Happy half birthday to meee!

HOW DID I GET TO BE SIX MONTHS OLD?!!

I weigh 12 lbs, 5 oz and am 25 inches long. I'm only in the 2nd percentile for weight, but 38th for length! I think I have Dad's lanky body type. Surprisingly, I do fit in my 6 month clothes--Mommy was worried I wouldn't. I got so many adorable cute summertime clothes as gifts before I was born, and they do indeed fit me during this hot, sticky summer!
I am full of personality these days. My favorite thing to do these days is "squish." Some people would call it "smile," but Mom and Dad call it "squish" because of how I scrunch my eyes, nose, and cheeks up when I'm happy. I "squished" beautifully for my 6 month old pictures, taken yesterday. Mommy was worried that I'd cry like I did at 3 months and not make it through all the poses. Silly Mommy! I'm worlds away from where I was 3 months ago!

My world has been full of newness. First, food! A few weeks ago I started eating oatmeal. Somedays I like it, other days I'm not so sure, but I do like the spoons that are just for me. Yesterday Mommy mashed up a banana and added it to my cereal. And tonight I got a really delicious treat--a "puff", special baby cereal! Mmm, that was delish!
I'm also a pro at rolling over. My favorite place to do this is my crib, naturally! For some reason I get REALLY ticked if I land on my stomach. Oh, and the sleeping...I'm still giving Mommy a rough time ;). Mommy tries to let me "cry it out" when I wake up, and to Mommy's delight, I often turn it into "scream it out"!

Perhaps the biggest news is that I can sit!!! For just a few minutes at a time, but I've become a strong girl! I like to sit and reach for my toys.

I can't wait to see what the next 6 months will bring!

Hands

Obviously I've noticed Elizabeth's hands since the day she was born. I marveled over whose hands they were (they certainly weren't *mine*--right away I could see that she will have long fingers and shapely nails, unlike my own short, stubby ones), and how she could grab my finger without even realizing what she was doing.

It was enthralling to me and Craig when, at about 3 months old, Elizabeth suddenly realized that she HAD hands. Craig put it best when he described her process in learning how to reach out and grab things--he said he could practically see the millions of neurons firing. We delighted over how it was a series of microsteps; how a little bit more each week Elizabeth could coordinate her arms, and eventually her hands, in the direction of something she wanted.

Now, at 5 and a half months old, Elizabeth's hands have developed a personality of their own. They have become her primary method of exploring the world. Textures and objects are what fascinate her right now. A couple weeks ago I noticed that she could finally get a teething toy into her mouth. Now all of a sudden, nothing is safe from Miss Grabby Hands. She grabs my hair. She pulls Craig's glasses off his face and won't let them go. She reaches for my orange juice glass at breakfast and knocks it over. She swipes a cereal bowl of leftover milk off the kitchen counter and onto the floor. Yesterday I suffered my first Elizabeth-inflicted injury when she poked me in the eye and scratched my cornea--ouch!!!

Her hands sometimes calm down from the aggressive grabby-ness, and just take in her surroundings. When we were on our vacation and she slept in her Pack and Play, she put herself to sleep scratching its slippery fabric with her fingernails. She pets terrycloth bibs and washcloths. She delights when I take her to a nearby fir tree or bush, and I tickle the soft scratchy needles across her palm. She even enjoyed taking in textures through her bare feet, when she happily stepped them across a pile of wire hangers as we hung out together on my bed.

So all of a sudden, Craig and I learned we will have to be careful! We need to now become vigilant about eliminating nearby small objects. I figure I won't be able to wear long earrings for the next little while. I can no longer hold her in my lap as I eat, since nothing is safe! She is certainly not going to be near our dog, whose tail or ears she could pull.

Watching this baby take in the world around her through her different senses is such a delight!