Happy Half Birthday, Nadezhda!

Today, my sweet daughter, you are six months old.  I can hardly believe that six months have gone by.  You have grown and changed so much, though you are still quite opinionated.  I love how you can tell me what you want already!

In many ways I feel like a first-time parent again, and I thank you for giving me so many new pleasures and special memories.

So, what's new for you in the past month?

Well, here are your stats:  You weigh 13 lbs 10 oz with a head circumference of 42 cm and height of 25 1/2 inches.

You are rolling to your tummy like a champ!  You love tummy time.  And speaking of tummy time, you sleep on your tummy.  Sometimes you fuss a little bit when you wake up, but usually all I have to do is say your name, and you calm down and lift up your head to give me the sweetest smile.  You melt my heart several times a day, since you still take at least two naps and sometimes three; so I get the thank-you-for-coming-to-get-me-Mommy smile a lot.

not from after a nap, obviously, but still really cute

You're starting to be aware of my presence and absence.  If I leave your line of sight for more than about 20 seconds, you start to cry; but then I get that smile again when I come back!

You are really starting to love your big brother, and he adores you!  You watch him all the time!  I love to watch him try to play with you, and I look forward to the day that you can interact with him more.  I think he looks forward to it as well!

And you tolerate it very well when he does try to play with you now.

The jumper from Mimi's house is definitely one of your favorite things!  Sometimes you get a little crazy in it, and I have so much fun watching you!

Thankfully you do amazingly better in the car these days!  You, Isaiah and I took a trip to Baton Rouge without Daddy, and you did great on the way there, not so great on the way back, but it was later in the day.  I can't tell you how grateful I am that you have learned how to tolerate this evil necessity.  Maybe one day you'll like riding in the car as much as your brother does.

You have discovered the world of toys!  Thanks to brother's therapy, you got to play with some really cool toys earlier than I would have thought, and now you entertain yourself for a while with a few of your favorites at home.

You have 2 teeth!  You cut your first tooth November 14, your second a week later and 1 more should pop through any day now.  You have a fourth in cue as well.  Following in your brother's footsteps yet again, I see.

You had your first cereal at Mimi and JanJan's.  For about a week I thought you were doing pretty well with it, but suddenly you decided that you couldn't handle the nasty stuff on your tongue!  I've never seen a child stick her tongue as far out of her mouth as you can get yours.  Unfortunately, I usually have the bowl and spoon in my hand rather than the camera, so this look might not get captured for posterity.  I hope I can remember it for years to come!

a little hard to tell, but she has an adorable messy face

You have found your feet!  If you are on your back, it doesn't take you long to grab your toes, sometimes all ten, and move your legs around in the air.  Naturally, I think you are absolutely adorable.  Sometimes you have one hand in your mouth and the other hand holding a foot, which is also pretty cute.

You love your daddy, not that this is new, but you express it more now.  When you are upset in the car sometimes, we can say da-da-da-da-da-da, and you calm down, especially if it's Daddy saying it.

"mugga-mugga" with Daddy

Sadly, you also have your first cold.  Brother couldn't resist sharing with you despite our best efforts, and now you are struggling through your first bout of cold, but you keep on smiling through it, and I like that.

But my favorite thing that you've started to do is lay your head on my chest and squeeze me with both arms when you are getting tired.  You and your brother give the best hugs!

I love you, Nadezhda!  I can't wait to see what the next six months hold.  I pray that you will continue to grow strong and healthy for months and years to come but most of all that you will grow to love the Lord with all your heart, mind, soul and strength.