6 months: little love letters

I'm so behind on your 6 month letter, but that's a pretty good indication of how life has been. I feel like from Thanksgiving to Christmas time has flown by so quickly. You are changing so much every day. Learning new things every day. I feel like I can't keep up with it all.

-Growth: You had your 6 month well-child check up this month.
*You are weighing 15 lbs. 9 oz.
*You are 28 inches long.
*You are in the 100 percentile for height and 38 percentile for weight. The doctor said you "couldn't be more perfectly on the curve of development." Go baby, Go!
*You are wearing a size 3 diaper now.
*You are wearing mostly 3-6 mo size clothes. You wear the occasional 6 mo size.

-Eating:
*You are really starting to enjoy food. Actually, for a few days you refused to take a bottle. I guess you think you're too big for a bottle now? You got over that, thank goodness.
*Foods you eat regularly are: Peas, Broccoli, Carrots, and your absolute favorite - Sweet Potatoes!!
*You take a 6 oz bottle between "meals."
*We introduced you to your sippy cup. You aren't really into it. You would rather drink out of a regular cup. You do pretty well out of a big girl cup so I don't mind letting you drink from one - with assistance of course!

-Sleeping:
*You're still all night long :)
*You take a nap in the afternoon for about 2-3 hours, usually. There isn't a specific time of day you take a nap, though.

-Developments: I feel this this past month you've developed so much.
*You are starting to sit up better. Your little back is getting stronger everyday.
*You sat in a high chair at a restaurant today for the first time. You had some assistance with a coat wrapped around you for a little more support since your little body was so tiny in the chair.
*Just yesterday (12/22/2011) you started crawling. Well, your version of crawling. You get up on your hands and your knees. Then you push off with your feet. You are still a little bit wobbly. But it definitely gets you where you want to go.

-Play Time:
*Now that you are moving you biggest "interest" is exploring the entire house.
*You also enjoy just laying in bed with a few toys - mostly teething toys.
*Your absolute, most favorite "toy" is our dog, Copper. He is big so you can see him at your eye level. You think he is the greatest! When he walks by, or gets close to you, you giggle and kick with excitement!

-Events: Within the past month you've experienced your first Thanksgiving and your first Gibson Christmas.
*This past month we celebrated Thanksgiving with Mommy's side of the family. We were most thankful for you this year, baby girl!
*Thanksgiving was the first time you ate sweet potatoes.

*You're grandparents on Daddy's side has Christmas the weekend before Christmas. We celebrated that this past weekend (12/17/2011). You thought wrapping paper was the greatest thing ever! Since Daddy couldn't be there Saturday we celebrated there again on Monday (12/19/2011). You loved opening all your presents. You get so excited that your little body and hands shake!
*You met Santa Clause for the first time! You weren't too sure about that man. You didn't cry, but you didn't really smile either. Maybe next year?

-Funny/Cute Moments: This past month you've developed quite the little personality.
*You have started playing "Where'd Hadley Go?" (Peek 'a' boo) by yourself. When someone is changing your diaper you always grab a wipe and play while they change your diaper.
*When I carry you in your car seat you have started holding on to your diaper bag or the lanyard on my keys. It's like you're holding on for dear life!
*This month you discovered that people sit in the front seat and you sit in the back. Meaning: You've always heard people talk to you, but you would always just smile and look around. It was like you could hear us, but had no idea where we were. One day you turned around and saw me!
*One day you were playing with my keys. You became interested in the lanyard. Then you started to try and put it around your neck like a necklace to wear around. I don't know where you learned that, but it's pretty cute!
*You do this thing where you lean into someone slowly and touch them forehead to forehead. You do this with everyone, BUT me! Daddy thought it was because I was holding you. He picked you up, then you would lean into me, but then you would pull away really quick and start laughing! You little stinker!
*You saw me blow my nose so you picked up a wipe and tried to blow into it! I about died laughing! You're too smart!
*Since we've had our Christmas tree up you like to spend most of your days hiding playing underneath the tree!

Hadley girl, we have got our hands full with you...especially since you're moving all around now! But you're such a joy and we wouldn't have it any other way! :)

I'll love you forever and ever. I promise, sweet girl.

Love,

Mommy

Words of the soul

I had this theory that if I listened to a certain playlist of CD at the exact same time everyday (night time, before bed) that when she was born she would associate this music with sleeping. With every intention and every attempt... I failed! I never seemed to remember to listen to the music. Well, I shouldn't say never. I did sometimes, but never at the same time. Fail.

Since Hadley was born at night and I had been in labor all day, we decided to send her to the nursery for the night so I could rest up for the days to come. During the days, while I was in the hospital, we would keep Hadley in my room all day. We only sent her back to the nursery for night time. This meant that she took her naps in my room. So we started then.

I whipped out my cell phone and turned on her "Night Time" playlist. I know that quiet, classical music is peaceful and serene on its own, but I felt like she remembered. If she was ever fussy and/or started crying we would turn on her music and she would fall right to sleep. That is still true to this day, now five and a half months old.

A couple months ago, Hadley and I went to OKC by ourselves for a few different occasions. One trip we went with my grandparents. During this trip, there was a day that was extremely long. Hadley has a habit of not taking a nap (at least a good, long nap) unless we are at home and she is sleeping in her bed. Luckily, even without naps she never really gets fussy. She is usually just pretty content as long as there are people and kids for her to watch. She really enjoys people watching. And by people watching I mean people starring. She gets that from me :-/ Anyway, this day had been long. She hadn't had a nap. And by this point it was way past her bath and bed time. By the time we got in the car to head to the hotel she had come unglued. We were riding with my grandparents so I sat in the back with Hadley trying to soothe her and convince her we were headed to the hotel to go to bed. I talked to her. I played with her. That ten minute drive felt like ten hours because she was so upset. I had tried every everything. Nothing worked. So once again, I whipped out my phone and turned on her "Night Time" playlist. Once she quieted down enough to actually hear the music she was done crying. She didn't fall asleep. She just became calm. Everything was so new to her. New city. Car ride for two hours. Being at family's house all day. No nap. Her music was the only "normal" thing I could offer her and it worked!

Hadley has always been very particular about the music she listens too. I go through phases where I listen to a specific CD for months. I never realized it, but about three months after Hadley was born I had been listening to the same CD's in my car since the day we brought her home. One day while driving down the road she started screaming. I turned the radio up louder because she has been known to cry if she can't hear the music. Louder didn't work. Turning it off didn't work. Talking to her didn't work. So I turned the radio back on and started the CD over. Instantly she stopped. This was the day I discovered she likes tracks 1-7 on JJ Heller's Pretty and the Plain CD. Anything after track 7 is no good for her, I guess. So picky!!!

Even though I never really tested my "theory" there is no doubt in my mind that she recognizes her music. Music is important to her and her little 5 months of life. She is a little girl after her Momma's own heart.

"I was born with music inside me. Music was one of my parts. Like my ribs, my kidneys, my liver, my heart. Like my blood. It was a force already within me when I arrived on the scene. It was a necessity for me-like food or water.-Ray Charles"