Month 6: Half a Year

My sweets,

Six months ago, your daddy and I were gifted with the most amazing present. You. Your round little face and sweet nursing cheeks, your twin death stabbers (that's right, month 6 saw the advent of your second tooth), your enormous, playful grin, and the heartbreaking pouty lower lip. You're gorgeous; you're beautiful; you drive me nuts sometimes.

You change so quickly that sometimes I don't notice it until I look back at how things used to be. One of the most poignant examples of this is your grasp. All of the sudden, I noticed that you grasped things very deliberately, and were able to move objects from one hand to the other. It's not like you all of the sudden began doing this; your ability to do so developed so gradually that I didn't even notice it happening until all of the sudden you weren't aiming and missing - you were consistently grabbing whatever was placed in front of you (purposefully or not. Let's not talk about those two cups of coffee you spilt within four days...)

Everything you do has purpose now. I can put two toys in front of you, and you'll show preference for one of them. One of your favourites is your little yellow Angel Care baby toothbrush that I bought off eBay. Something tells me I should buy a few more, in the case that we ever lose this one - you'll gnaw away at it for hours (okay, maybe not hours, but longer than most toys!) You're also a big fan of beer bottles and beer cans - obviously, Daddy discovered this penchant, not me. Soothing on your gums, we say. We really know, though, that you're probably going to love beer just as much as your daddy does. But not until you're eighteen years old.

You're a babbler. In the mornings, you'll lie in your bassinet and babble until I come get you - and that's when a gigantic smile spreads across your gorgeous little face. You like talking to your toys, sometimes, too - either that, or putting them in your mouth (or kissing them, like the exersaucer flower that you so lovingly caress.)

You're a mover. You roll all around; I can't leave you alone for more than a few seconds now, or else you'll roll off the couch (yup, that happened - I win mom of the year. You were absolutely fine - you barely even cried) or roll into the couch (that little scenario resulted in a little bit more crying. I couldn't help but just watch you for a few seconds before scooping you up into my arms - you were so cute!) You've discovered your toes, too. I love watching you when you're lying on your back, bringing your toes to your mouth and excitedly gnawing on them.

We started you on solids at about 5.5 months, "solids" consisting of finger-size sticks of sweet potato, avocado, or banana. We've chosen a method of solids called "baby led feeding", which means that we don't feed you - you feed yourself. Over the past half a month, we've watched you grasp, miss, squeeze, squish, gag on, and throw your food - you've only really begun to get good at actually gnawing and perhaps swallowing every now and again. It's hilarious to watch, and suppertime usually ends with Daddy clearing up the kitchen and me giving you a bath.

We still find banana behind your ears every once in a while.

Love,

Mama

Month 4: Finding Yourself

My Sweets,

My little Lobster

That's actually Daddy's nickname for you. He has quite a few: My Sweets, Lexi Loopity Poopity Bear, and Varmint Milt to name a few. Don't ask me about that last one... as you'll grow to see, your father is fond of nonsense words. That's one of the adorable parts about him. I wonder how much of his silliness you'll inheret? Hopefully a lot, because this world is a tough one and it's even more difficult if you can't face day to day with a sense of humour.

Post-bathtime

Life has gotten too busy for me to write weekly updates, so I decided that monthly will have to do. What has Month 4 brought us? Well, you began showing an interest in grasping things - your bunny, blankets, teething rings, and Mommy and Daddy's fingers. As the month progressed, you became more and more accurate as you brought things to your mouth. It's so incredible to watch your accuracy improve. For a while, you got a little bit boring (sorry, but all you were doing was nursing and crying for a few weeks!) but through all that fussiness, your brain was actually growing the capacity to allow you to do really interesting things. And they only got more interesting as the month progressed!

Sweet thinker

Not only are you grasping things extremely well now, you're also showing us that you have quite the voice. The squealing that began emerging in your third month of life has now turned to full on screams of joy. Especially in the mornings, you love singing (well, screaming) us your morning wakeup song with a huge smile on your face. Mornings are such a joyful time for you; as the day wanes on, you get crankier and crankier.

Rooting... on Daddy. Seriously.

Another milestone this month? Rolling over. You managed to roll from your tummy to your back on Wednesday, August 14 at Kersey's house. I didn't expect back to tummy to come for another few months, but on Monday, August 26, you decided to show your great grandmother Nannoo (Lillian Gallant, your grandfather Gallant's mother) that you were capable of some pretty acrobatic feats. We have footage of your very first back to front rollover and I'm pretty grateful to have captured it on film.

You adore hole-y blankets.

Grasping, screaming, rolling over... this month has been a busy one. Through it all, you've packed on a few pounds. I'm not sure exactly how much you weigh as we haven't been to the doctor since your two month checkup, but we're heading there this upcoming Friday and I'm confident you're chunking up for all the crawling you'll inevitably doing in a short while. You've grown out of your newborn and 0-3 month clothes; even some of your 3-month clothing is getting a little snug. Thankfully, we're able to share your cute little duds with some friends - Amanda's little girl Lakelyn, and Lindsay's sweet daughter Farrah. I think it's so fantastic that Mommy and Daddy's friends have had little girls in the same year that you were born; there are so many friends for you. Right now, you're more interested in interacting with adults who can hold you and respond to you - we'll leave the little friends for when you're a bit older.

Pure concentration

Lexi, you topped off a fantastic fourth month with your very first plane ride, and you were amazing. You didn't cry once on any flight, and you got a ton of compliments about your cuteness as we travelled from Calgary to Ottawa so that you could meet your Mama's parents your uncle Louis. Grammy and Grandpa Gallant and Uncle Louis were absolutely thrilled to meet you... I think they secretly wish they lived closer so that they could watch you grow in person instead of on Facetime and Skype. Maybe one day your Mama's parents and brother will be closer. Maybe you'll even have cousins on the Gallant side of your family someday.

With Grammy Gallant

During our Ontario trip, you got to meet a ton of Mama's cousins, aunts, and uncles, your great grandmother Gallant (Nannoo), and Mama's great friends Dayna, Julie, and their kids. You dipped your feet in the Ottawa River at Norway Bay in Quebec, the cottage country where your Mama spent her childhood summers. You were so well behaved and pleasant during the whole trip and for that I'm very grateful! Once we landed back in Calgary, we drove straight to the Crowsnest Pass to see Grandma and Papa Liboiron. After a week and a half on the road, you almost slept through the night during your first night back in your bassinet... you're a great traveler, little girl!

Daddy, Mama and Lexi at Norway Bay, Quebec

I am amazed as I watch you learn and grow. Your shrieks, your drooly little fists, your gummy smile... it's all beautiful. I think I've shared this sentiment before, but I'll repeat it again... baby, I love watching you grow up and I can't wait to see who you'll become... but I wish I could freeze these moments in time.

Love,

Mama

Hammocks are not your friend

Four generations of Gallants

Uncle "Lolo" Louis

Bunny love

Having a time with Danielle Sullivan, Julie's little one

Grandpa Gallant trying to get you interested in poutine... it doesn't seem to be working.