6 1/2 Month Update

Here is an older post that I never published. We went on vacation and I never finished it. Here is a look back at what Karis was doing when she was 6 1/2 months old.

Here are a few pictures I've taken recently that show what she's been up to. This is more for me to remember all the little things she's doing at this age. I know I will quickly forget if I don't blog about them.

Sitting pretty.
Karis has been doing pretty well sitting up. She enjoys playing with her toys while sitting up and seldom likes to lean back. She also loves to stand up (with our help) to show off her strong legs.

She can't crawl yet but she sure can roll.
She definitely likes to move and it's hard to get her to stay still... especially during diaper changes. She always tries to roll onto her stomach which leads to a wrestling match. It's a struggle to get her diaper and pants back on. She seems to be quite strong-willed already -- it's scary.

I'm so thankful that she quickly learned how to roll over from her back to her stomach. We no longer have to "flip" her when she rolls over on her back during her sleep. She now sleeps on her back, stomach and side. She has been sleeping through the night. She'll go down for the night between 6:30 and 7:30 pm and wake up around 5 or 6 am.

She no longer acts like she's in a torture chamber when we put her in the car seat.
She always has a toy to play with in her car seat so she is content in the car. We'll take her to our doctor's appointments or to a restaurant, and she'll hang out in her seat until we're done. Below is a picture of us after we enjoyed breakfast together on my birthday. Notice how she's trying to look like the perfect child in her seat.

The two-finger pacifier works wonders.
She sucks on them to help her fall asleep. She also sucks on them to signal that she's hungry or sleepy. We only give her the pacifier when we're out and about and she's tired and cranky. She can get pretty loud with her squeals that tell us she's had enough and needs a nap!

She has been eating better lately.
She is now regularly eating the minimum amount for her age (for awhile, she wasn't anywhere near the minimum). She is also eating solid food regularly. Her favorite so far seems to be the green beans; her least favorite would be pears.
She likes to chew on the spoon so she'll often grab the spoon as it's going into her mouth. You'd be surprised how fast she can whip her hand out to grab it.

She loves tags.
She can find tags on her blankets and burp cloths. She loves to play with them and suck on them.

She's not a talker but she sure does make noise.
She doesn't "talk" a whole lot, but when she does it's typically in the mornings or when she wakes up from her haps. I love walking into her room and hearing her babble in the crib. Her talking consists more of sounds and not so much syllables.

The other sound she makes is a high-pitched squeal (see her in action below). She makes this sound when she is tired and needs a nap. She also has this drunken stupor act she puts on in the evenings when she's deliriously tired. It's quite funny. She gets loud, starts to grab things, wants somethings then quickly changes her mind. She really acts like she's drunk.

Everything in the mouth.

She loves to explore things this way as well as soothe her teething gums. Below is her reaction to a pine needle that made its way into her mouth.

Developing stranger anxiety.

While she is quite social and loves to be around people, it'll sometimes take awhile for her to warm up to a stranger. She no longer flashes her smiles at everyone. She is most "afraid" of others when it's around her bedtime and she's tired.