Nora Kay Love ~ 6 Months

And here we are, officially closer to having a one year old than having a newborn baby.  I can't hardly believe how fast the time has gone.  I remember thinking how quickly things changed with Elyse, but time seems to be flying at warp speed when there's two precious girls running around the house.  

Nora will always share her 1/2 birthday with Gigi's actual birthday, which I think is a pretty cool coincidence.  

Weight/Height:  We had Nora's 6 month check-up on Monday, just one day shy of her 1/2 birthday.  She officially weighs 15 lbs 9 oz and is 25 1/2" long.  Even though she seems so much chunkier, she's only 3 oz bigger, and actually 1/2" shorter than Elyse was at this same milestone.  I remember with Elyse that it was these few months 6,7,8 where she looked her chubbiest....and then the crawling began.  I can't believe we're even talking about that next milestone!  

  Clothes: We're still in size 2 diapers and are wearing mostly 6-9 month or 6-12 month clothes.  We still have a few smaller clothes out, but I've packed most of those away in tubs.  This girl has LOADS of clothes, as we still have all of Elyse's clothes and of course Nora will get a few new things of her own!  

 Food:  She's still nursing 5x a day, and probably taking between 5.5-6 oz per feeding.  I started taking Fenugreek to boost my supply a bit as my kidney infection/antibiotics/fever did a number on me.   We started the entire baby led weaning journey a few weeks shy of the 6 month mark, because she just couldn't hardly stand to not participate in meal time!  She is doing incredibly well and while she's not technically ingesting a whole lot, she's tasting tons of different flavors.  So far she's had chicken, bread, bananas, tomatoes, avocadoes, apples, green beans, carrots, potatoes, pasta, pineapple, watermelon, yogurt, cucumbers, red onions, spinach, banana peppers, and maybe a french fry or two?!?  She's definitely got that grip down, and is still learning to swallow...but it's so incredibly fun to watch her eat!  

Sleep:  We're still playing the pacifier game through the night, but for the most part she goes down between 7:30-8:00 and sleeps until 3ish, we give the pacifier back and she sleeps until 6ish.  Some mornings we cuddle in bed and she goes back to sleep with us, or some mornings we can give her the pacifier again and she goes back to sleep until closer to 7.  I'm about to do some cry-it-out sleep training, but I just haven't decided if I'm quite ready for that!  She takes a short nap in the early mornings, and then takes two longer naps of 1.5-2 hrs from 11-1 and 2:30-4:30. That last nap is nice because it coincides with Elyse's afternoon nap so I get some time to myself.  

 Activity:  This month she started sitting up unassisted for extended periods of time.  She also started rolling over from back to belly.  However, she would much rather just sit up than be on her belly or back at all.  She is starting to reach for specific toys and indicating her wants & desires.  She's also started reaching for some of Elyse's toys, which I can already see will result in a few sister-fights down the road!  

Personality:  This girl is SOOOO happy.  We've been going through a bit of a fussy stage recently, but I truly think she is working hard on getting some teeth in.  She loves to giggle and laugh and just overall enjoys life.  She is starting to make more sounds, and is certain to get your attention if you aren't doing what she wants. Even during the fussy times, a change of scenery does a world of good so we'll go for a quick walk outside or I'll sit down in the floor and play with her and she calms right down.  She is so laid back about most things and she just lights up our world each day.  

Elyse & Nora:  Oh how these girls love each other.  Elyse loves to give plenty of affection, and sometimes doesn't understand the whole idea of gentle.  While I try to correct Elyse, it's a little bit hard when Nora is giving the hugest smile ever just to have some attention from her big sister.  They are starting to play together a little bit, with Elyse building block towers for Nora to knock over or for Elyse to bring a certain doll for them to play babies together.  I can see hours of tea parties & dress up & princess dances in our future with these two sweet girls.  

My precious Nora, 

Life certainly threw us a curve ball 3 months ago, but you never let it get you down and we're just plugging along enjoying life.  You are such a relaxed, casual sweet girl and I just love watching you interact with your sister & others around you each day.  You seem to smile with your whole body, which in turn just melts this momma's heart as I think about how lucky I am to call you mine.  As I finish nursing you before bed, we sit in the chair and rock to Jesus Loves Me...and as we stare at each other, it's as if you know exactly what I'm thinking and you know that those sweet precious coos & grins will succeed in making even the best day, just a little bit more perfect.  I love you sweet girl, oh how I love you.  

Momma