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Wednesday, June 2, 2010

ESP: 6 months

Happy Half Birthday to my little baby girl!

What?!  How in the world did that happen?  It's been six months - half a year - since Charlotte Jane was born.  I'm gonna blink, and it will be time to plan her 1st birthday party!

Since my last ESP report (and, I know, it's been way too long), it seems like Charlotte has begun to take her role as Little Sister more seriously ;)  I've really enjoyed watching my two daughters interacting more and loving on each other plenty!  Charlotte absolutely lights up when Natalie walks in the room!  She has a great smile anyway, but there's something extra special about that expression she has for her big sister.  While Natalie goes about the business of being a toddler, Charlotte watches her ... and her eyes tracking her from one side of the room to the other.  And when Natalie checks on her baby sister, there is always a squeal of delight!

Let's get right to the photos ...
and the stats ...
Weight: 11 pounds - seems like she is hovering right at 11 pounds
Length: 23 inches (according to Chad)

She's a peanut!  Yes, my SIX month old is still wearing size THREE-month clothes.  I've been forced to buy a few new outfits because I am so sick of seeing her in the same things!  What a shame!  That Little Sister onesie just called to me, and those pants are capris - they're suppose to be short.  And grammy insisted on getting her that crazy headband.  I resisted at first, but now I can admit that I think it's pretty darn cute on her little noggin!

Eating: Still exclusively breastfed, but we are gearing up to introduce some "solids" soon.  She nurses six to eight times in a 24-hour period.  Nursing during the day is really hit-and-miss ... or latch-and-unlatch ... because she is so distracted by what's going on around her.  Using the Hooter Hider doesn't help; the bold pattern is like a feast for her eyes ... when she should be feasting!  At night, she is such a great, efficient, appreciative eater ... she latches right on, takes care of business, and gives me little sighs of contentment.  I love the way she balls up her fist and puts it right in my cleavage ... I'll miss that someday!

Sleeping: Remind me never to "boast" about (or even mention) having a baby who is a good sleeper.  That just isn't true of Charlotte - at least not anymore.  Is it possible that I totally jinxed myself!?  I am not entirely sure when her habits went so terribly wrong, but she had an especially tough time while we were in Illinois.  In fact, most nights she fell asleep in the crib but ended up sleeping with me from about midnight on. 

Since we've been home, she wakes me up about every two hours.  Sometimes she wants to eat, others she just wants to check in with me or needs help locating her binky.  Because she is still so small, I haven't even considered sleep training, and honestly, I don't have any  hopes of her sleeping through the night anytime soon ... better to keep low expectations and be surprised!  

She actually puts herself to sleep fairly well.  I usually just give her a few pats and a kiss on the head and let her take care of the rest.  A noisy sleeper as a newborn, she makes this adorable, rhythmic "winding down" sound as she's falling asleep.  I am still swaddling her from the chest down, but I am not sure she "needs" it.   Her preference is to sleep on her side with her feet crossed and her two hands pulled together near her face.  Bedtime is about the same as Natalie's - 8:30. She wakes me up - like an alarm clock - at 6:30 am.  Because we have the bed to ourselves, I snuggle up with my baby girl and we sleep until Natalie wakes us.

During the day, her current pattern is to take three or four naps:
  • two hour-long nap in the morning - one about an hour after waking up and then again after about two hours
  • a 2 or 3 hour nap in the afternoon usually at about the same time as Natalie's
  • a little 45 minute snooze in the evening - usually while we eat dinner.  
Personality:  Charlotte is full of smiles and also very patient - and that's quite a combination!  Smiles, smiles, and mores smiles!  And she doesn't discriminate ... just about anyone can get a big gummy smile!  Say hi, tell her she's a cutie, smile at her, ... chances are she'll smile right back!  Meeting our family back in IL was a thrill as she won them all over with her sweet personality!
Caring for both a toddler and an infant is tough - even on a good day - but Charlotte makes it a little easier on me because she's just so darn patient.  She waits and entertains herself through potty breaks and snack serving and meltdown avoidance.  As long as I check in with her and she sees my face, she's okay; she'll wait ... even near her own mealtimes.  Most of her "waiting" is done on the playing mat or in the bouncer seat or under her mobile.  Recently we also introduced her to the jumperoo - but she just dangles and bats at the toys. While she plays, she rubs her feet together - almost constantly.  I have to keep socks on her tootsies or she'll rub the inside of her feet until they are bright red.
Yep, she'll happily sit on the sidelines, but Charlotte also loves to be right in the middle of the action, too. She happily sits on my lap and reads stories with her big sister.  It cracks us up because she is most vocal during storytime - it's almost like she's reading the book or commenting on the plot!  Some mornings we all snuggle in bed for a few minutes, and Charlotte squeals with delight and kicks her feet and reaches for Natalie's face.  She also rides in the Bjorn or Ergo without fussing.  Just yesterday she took a nap in the Ergo while Natalie and I browsed books at the library.  It seems the only time Charlotte is high maintenance is between the hours of midnight and 6:00 am ... when she can have my full attention!


Milestones:
  • Grasping, Reaching, and Putting in Mouth - check, check and check!
  • Recognizing her Name - Yes, and smiles when she hears it :)
  • Rolling Over - Well, she can roll from her tummy to her back, but she doesn't do it very often.  No luck with back-to-tummy although she does try.
  • Sitting Up - Not even close.  I am going to blame her small size on this one.  She just doesn't have any extra cushion to help hold her upright.
  • Eating "Solids" - that's next on my list ... waiting for her check up on Monday to get the official go-ahead from the doctor, and then bring on the rice cereal and bananas!

7 comments:

BJ_Mama said...

very interesting comment up there!

Oh, Charlotte, you are TOO adorable! Reading all your milestones reminds me of Samantha. (I think she sat up at 7 1/2 months)
and tell your mommy that the headband is a NECESSITY! (Girls need to accesorize!) I can't wait to meet my little number 2 and see sibling interaction too! Make sure you keep an eye on that Natalie...those toddlers can be so entertaining! PRICELESS!
HUGS and KISSES from WI!

Chi-town momma said...

AHhh, she is just so adorable! Must. get. snuggle...and kiss those well rubbed feet! I think it must be the nature of the second born - they have to go with the flow for survival purposes!
Happy 6 month B-day, CJV! Hugs to you, your momma and the rest of the V's!!!

Evonne said...

Wow! 6 months already! She is so cute!

Emmett Joseph said...

Happy birthday, Charlotte Jane-I can't believe it has been 6 months since we got the very exciting phone call of your birth. We love you so much. The best things really do come in small packages!

Megan said...

gee, i love the first comment too!

She is such a cutie. Happy 1/2 birthday!

Shell said...

She is darling!

I can't believe she's 6 months old already!

Kelly Tirman said...

Great post. I really like the format and all the details you are capturing.

hmm. maybe I will update my format a bit this coming month - http://www.kellytirman.com/2010/05/ivey-maudell-is-nine-months-old/ - you have inspired me :)

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