4. She still LOVES her daddy! She's such a daddy's girl! All he has to do is look at her and say "Hi sweet girl" (which is what he calls her most of the time) and she gets this HUGE smile on her face! It's really precious :) She loves touching his face, too b/c it's got texture to it when he hasn't shaved that day.
5. Sucking her thumb
6. Sleeping in the car
7. Her toy monkey
8. The toys that hang from her carseat
9. Pretty much anybody that says "hi" to her
10. Being outside at the playground
11. The Grand Old Duke of York (nursery rhyme)
12. Trees (we went on a walk one day when it was really cloudy outside and she smiled at every tree we passed!)
13. I'm sure there's so much more that I'm forgetting...

Things she doesn't like:
1. Not being able to see someone - if she's left in a room by herself for too long (and I mean long enough for me to use the bathroom) she'll usually start crying.
2. Unexpected people talking to her right after waking up from naptime (if you weren't with her when she fell asleep, but you're there talking to her when she just wakes up, it's a bit overwhelming to her, and she generally cries - even for people she knows well like her grandparents. Luckily, it only takes a few minutes for her to calm down and recover.
3. That bottle not getting into her mouth fast enough - especially first thing in the morning! You would think we're starving our poor child :)

I have to end with this super cute picture! I apologize that she's flipping off the camera, but you can (kind of) see her bottom two teeth! They appeared on 3/4/14 - just 6 days shy of her being 6 months old!

I promise, there are teeth here. They are harder to see than I thought, though :)

I just love this sweetie so much!!!