My darling Alena,
How is it that half a year has passed since the day you were born? And yet it feels like a lifetime ago that our family did not include you. You have continued to grow quickly and we are amazed by all that you are learning.
Some milestones from this month include:
- Passing an object from one hand to the other.
- Holding and chewing your teething ring.
- Putting your feet in your mouth.
- Wearing 12 month sized clothing.
- Taking your first road trip. We went to Seattle and you slept terribly the first two nights. After setting a fan in the room, you were able to sleep better for the second half of the trip. You were very cooperative in the car and you seemed to enjoy seeing new sights and spending time with Auntie Maria and Uncle Dave.
- You don’t like your play yard. We think this was partly why you slept so poorly in Seattle.
- Standing more sturdily in your exersaucer. You rarely flop around anymore. In fact, you love bouncing up and down in it now.
- Rolling over from tummy to back.
- Babbling. You have discovered how to vocalize and move your mouth at the same time. You can now make these sounds randomly: d, m, n, g, k, h, f, th, w, b, y, ah, eh, oh, ai, eu, and oo.
- You can differentiate between your parents and other people; you went through a phase when you would cry when someone else held you for more than a couple minutes (if they’re lucky!). You seem to have outgrown that phase now though. You have been smiling at strangers this past week.
- Tasting your first real food. We started by giving you a pear to suck on, and then some plain boiled veggies.
- Trying to eat milk with a spoon and bowl. You didn’t swallow any of it, but you eagerly chomped on the spoon!
- You continue to drool rivers.
- YOUR FIRST TOOTH is just breaking through your gums!! This happened just two days ago. It’s the lower right front tooth.
- Your hair is long enough to clip up! And you have a pretty prominent bald spot at the back of your head.
- You are getting better at sitting on your own. Just this past week, you could sit for up to 30 seconds before toppling over.
- During tummy time, you will stick out your bum and inch forward like a little worm. Maybe this means you will learn to crawl soon?
You continue to be a delight to us, as well as to friends and strangers alike. We are looking forward to introducing you to solid foods this next month and to seeing what new skills you will develop.
We love you very much, Allie. And we are so proud of you.
With increasing affection,
Your mommy
PS. Here are the letters I wrote to Alena at two weeks, 2, 3, 4 and 5 months.
