Say it ain't so, but this baby girl is already 6 months old. And I'm not gonna lie, it is breaking my heart. I just want this time of her life to last a bit longer but she is growing so fast and the calendar is moving so fast and she does not want to stay little.
The most exciting thing this month is that Ayla is already crawling! It is exciting as she smashed the record in this house (Malachi started crawling right around 6 months) but also super sad because I want her to snuggle with me! But she is off to the races and honestly way more content now that she can get where she wants to go. She is determined and strong and small and mighty! We have spent a lot of time baby proofing and she's been really helpful at showing us where all the trouble spots are. For now she is pretty much stuck in one room but it won't be long before she realizes she can escape behind one of the chairs and then we will be back to the baby gate stage. It has been quite awhile since we've had to baby proof but she's refreshing our memory quickly!
Sleep is still a work in progress. We've had a couple nights this month that she slept pretty much through the night. But for the most part she goes down around 8 which is awesome to have a set bedtime figured out. She is waking typically in about the midnight hour, sometimes a little bit later. And then wakes up in the 4:00 or 5:00 hours. So still up a couple times a night but we are seeing progress and even hints here and there that maybe we will cut down to just that 5:00 feeding here soon. We're some tired parents but pushing through, all things considered.
She is figuring out baby food and finger foods more and more. Her preference is still for finger foods more than purees which is fine with us but she's willing to eat purees too and has tried lots and lots of new foods this month. I am still going pretty strong with nursing which is great because this is the longest my supply has held up. I am struggling a little bit and have been taking some treats to help keep it up, so that's not all in all too much of a sacrifice for me. Another huge step is that she is finally willing to take a bottle which allows us to supplement with a bottle to fill her up before bed and also give a bottle here and there as she needs or we want. We still have over 1000 ounces in the freezer so she definitely needs to get drinking it but I am thankful to have a strong stash for her and that my supply is holding up better than it has in the past!
It really has been another wonderful month with this baby girl! She is at a really fun stage and is much happier in life now that she can play more with us! She adores all of her big siblings and they adore her and that makes me so happy! She is definitely being treated as a baby of the family and she can't hardly make a peep without her siblings ready to jump and help her with whatever she needs. We are trying hard to convince them that it is okay to let her fuss a little bit ;) She is weighing in right around 14.8 lbs so still pretty small but growing nicely. She seems pretty darn smart and wants to always know what is going on around her. She is just a perfect little delight that our family could not love anymore.
Precious little Ayla, how is it even possible that you are 6 months already. Time has gone so fast and you know that is hard on this mama's heart. I love the baby stage so much and I know you are going to change so much in these next 6 months as you learn and explore more and more! But I know to enjoy it all, just because you aren't a tiny little snuggler doesn't mean we don't have years of snuggling still ahead of us. And it is quite fun to get to watch you grow and teach you all sorts of new things. I really do look forward to the next phase with you and the toddler years that feel like they'll be here before we even know it. I look forward to those first words and first steps and all the other firsts as we show you the world around you. You are so loved baby girl!
