Six Months

Dear Baby Catherine,

Six months ago this week, we finally met you.  After dreaming about you and feeling you grow and kick for nine months, you had arrived.  That day was one of the happiest days of my life.  I can hardly believe it’s already been six months since I sat in that hospital bed and stared at you, wondering what our lives would be like with you.

You continue to grow and learn so much every day.  Today you went to visit Dr. Lane for your six-month check-up.  You now weigh 12 pounds, 2 ounces and you are 24 inches long.

In the last month, you’ve had one big routine change.  Daddy is now home every day since his spring semester of school is finished.  Instead of going to Kristen’s house, you get to stay home with him!  You guys have lots of fun hanging out at home.  You help him work on his projects, and I think he takes naps with you.  That’s another big change—since there aren’t other kids around like there was at Kristen’s house, it’s a lot quieter.  You now take at least one, if not two, big naps every day.  You are still a good sleeper at night, too.  In fact, you spend every night upstairs in your crib now.

At this point, you get up on your hands and knees quite a bit when we are playing on the floor, but you don’t yet crawl.  You have begun to army crawl and you use your arms and scoot on your belly, but when you try ‘real’ crawling, one hand is always stuck in place.  You can’t seem to figure out how to pick it up and move it when you move the rest of your body.

Catherine, you have started to giggle.  Your giggle is one of the sweetest sounds I’ve ever heard.  You are so happy all the time, and a kiss on your neck or quick tickle when you get your diaper changed can lead to an eruption of giggles!

You recognize other people, now.  When we meet up with Grandma or Grandpa Hawley, Aunt Mary, or any other family members, you light up and smile like you are seeing an old friend – and you are!  It makes us all so happy to see you recognizing others.  You love talking to everyone, also.  You mostly say ‘da da da’ or some form of babble, but it’s conversation to you and everyone loves to add their part to what you have to say. 

This month you have taken even more of an interest in Joey and Casey.  They tolerate you, but don’t try to come close.  The way you wave your arms and move startles them, but you don’t care.  You are sure you all should be friends and you try to touch them whenever you can.  Don’t worry—one day they will change and you WILL be good friends.  You will start to throw Joey’s toys for him to catch and you will start to pet Casey the way she wants to be petted and all of you will be happy.

Catherine, I’ve said it before and I will say it again: you are growing so much!  You have started to sit this month.  You can’t sit yourself up yet, but if someone sets you on the floor in a sitting position, you can stay there and play or talk with us.  After a bit, though, you usually tip over.  We laugh when you do, but to you it’s a chance to move and you start trying to crawl again.  You are determined to move and get to the toys you want or to get to the next room if we move to do something.

This month your favorite foods are sweet potatoes, peas, and carrots.  You tried green beans but you did not like them!  You also like to eat applesauce but we can’t convince you to eat any more rice cereal.  You still think you should eat whatever we are eating and I know you will enjoy everything we cook just as soon as you get some teeth!

I love every minute of being your mom.  I love getting up with you in the night, when it’s just you and me rocking in the chair.  I love seeing your bright smile when I come home from the gym early in the morning.  I love how you light up when I come home from work in the afternoon.  I am so thankful that we were blessed with you.  I don’t know what our lives would be like without you.

Enjoy your next month.  I can’t wait to see what you do next!

Five Months

Dear Baby Catherine,

You are now five months old. It’s been a big month!

The month started with (your favorite?) Auntie Ellen’s visit.  She was here during her spring break and we all had a great time playing.  She bought you a shirt that says, “My aunt is my BFF.”  You certainly thought so this week.

 

We went to Cave Hill Cemetery to take photos with the spring flowers.  You finally love the camera (sometimes) and had a great time playing in the grass and dirt.

 

 

BFFs stopping for lunch at 5 Guys Burgers.

This month, sleep started to get the better of you.  You continued to try to stay awake through every activity, but once in a while, you’d have to have a quick nap.  Here, you feel asleep in Daddy’s lap while we were out to dinner with Ellen and Lowie and Paul.

We’ve settled into a routine of work and day care, and although I would rather spend every day at home with you, it’s going pretty well.  We both love Kristen and you enjoy your time with her and the kids.  I leave school quickly after the students do so I can gather you in my arms and spend the evening with you.  Lately, you’ve just fallen asleep when I get to Kristen’s house as that is a quiet time there and there’s not a lot of action for you to watch.  You wake up when we put you in the car seat and then talk with me the whole ride home.  Just as we get to our house, you usually fall asleep again.  Your nap then allows me to unload anything I’ve brought home and get dinner started.  By the time Daddy gets home and dinner is ready, you are awake and ready to tell us about your day – and share any food you can get your hands on.  One of the biggest steps for you this month was solid food. You’d eaten rice cereal a few times already, but you continued to be more interested in what we were eating. Sweet potatoes are probably your favorite food right now. You eat them up and have begun to snatch the spoon away from us – you are determined to feed yourself just like you see us doing.

You’ve grown a lot this month.  At your 4 month doctor visit, you weighed in at 11 pounds, 8 ounces, and were 24 inches long.  You like to sit in the Bumbo when we are cleaning up our dinner dishes.  You aren’t quite big enough for it so you slip and fall over sometimes, but you enjoy being upright and being a part of our evening activities.

You started holding your bottles on your own. You can’t quite keep them upright enough to finish them by yourself, but you are trying.

You’ve also started reading.  You love this book because the pages are crinkly and you can chew on the corners.  It’s great to have with us in the car.  At night, as part of our bedtime routine, you and I read three or four other books.  Your favorite one right now is a touch-and-feel book and you think the doggy page is the best.  You like to pet his curly fur.

This month was also special because you and I flew up to Wisconsin for a few days.  We got to spend an afternoon with Grandma Elaine and then three days at Grandma and Grandpa Colby’s house.

Maggie loaned us an exersaucer to use while we are at Grandma and Grandpa Colby’s house, and you loved it!  Each time we put you in, you spun around and played with all the toys.  Your favorite one was the one pictured on the right – it bends so you can chew it’s ears, and the animal blocks slide up and down.  You had hours of fun with the exersaucer.

We tried the Auntie dress on you one more time and got one last picture of you in it.  You are growing so fast!

You are gaining more control of your hands and they are finally doing what you want them to do.  When you are tired, you play with your pacifier and see how many times you can put it in your mouth and then take it out.

Loving time with the Aunties.

 

This is how you wake up from your naps – excited about life and ready to go.  It’s such a joy to find you smiling when we go to pick you up.  You make everyone around you smile as well.

Along with eating solid foods, your other big achievement this month was rolling over.  Once you figured out that rolling over is a good thing, you kept doing it.  Yesterday, you rolled from one side of the living room to the other in a matter of moments.  This morning, you tried to roll off the bed, and luckily you didn’t get stuck between the mattress and the headboard.  We know we have to watch you more closely from now on and we can’t rely on pillows to keep you in your place – you are ready to move!

Finally, the weather has been consistently warm and sunny here.  Yesterday, you and I enjoyed a quiet afternoon on the back porch where we could watch the robins and rabbits who were playing in the grass, and the caterpillar who was climbing up the screen.  Napping in the fresh air was good for us both, too.

These have been five wonderful months and I am looking forward to the next five and all the ones after that.  I love watching you grown and become more independent each day.  You are so special and we love you!

Four Months

Dear Baby Catherine,

This month started off with a big change—I had to go back to work.  After three wonderful months of spending every moment of every day with you, on February 17, I had to leave you and go back to teaching the kindergarten students.  Since it was a Friday, you got to spend the day with Daddy.  The day went well for both of us and that night we went to the Paris house to celebrate Erik’s birthday.  There, you got to meet Grandmother Heid.

We then spent one more day hanging out with Grandma Colby before she had to go back to Wisconsin. Your Blue Bug shirt came from Aunties Crystal and Ellen.

  

This month, you often hung out in our bed and talked with both of us while Daddy and I were getting ready for school.  You loved that we would come in and out of the room and stop to talk with you while we got dressed and made breakfast.  Sometimes you would snooze, and sometimes you would beg to get up and join us for breakfast.

We think you look pretty cute in your sweater.

Your weekdays are now spent at Kristen’s house and you have lots of fun with her and the kids.  You hardly ever take a nap because you don’t want to miss anything.  The girls and Andy love on you non-stop.  Along with playing at Kristen’s house each day, you go to the park, grocery shopping, and to Andy’s homeschool co-op.  By the end of the day you are tired!

Our evenings and weekends are spent hanging out and enjoying time together.  Every moment is a blessing.

You are up to about 10 pounds now, and are getting stronger each day.  You enjoy tummy time more because you’ve learned to keep your head up long enough to look around.  The kitties still don’t like to spend too much time around you, but they are becoming more interested in your actions because you are always moving!

Catherine, you are the light of my life.  I enjoy waking up with you in the middle of the night, kissing you goodbye each morning when I leave for work, and gathering you in my arms when I pick you up after school.  The smile on your face when I walk in the door at Kristen’s melts my heart every time.  You know I’m your mommy and you are so happy I’ve come to get you and spend the evening with you.

Love,