Dearest little goose!
You are six months old! (Well, now 6 and a half!). You sit up unassisted, though still do topple when you're very tired. You've been eating food for a few weeks and LOVE to sit at the table with your family. You like to stand up and pull yourself to a standing position with our hands at every opportunity. And the swings! How you love the playground these days!
Your approach to eating is pretty hilarious. As soon as you sit down, you take whatever is in front of you and put it in your mouth. Then you go about your business. I've pulled out an entire floret of broccoli 20 minutes after meal time. Just today I was trying to change your diaper but couldn't because you had sweet potato in your mouth that you refused to swallow or spit out. You expect to be given a bite of whatever I'm eating, which is almost always obliged. You're into veggies and chicken, NOT into raspberries or applesauce and like frozen banana for your teeth (which still have not emerged at all). But your favorite by far is bacon. Without a tooth in your mouth, you ate half a piece of bacon.
In addition to the occasional babbling, you are very very fond of raspberries. I think you like the way it feels in your mouth and on your lips to purse them and spit through your tongue. You do when you wake up, when you want to be part of the conversation, when you are playing. You do it to your family and sitter and also to random people on the subway. You and your sister have raspberry battles, spraying the table with spit. You both think this is hilarious.
At your six month check up, you weighed in the 23%, but were 74% for height.
Dear Goosey,
You are SEVEN months old now! And on your 7 month birthday, you pulled yourself up to standing! Well, sort of standing, more like leaning while your body was planked. You were so happy, you love to stand any way possible. I'm still hoping you'll crawl before you walk and you are showing signs of maybe being interested in moving while prone, but every chance you get it's STAND. On your belly and sitting you rotate which way you're facing and seem to scoot a bit. Not very far and it doesn't seem intentional, but you are often not *exactly* where you were a few minutes before.
You love to eat and insist on trying whatever we are eating. It's a very specific grab and pull from my hands to your mouth. Though if I'm holding an envelope or a glass of water, you want to try that, too. You love sweet potatoes, broccoli, ground beef, banana, banana bread and apple. You are not very impressed with hummus, mashed potatoes or chicken, though chicken sausage is pretty great. You have an amazing knack for taking the teensiest bit of food and making the hugest mess possible. I swear it's not possible for you to have swallowed any food with how much is on your face, clothes, the table and the floor, but it does show up at the other end...
Though we read books a lot, you are not really into them. Even the ones with crinkly sound effects or flaps to nibble, you'd much rather be playing with cups or water bottles or blocks. You like music and will sometimes sing along when other people are singing to you. And, I swear you say "hi!" sometimes...
Dear Goose,
My, are you busy these days! You are SO curious about the world, you want to grab everything, taste everything and then do it all over again. Up until this week, I've pretty much eaten every meal with you on my lap. This week seems to be the end of that era, you want to pull everything within reach to you. Last night as I ate a salad, you kept pulling the plate to you over and over again. Thinking maybe you wanted to try my food, I offered you a bite of avocado. Nope, not interested at all, you just wanted to eat the plate. You grab for my water bottle, all cups and your sitter's coffee mug. You suspect we're all having fun drinking without you.
must. drink. coffee.
Mmmm, kombucha
You are sitting up on your own for longer and longer stretches of time these days. Sometimes you transition from sitting to tummy time, though I'm not clear if that's intentional or the result of trying to eat your toes while sitting and ending up there. Either way, most of the time it doesn't bother you. I wouldn't say you're totally ready to sit unassisted, but it's coming VERY soon.
You are also super vocal lately. You shriek happily when you're excited, like when we go to the grocery store. You yammer on when you wake up and when other people are talking, you can't wait to be part of the conversation.
You have also mastered the art of hair pulling. You have a knack for grabbing the little hairs at the base of my bun. You also love pulling your sister's hair, which she isn't so into. You get your daddy's chest hair, too. Strong grip, baby Goose! It will serve you well.
Dear Goose,
You are FIVE months old! Time is flying! Your favorite thing these days are your feet, any chance you get you love to grab them and put them in your mouth, You are working on sitting up, you can do several seconds unassisted if you start in a balanced place, but sooner or later you always topple. You are also happier just hanging out on your back. I've been able to have you hang happily in your bassinet on occasion and you'll just play with a toy or your feet and chatter away.
We don't have a 5 month ped appointment, so I don't know how much you've grown, but you continue to eat like a champ and grow in strength all the time. You still don't have a schedule for life, naps are every few hours or so and last anywhere from 20 minutes to two hours on a rare good day. I count one hour long nap a day as a success. You are too interested in the world to want to sleep.
You are full of smiles. When Daddy comes home, you light up. When you see your sitter or your sister, the grin fills your face. You like to be held up high above our heads, you like to be snuggled to our chests, you like to sit on our laps facing out, seeing the world. Every chance you get you stand on straight legs. You are starting to notice that you aren't mobile and it's starting to frustrate you. Not too much, but I can see your eyes following your sister and you can't wait to chase her.
You babble a lot these days, you have a lot to say! If anyone is having a conversation, you want to be part of it. I tell you all the time, but oh man are you adorable!
Dear Sweet Goose, I swear you are teething. Every day I run my finger along your bumpy gums, feeling for emerging teeth. None, not even a hint, but I know they are on their way! You want everything in your mouth lately. Not just in an exploratory way, no. You want to chomp! My face is a favorite target, nose and chin seem to be about the right size and texture. Your carrier is also a great source of slobber. We have crinkly books, teething toys of all shapes, textures and sizes, chewy toys, hard toys, soft toys, etc. You really prefer my face and the carrier. OK, then, you know what you want! I try to move the face sucking to nursing when it gets aggressive, which usually satisfies you, too.
You are in an intense MAMA ONLY phase right now. I've cut out of work early twice in the past week to hand with you. Again, I think it's those teeth coming in, you just want milk and snuggles on tap. Happy to oblige, sweet baby girl. Time is flying by, I'm trying to grab fragments of downtime when I can.
You chatter more and more and laugh more freely. Your belly is a little ticklish, I often get some laughs during diaper changes just doing a light tickle. You are getting a little bit closer to rolling from your back to your belly, but get stuck about 1/3 of the way. Your front to back roll is consistent, though frustrating to you, it still seems to surprise you when you end up on your back.
You love to listen to stories with your sister and she remains the one person to consistently get you to smile and laugh. You reach for her, which is a new trick and remains only for her.
Dear Goose,
At your four month check up, you weighed 14lbs, 2oz, up exactly a pound from the 3 month. You were 25.4 inches long, placing you in the 81% for height and 43% for weight. The doctor was very pleased with your growth, your strength and your focus. You even gave her some smiles before she gave you your shots. You cried for a moment, then were back to your regular sweet self. (Though later that night you got a little fever and the next day all you wanted to do was sleep)
The newest development is that you're riding in a stroller and in the carrier facing OUT. You LOVE it! You are so happy seeing the world. But it's overwhelming, too; after about 30 minutes of facing out, you're ready for a big sleep.
I swear there's a tooth getting ready to pop up, sometimes I think I can feel it protruding from your bottom gum. You continue to have an intense oral fixation and want everything in your mouth. It's not unheard of to catch you gnawing on all ten fingers. You're also a big fan of pulling on your toes. You go into the classic Happy Baby pose whenever you're on your back, which can make changing your diaper a little challenging at times. The weather changed rather suddenly from summer to fall and taking off your pants gets in the way of leg stretching time.
Loving Sophie and milk. Happy Goose in the park while Mama is at work!
Dear sweet Goose,
You are four months old! You just recently found your feet and while they haven't made it to your mouth quite yet, it's only a matter of time. Because everything else goes directly to your mouth. You are really enjoying chewy toys, the plush animals with fun noises are okay, but Sophie is your favorite. Though fingers and nipples are okay too. Yeah, ouch, little Goose!
You are starting to enjoy playing on your back with toys above you. You have to be in a certain mood, but you like to hit the toys and watch them swing.
You are getting a little ticklish, too! If I tickle your tummy, you'll let out a little giggle! So far it's only for me, Daddy really really tried so hard to get you to laugh and you make him with for it. But you're starting to see how silly he can be
Dear Goose,
You are now 16 weeks old and the newest development this week is raspberries! Instead of only drooling constantly, you now joyfully spit bubbles at us, too.
You are still all about things in your mouth, though we've basically given up hope on the pacifier. Fingers (yours or anyone else's) and toys are your preferred oral fix. And mostly to gnaw on, not suck, except when you're falling asleep. You primarily sleep on us, we haven't even tried transferring you to your bassinet for naps. The first thing you do when waking up is blow raspberries. So so so freaking cute.
The other new development is laughing more than a little. You kind of laugh your ass off if something strikes you as funny. Mainly your sister. You have an adorable throaty laugh and when you get going it almost sounds like hiccups on speed. You laugh with your whole body, bouncing with joy. And it's infectious, your laughter sets off anyone nearby into fits of giggles. You are so much fun!
Dear Goose,
You are 15 weeks old now and, wow, what a fun stage we're in! You laugh daily now, though what you find funny changes and is unpredictable. One day it's Daddy saying "Ba BOO!" over and over again, the next day it's being tickled on your tummy, then another just because we're making silly faces at you. You love to look at yourself in the mirror when I'm holding you, but when your sweet sitter does it, you cry. (Clearly you understand what a mirror is!) You have mastered the tummy to back roll, sometimes doing it several times in a row when I put you on your playmat. Though sometimes you just hang out on your belly, too.
Look at that strong neck and belly!!
You are drooling a TON these days. I keep a soft cloth in my pocket and in the carriers I use to wipe your chin. Sometimes we don't catch it and the front of your shirt is soaked. It doesn't bother you, so it doesn't bother us. Along with the drool is the constant hands in your mouth. You almost always have at least one hand in your mouth. You suck your fingers to soothe yourself, you gnaw on your finger joints for fun, you grab toys and clothes and carrier edges and other people's fingers and taste them...I think I say "wow, delicious fingers!" a hundred times a day
Delicious fingers!
At 15 weeks you still don't have any discernible schedule. Some days you'll take a nap for 2 or 3 hours in a row, other days you'll sleep no more than 45 minutes at a time. Some nights you'll sleep in your bassinet for 6 hours before snuggling up next to me in bed to nurse the rest of the night, others you won't transfer at all.
One long nap allowed me to actually get some work done!
No matter what your sleep/wake/feed cycle has looked like, you're most often calm, happy and content. You have started babbling more and it's the cutest thing ever. Daddy says you sound like R2D2 and I think you sound like you're singing. You are as delicious and amazing as ever and we just keep falling more and more in love with you!
Dear Goose,
You are 3 months old! And the biggest news to date is that you laugh! Oh, my goodness, what a laugh you have. You laughed for the first time in the car while we were driving up to Vermont (more on that later). I was crinkling a book at you and you laughed and laughed and laughed. And everyone else in the car laughed too. It was magical. You didn't laugh again for a few more days, and then it was at Daddy making silly noises. "Ah-BOO!" Hilarious. We are such addicts for your laughs, we'll really do anything ridiculous if we think it might get a laugh.
3 months old and very into your fingers
You wake up happy in the morning, all smiles. You still have a pretty high threshold for unpleasantness and will give us plenty of warning before going into epic meltdown mode. And even when you have gone to the dark side, once what was bothering you has been remedied, you're cool again. It breaks my heart, but often you will be smiling again with tears left in your eyes.
You eat with gusto and have gained another pound this month bringing you up to 13.
This past week we indoctrinated you to The Mommune, with your first long weekend in Vermont. You are an easy happy traveler (okay,m the car is not your favorite place, but you will tolerate it for a decent length of time) and are non-plussed at new surroundings. One night we stayed up late singing and you slept right through the singing, dancing and merriment, waking up only for a moment as I transferred you from wrap to bed.
Dear Goose,
I'm not sure if the 4th trimester ends at 12 weeks or 3 months, but either way, we're getting close. And you are SO much a yummy baby these days, no longer the curled up fetal creature we met 12 weeks ago (though you were obviously spectacular then, too). You coo, you smile, you are fairly easily appeased when you're upset unless what you really want isn't possible (mostly getting out of a carrier when we're in transit). You are already an excellent travel companion, enjoying the bus, the subway, the railroad and the car.
Traveling with your sister: near the top of things you love to do
YUMMY BABY!
This week has seen the beginnings of some laughs. No laughing sounds yet, but you've laughed silently a few times. I can not WAIT to hear what your laugh sounds like. You've been chattering a away a bit more, too, lots of fun noises.
And, oh! The drool! SO MUCH DROOL! Sometimes I put a bib on you before we go out so I have something handy to wipe your face. I didn't know it was possible for such a small human to create so much drool, but after a snuggle session, my shoulders are sopping wet. We put your amber necklace on, just in case the drooling is the beginning of teething. I don't think it is, but the necklace is cute anyway.
Dear Goose,
Wow have you woken up these past few days! Much longer stretches of awake time, much more activity, many more noises and so many smiles! You smile with your whole face, mouth open.
You are so strong and active! You basically have total neck control now and spend a lot of time looking from side to side. I'll tell Daddy "She's watching tennis again!" because it seems that you want to take in the whole world at once. You rolled over from front to back at 11 weeks, 2 days. OY! You want to sit up SO badly, essentially doing crunches every time you're on your Boppy pillow. Laying flat on your back seems comfortable and nice, though, Except for sleeping, which you prefer to do on people. And your people are happy to oblige.
neck control!
You're big goal lately is to find which finger combination is going to be your go-to to soothe yourself, fingers are constantly in your mouth. Your fingers, but also anyone else's fingers who happen to be close by. If you're awake, you usually want something in your mouth. The pacifier is still hit and miss: you like it but often can't keep it in your mouth and then you lose interest.
Dearest little goose,
You are now 10 (and a half) weeks old! Last week you had your 2 month check up and came in at 21 inches long (98%) and 12lbs 2 oz (88%)-WOW! Big girl! You are so strong, holding your head up almost all the time now and moving your body on your play mat. You make wonderful eye contact and smile more. You love your big sister and follow her voice and body with your eyes and head and smile at her most of all. You also love being outside in the park-anytime you're laying in a shady spot with a breeze, you're content.
You still sleep a TON, probably close to 18 hours a day. In the carrier, in your bassinet, on my lap, on Daddy's lap, anywhere you get comfy. But when you're awake, you are chatty and alert and hungry! It's no surprise you're so big, you are very happy drinking your milk.
You still spend most of your time sleeping, but your awake time is gradually increasing. Sometimes you will be awake and mostly happy upwards of 2 hours at a time. You like to spend your awake time observing the world and moving your body. Right now you are next to me on our futon, propped up on a Boppy pillow, wriggling your little body all around. Your tongue is moving, y our legs are kicking a bit, your arms are opening, closing and reaching overhead. You are chattering a little bit to, lots of "mm" and "la" and "ah!"sounds. I can't help but mimic your sounds back to you and we have little conversations through out the day. In the evenings, when you're most fussy, you will often shout out "LA!" at the beginning of your crying jags and I will be holding you, whispering in your ear "la la la." I'm trying to speak your language, sweet Goose.
We did your first tummy time yesterday and wow, how strong you are! You moved your head from one side to the other, you pushed yourself around with your legs, you lifted your hips up. You were grunting with effort, but didn't seem frustrated. You didn't cry, and you cry when you're not okay with a situation. I can't wait to watch you become more and more at home in your body. The discoveries are delightful.
You are trying to find the most comfortable and soothing arrangement of fingers in your mouth. You put your fist in, your four fingers in, just one finger in, still searching. I think it will be very soon that you'll find a combination that you like. I was a thumb sucker until age 8, it'll be interesting to me if you follow suit.
You are an easy going person so far, happy to go with the flow for the most part. You've had three baths, which you seem to like. You tolerate clothing changes, diaper changes, being swaddled, being unswaddled, the Beco carrier, the sling, the bouncy chair...you do NOT like the little swing we have, but that's really your only complaint. You will even transfer locations when sleeping occasionally, which is crazy to me. Not all the time, but once in a while. And if you stay asleep during the transfer (most often from my lap after nursing to the couch or Daddy's lap or the bassinet) you'll stay sleeping for an hour or more. You are such a snuggly, sleepy baby. So yummy
