SIX MONTHS

It's hard to believe that our baby is already half a year old! Time goes by so fast and it only seems to be speeding by faster all the time. Heidi is still the sweetest little girl- happy to be around people and easily entertained. She has had a cough and stuffy nose for the last several weeks and not been sleeping well, so I've been remembering what it's like to have a baby that wakes up a lot. She does still love her sleep though and is very happy when bedtime comes around. Austin is usually in charge of swaddling her before she goes to sleep for the night because he has always done a better job at it than I do. When Heidi sees Dad coming she gets happy and gives him huge smiles when he lays her on her swaddling blanket and starts wrapping her up. I've never seen a baby so happy to know that she is being put to bed. 
Heidi is almost able to sit up on her own. If I let her hold onto my fingers she is quite pleased to try to keep her balance sitting up, but can only do it on her own for 30-60 seconds at a time
. She does sit at a high chair at the kitchen counter, which is nice because I can do work around the kitchen while she watches me or the boys can sit next to her on their stools and entertain her.
Heidi is starting to get really wiggly and needs constant entertainment. She grabs anything that comes near her, especially if it is something she hasn't seen before. She wants to explore and learn about everything. I have to be really careful when she is sitting on my lap at the dinner table because she will grab anything on my plate that is close enough. She ended up with a handful of hot rice the other night and didn't know how to let it go. I had to peel her fingers open while Austin wiped the rice out. Luckily it wasn't hot enough to burn her, but we could tell she didn't like it. She also squirms all over the place while I'm changing her diaper. Obviously her changing table is nothing new or exciting to her, so she has no interest in just lying there while I get a clean diaper on her. She twists her body while she tries to get a new view and whenever she spots her bare feet (they are usually covered by whatever clothes or socks she has on) she grabs them like they are some new toy to explore.
We have found that Heidi really loves when we make clicking or kissy noises with our mouth. I use this trick especially when she is tired and grumpy. I'm not always quite ready to but her to bed when she wants to go, but if I click or kiss at her, she will cheer up, smile, and giggle which buys me a little time to get everything ready to put her to bed. She really is such a happy baby and easy to please.
A little problem we're having with Little Miss is that she is now refusing to take a bottle while I'm at work. She was never super happy to have a bottle, but she would take it when she got hungry. Now, she just refuses to eat more than a little bit and prefers to be hungry and grumpy until I get there to nurse her. Of course I can't just let her go hungry and be a grump for whoever is watching her (either her Aunt Renee or her dad) so I've had to take off work in the middle of the day to come feed her. Luckily I have a really flexible job and I haven't been as busy as usual lately so this has worked out. I'm especially glad I only work 2 days a week and can be with her the rest of the time, but I sure hope she gets over this soon. We have introduced her to solid food which she seems to love, so that can help a bit. I made her sweet potatoes and acorn squash baby food and she seemed to like both, but had a difficult time trying to figure out how to eat it- like most babies.The first time I made rice cereal for her, I only made a little bit because I wasn't sure how she would take to it, but when she finished it she started crying while I hurried to make more. I'd say this is her preferred solid food for now, so we'll stick to it for awhile.
I think I say this about every age, but I really love this stage and don't want it to pass. Heidi is getting a little  independent in that she plays by herself with toys for a little while, but she is still my little baby that would rather snuggle me than do anything else. I love seeing how eager she is to take in every new sight, sound, or experience that she encounters. Most of all I just love the sunshine that she brings into our family. Every member of our family is head over heels for Little Miss and is happy just to be around her!
Here are pictures of our little girl on her 1/2 birthday: