Vivian at six months

Our little baby is already half a year old!  It seems like it is going so fast (except at 5 o'clock in the morning, then it goes very slowly...)

She is trying hard to interact with her surroundings-- reaching for things, trying to get *everything* into her mouth.  Sitting with her on our laps at mealtime is an exercise in keeping her far enough away from the dishes, but she just keeps trying until we let our guard down for an instant and she grabs and dumps a bowl or something.  Similarly, I can't carry her around and drink something at the same time because she grabs at the glass or cup.

She has also become very aware of who is in the room; beaming with delight when Daddy arrives and screaming when we leave her for a minute or two.  Luckily her sisters are very enthusiastic about giving her attention, but that isn't always what Vivian wants.  She does smile and laugh when they play peek-a-boo with her while her diaper is getting changed.

Peek-a-boo is a favorite game, as is the seated row-row-row-your-boat.  She loves songs and likes to be jiggled and flown through the air. She is sitting quite well but still will crash eventually, so we usually have a pillow behind her if there isn't a volunteer.

She likes to be carried around now (not unusual for babies, but not how she started out at all!) and will ride in the front/back pack gladly. Which is good because my arms get tired holding her!  When we leave the house, she still seems shocked by the new surroundings; this works to our advantage in that she just quietly takes it all in.

She still likes sucking on cloth and chewing on her thumb but doesn't seem to have adopted the habit of sucking her thumb.  Rhythmic motions have become popular-- she'll lift her legs and slam her feet into the floor, or hold her hands together and beat on her stomach. When she's nursing, she likes to pull the burp cloth or my shirt back and forth. If she's tired, she pulls it over her eyes. And she always has pushed with her feet while nursing; she seems to like to have something to push against.


Bath time has become more fun; she's starting to splash and, when I have her sitting in the tub, she grabs at the water, and her feet under the water, in fascination.

But her very favorite thing is visiting Niaviv (the baby in the mirror).  Our bathroom cabinet has three doors so there can be more than one babies.  She smiles and laughs at them all.

Personally, my favorite part is seeing her rolls of fat. And that's what I like about the summer clothes- finally getting to see those plump little legs and arms every day. 

 

 

As you can see, her hair has stayed brown. I find this interesting because, when we decided on her name, I realized I was imagining a dark-haired 'Vivian' (based undoubtedly on Vivian Leigh). I decided I needed to start imagining a tow-headed Vivian, since our other children have been fair. But she proved me wrong and appears to be a brunette after all.

Not to promote comparisons but I've found it fascinating to look back at blog posts from when the big girls were the same age: Mae and Adi at 6 months.

Food glorious food

Vivian's first solid food occurred rather spontaneously: "she looks like she wants a strawberry; let's give her one".  When it broke into a chokable (or gag-able) piece, we dug out the 'food net'. It took a little experimentation to learn what the point was, but she soon stared sucking away at it.

Three days (and as many strawberries) later, we spoon-fed her some rice cereal.

Does this look like someone who wants more?

But she ate the whole bowl... although she seemed to prefer her bib.

So I can no longer claim that all but one cell of her body came through mine!