It was just 184 days ago that our 8 pound, 3.2 ounce baby forever changes our lives. From her early morning entrance into the world on Cinco de Mayo, Madison has been lighting up our days ever since.
When people tell you, "Hold on tight because they grow up SO fast," they are so right. I can hardly believe 6 whole months have gone by. Even while staying home with Maddie, soaking up midday giggles, rocking her in the evening, afternoon playtime and bedtime baths, there is no freeze, stop time and stay in this moment.
So the best thing to do is make the most of each hour, each day we have together. I think time seems to move even more quickly when babies are this small because they are growing and developing at such astonishing rates.
While I could never fully express or put down words to completely describe our little baby girl, I can tell you the first you'll notice about her is her eyes - beautifully blue and dark but with a sparkle. She has big, baby doll eyelashes and is constantly smiling, giggling and laughing. Madison loves to move, squirm and kick. She is so alert, taking in her surroundings, holding new toys and shaking them, peering over our shoulders to see what's behind her and looking up at us and letting out an excited squeal during tummy time. There is so much personality oozing from such a small little girl!
As Madison turns 6 months old today (!) I'll be sharing photos from Months 1-5 on the blog in the coming days. Since she was born, I have intentionally spent less time in front of the computer and more time with her, trying to be present and enjoy every small, but important, moments.
{Madison's Monthly Highlights}
Weight: Just over 17 pounds at her last doctor's visit (about 2 weeks ago). She's getting the chunky cheeks:)
Clothing: Still squeezing into 3-month onesies but wearing 3-6 months in most everything else. And shoes? Don't stay on her more than 5 seconds or so. She is a master shoe kicker-offer. Socks also fall into this category. Also, with her teething comes more drool on almost every outfit we put her in.
Sleep: She is sleeping well and through the night except when she is teething and restless or sick with a cold. Both really terrible to watch your daughter go through. Same goes for naptime - lately she's seemed to be in pain and poking at her gums right when she is also tired and ready to nap.
Eating: It's all good and she has a good appetite except when she's - wait, what's that over there? - distracted. As our friend calls her baby, she is also a major distracta-baby. We introduced some fruit and veggie baby foods several weeks ago and with the exception of avocado, she seems excited to try new things (yay!!!). Bananas are the top contender right now, hands down. Although now that Madison has grabby hands and is reaching for everything in sight, she also tries to grab the spoon. She's quite messy by the end but it's a good start to solids!
Personality: Full of joy, giggles, little sounds, tapping hands, kicking feet. Madison is what I like to call a verbal processor :) She loves to make new noises, pull at her feet (she recently discovered them!), bounce up and down, fly airplane with Daddy, look in the mirror, make noises back and forth with me. She gets somewhat stoic and more quiet in larger group settings but when it's just the two of us or when Daddy comes home, she lights up, ready to play, chat, squeal, laugh, grunt and bounce some more.
Likes: Scratching different textures (the tablecloth, for example, as I'm currently typing this), being thrown up high by Daddy, being sung to, splishing and splashing at bath time, the sound of snapping, holding and tugging at her crinkle books, having her photo taken (really!) and getting to see it after, when I stick my tongue out at her, being tickled, shaking rattles, shaking anything, dropping toys (her newest phase).
Dislikes: Being confined to her car seat (who can blame her?), teething, having a stuffy nose, when Mommy or Daddy sneezes (too loud), wearing shoes (she gets that from her mama), having eye gookies or boogers cleaned off, when bath time ends, being put down for too long (she'd rather be up high, looking around at everything) and missing out on anything fun.
What I want to remember: How she experiences something for the first time - watching me pour coffee, seeing the blinds open, feeling the ocean waves hit her little toes.
Follow our daily adventures with #sweetmaddiegirlgram
