Holland had her six-month check-up today and I found out she's not only large but also really tall!
Holland's stats at six months...
Weight: 19 lbs (91%)
Height: 28" (99%)
Head: 17" (71%)
E A T
Holland doesn't miss a meal, which is obvious when you look at her chubby cheeks and roly poly arms. And her legs absolutely kill me, they are so chunky!! Breastfeeding continues to go well and just a few days before she turned six months we gave her cereal for the first time. She was absolutely thrilled as she's been intently watching the rest of us eat for the last month or so. It was a huge mess and a bit like Cookie Monster (I'm not sure how much food actually went/stayed in her mouth) but she was so excited to finally join the rest of us at the table. My plan is to make her baby food as I did with the twins - we'll see how it goes!
I haven't pumped much at all with Holland because we're always together and there hasn't been a need. However! I'm leaving for Charleston this Friday so I started pumping last week to fill the freezer in my absence. I was nervous she wouldn't take a bottle of thawed milk but we did a test run today and she did just fine. Whew!
P L A Y
Holland is quite the charmer. She absolutely adores attention and will smile at anyone who looks her direction. And her smile is so sweet. I'm constantly holding her and whenever we're in a public place the person behind me starts talking about what a happy baby she is. The attention used to surprise me but now I'm used to having the world's biggest flirt in my arms.
She is all over the place these days. Whether it's rolling or scooting, if she sees something she wants she will get to it. I think we're a couple months away from crawling but she's so strong she may surprise us all. She's also sitting up on her own but I use that term loosely as her back is only straight for a few seconds before she slumps forward and uses her arms to hold herself up. It still surprises her when she sits on her own and oftentimes the shock alone is enough to knock her off balance.
She's also incredibly LOUD. She's by far the most vocal of our kiddos and has the lowest, loudest voice. She starts chatting away and can be heard over a room full of people. Bless her.
Michael has gotten her to wave a few times but no words just yet. She is absolutely a daddy's girl so I have no doubt "dada" will be her first word.
S L E E P
What has been a sore subject for months... continues to be a bit of a sore subject. What makes it so frustrating is she'll have a great night of sleep followed by a night of waking up every two hours ready to eat. It's perplexing and exhausting but we're hoping it becomes more consistent this month as we attempt to let her cry it out. I'll be the first to admit I typically pick her up and feed her because it's quick and a sure way to get her back to sleep fast but the last few days we've started patting her back and not picking her up. The first night was a disaster and the second night went much better. Here's hoping for restful nights for everyone in month seven.
WHAT'S NEW?
We moved to a new house this month, which wrecked any sort of schedule I'd established with Holland. What used to be a two minute commute to MDO, ballet, and gymnastics is now 10-12 minutes, which is just enough time to put her to sleep en route. She was back in the pack n play for a week while we moved/painted her room so when she finally reunited with her crib she was all smiles - it was hilarious. She scratched the sheet and smiled at the bars like they were an old friend.
I'm not sure we'll ever be on a strict schedule like we were with the twins because life is a little bit crazy these days and the only way to be consistent is to stay home all day. Not a chance. She rolls with the punches pretty well and when she doesn't get enough sleep she's perfectly happy as long as she's in someone's arms. I can't decide if she'll be an early walker because she wants to keep up with Jude & Sloane or extremely delayed because she adores being held. It will be interesting to see!
Her hair is thickening up and appears to be dark blonde/light brown. It's hard to tell since her dark hair from birth still remains. Her eyes are a deep blue and her skin has lightened up quite a bit. Friends say she looks like Michael or Jude, though she's had a few pictures/faces that resemble big sister. I look at her and see a completely new face - one that doesn't really resemble anyone else in the family.
Michael wrote Jude & Sloane's six month letters so in keeping with tradition he wrote a letter to Holland as well! He couldn't love them more. :)
* * *
Dear Holland,
As I sit down to write, your infectious smile is the first thing that comes to mind. Generally, when you meet someone, you take them in for a moment and then you give them the biggest smile you can, which is every one of your smiles. If you see a family member from across the room, you'll smile until they turn your direction. Should someone be holding you while this happens, you use all your energy to smile and stand as straight as possible before you collapse and burrow down into your holder's shoulder.
You always want to be in the middle of it. What it happens to be is irrelevant. You want to be where the action and the people are. We used to lay you down with toys or put you in your jumper so that the rest of us could eat dinner. Exclusion was not your style. The first time we put you in your high chair at the table with the rest of us, you smiled alternatively at each family member for the entire meal.
You love your brother and sister. If they walk in the room, they immediately have your full attention. We can tell you want to follow along and play so badly! Enough so that I wouldn't be surprised if you walked earlier than either of the twins. In return, they adore you. Sloane likes to be the first into your room in the morning so she can show you whatever she's playing with or put on a show for you while in your crib. Jude is your partner at dinner. He sits close to you and makes sure you stay happy and retrieves any toy you may drop during the meal.
Holland will be heard! You don't know what you're saying yet, but you say it repeatedly and with vigor. It's a bit like a comedy bit that doesn't know when to finish. You'll yell and people think it's cute or funny. Then you keep going and it can get to be a bit much. Then when you continue to talk and yell to no one in particular, it becomes funny again.
Just when we were settling down into how life would be, you came in and rearranged everything. You're only six months old and already living in your second house! We didn't know our family was incomplete until you arrived. You've had so many positive imapcts upon our little crew and we're so grateful you came along to shake up the balance. We're so excited to learn what's next!
Love - Dad
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