Kallan: 6 Months

A half year has gone by already! Time really flies the first time around.. but it is going insanely fast the second time. It's a bit scary.

Sleep: Unfortunately, Kallan just doesn't seem to like sleeping that much. Naps are a struggle and she is waking usually twice a night for some milkies/snuggles. 

Milestones: Kallan can sort of sit in a tripod position and will sometimes sit up unassisted for a few seconds. She loves to reach for toys and bring them closer to her. She will fuss if she drops a toy. She will occasionally look for a toy under a towel, but mostly she just ends up eating the towel. If she has a choice, she'll choose a cloth over a toy for some good munching. If you say her name, she will smile and look at you. She isn't quite ready to crawl yet, but she does turn herself around while she's on her tummy. She wants to move!

Feeding: We've occasionally started giving her some food recently. She seems to like it and wants to grab the spoon and feed herself. This usually results in a big mess, but I appreciate her enthusiasm. So far barley cereal is the least favorite. Everything else is kind of 'meh'. 

Ups: I've really enjoyed watching Kallan's little personality come out. She is a very loving and snuggly little girl. She laughs all the time and is super ticklish. I love watching her study new faces and places. It must be overwhelming to be a baby.. everything is new! The best is when she is on her tummy and laughing.. her whole body jiggles up and down, it's the cutest thing ever! Sometimes she will just be looking at me and then will put her hand on my face. I wish I could capture the feeling it gives me in words or pictures. So much love.

Downs: Not getting a full night sleep again. :( Oh well, it's not forever! Hopefully.. also she seems to be having a bit of a fussy period. A friend recently told me about the "Wonder Weeks." Someone has created a general schedule of fussy periods for babies, and one commonly occurs at about 26 weeks, which is where we're at now. This might be contributing to the night waking and nap resistance.

Likes: Her big sister, eating all the time, helping turn the pages of books, being carried in the wrap, eating books, eating cloth, eating her toes, studying hands and fingers, her red square, rolling onto her tummy, grabbing hair, crinkle toys, her exersaucer, talking, looking out the car window, snuggling, being loved on all the time

Dislikes: Loud noises, sometimes new faces, bottles, when we leave the room, cold weather... I'm pretty sure of this one, at least :), being around new people for too long

Sister Update: Lately, Lyla has been going up to Kallan and saying, "Hi Kallan, hi sweetie." "Aw Kallan, look at your little feet. You're so cute." And on her way home from a play day at Grandma and Grandpa's, Lyla said, "I really want my Kallan." Kallan is always flashing smiles at Lyla, and Lyla loves to say, "She smiled at me!!!" The sisterly love is mutual, and Lyla seems to notice that Kallan is getting more and more interactive. Lyla loves to try to make Kallan laugh, and if Kallan is crying she will run over and find her a toy or play her a song on the piano. "It's okay, Kallan, it's okay!" she'll say. Or, "It's okay, Kallan, Lyla's here."

I'm really looking forward to the next 6 months and seeing Kall

Funny Photo Sequence

Kallan: "Oooh fuzzy!"

Lyla: "I see you playing with that!"

Lyla: "Yep, I'll take it."

Kallan: "Uh wait.. what...."

Kallan: "Mom, seriously, did you see that?"

Lyla: "Nope, didn't do anything.. just hugging my cats."

Lyla: "Don't touch my stuff, Kallan!"

Kallan: "Hm, I need a plan. Ok, got it! Here's what I'll do..."

Kallan: "Look at me I'm so cute!!!!!"

Lyla: ignoring 

Kallan: "Really, you're not going to go for that?"

Lyla: still ignoring

Kallan's 6 month update will be coming soon!

Michigan Winter

Deer photo cred: Erik Bodine :)

Okay winter, you're pretty and all, but I think it's time to hit the road! Although Lyla enjoyed collecting rocks and throwing them in the water just as well as in the summer. 

Lyla 2.5

Oh what to say about our little girl. She is growing up to be such a caring and fun person, and we just love to see her personality shining through.

She is so imaginative and I love seeing the worlds she creates for us. Most of them involve Dora-related activities and stories. She has gotten to be a little imitator. It's kind of funny to hear her say things and know that you must say that a lot.. like, "Can you pick out a book? I'm nursing.." is one she has been saying a lot. "Mommy, can you come in here, it's really important!" "Be right back, I gotta do something real quick!"

The hardest thing has been giving up nap. If she naps, it takes her hours to fall asleep at bedtime. At first it was a really difficult transition for everyone. But now she has about an hour of 'quiet time' in her room to preserve Mommy's sanity, and we're all happy again. It's also great because she sleeps until about 8:30 every morning! So I really can't complain!

She has an occasional accident, but I would say she is potty trained now. We used to put her in diapers while we were out and about, and she would still let us know if she had to go, and we'd take her to the potty. To let us know, she says, "Oh, oh I'm peeing!!!"

Lyla loves to ask questions that she wants us to ask her. Like, "Do you want to watch TV Lyla?" And then we ask her, and she says, "Ok!" Like it was our idea all along. And then if you don't answer right away, she'll say, "Do you?? Do you?" It's pretty cute!

She is a great big sister. Whenever it's just us three, Lyla will say, "Just us girlies!" Whenever Kallan cries, she goes, "Oh, it's ok Kallan! And she'll run around looking for a toy for Kallan to play with or she'll play some songs on the piano for her. This always cheers Kallan up, at least for a second or two! Lyla likes to help out with diaper changes and has attempted to give her a bottle a couple of times. She says such cute things to her. Like.. "Oh, Kallan, you're getting big!" "I'm so proud of you!" "Aw, she smiled at me!" "Where's your tongue, Kallan?!" "Aw, you're hands are so little, Kallan!" etc, etc. 

Occasionally, I still get to enjoy a nap time :)