Norah - 6 Months Old & Dedication

 On June 12th, Norah turned 6 months old.  I can't believe that it has already been a half of a year since she joined our family!

Our littlest one is as sweet as ever.  She loves to snuggle and smile.  She is wiggly, though not super mobile yet.  She rolls from her back to her belly, but not belly to back.  She sits independently for short periods of time, but nothing super consistent yet.  She loves to eat solids, and as of this point, has tried several fruits & veggies and just this week some pureed chicken.  She has also had some Puffs, though can't pick them up on her own yet.  She is a great night sleeper, but her naps are often inconsistent.  She is good at going with the flow, like if Biggest Brother has a late t-ball game, or if we run errands during what should be morning nap time. She still spits up a LOT and we are all more than ready for that to be over with!  She loves her big brothers and sister and Caleb is the best at getting her to giggle. 

At her 6 months well visit, she weighed 15 lbs, 12 ounces (43%) and was 26 1/2 inches tall (66%).  She is joyful and sweet and we love her like crazy.

On Sunday, we had her dedicated to the Lord at our church.

 The Bible verse that we chose for Norah is Psalm 97:11 - Light is sown for the righteous and joy for the upright in heart.

We thought it perfectly fitting that Norah was born on Daddy's birthday, and then dedicated on Father's Day!

Father's Day/Dedication Day nap

1/2 a Year

Today is Shane's 6 month birthday!

He seems pretty happy about that, don't you think?

Shane is still such a sweet and content baby, and I can't even remember what our family was like without him....we are beyond blessed to have him. He loves to cuddle, and loves to pull Mommy's hair and necklace. He gets giddy when his big brother and big sister play with him. He is pretty content to hang out wherever we put him and chew on the nearest toy. He can roll in both directions, but usually only goes from back to front and then just hangs out on his belly. He sits very well independently, although I still usually put a pillow behind him just in case. He is quite the laid-back little guy (we all know that he gets that from his Daddy).




Shane is such a great sleeper...he sleeps 12 hours straight at night, and takes 2 long naps during the day and occasionally a catnap in the evening. The boy likes to sleep.



He nurses 4 times/day and has been eating solids 2 times/day (breakfast and dinner).....although today I added a lunch of solids to his schedule, so 3 meals of solids a day it is from here on out. He has tried various fruits and veggies, and I will be adding some more variety to his meals over these next weeks (including meat/veggie combos, yogurt, and other fruits & veggies he hasn't tried yet). I've made most of his baby food up until now, and just made a big batch of fruit and veggie purees over the weekend, but when it comes to meat, well, the thought of putting chicken into my blender kind of grosses me out...so, to the store we go! We have also given him some Puffs to try, and he likes them a lot, although it is difficult for him to pick them up at this point. Today, Meredith and Caleb helped him out by feeding him the Puffs. And honestly, why learn to pick them up yourself when you can have someone feed them to you?




We took him for his 6 month well-visit today, and he weighs 17 pounds, 8 ounces (51st %) and is 27.5 inches long (85th %). Our little Shaner bug is growing and healthy and just plain sweet. We love him so much.

Happy Half a Year Baby Boy!

Half a Year!

Meredith is 6 months old today! Wow! I'll skip the part where I babble on about how quickly this past month flew, and go right to sharing a few fun facts about our 6 month old!



* Meredith is so much fun! She loves loves loves to play. She laughs a ton, and it doesn't take much to get her giggling up a storm. You know, except when she isn't happy. And, when she isn't happy, she really isn't happy. =)

* She continues to sleep well...11.5-12 hours straight at night; 2 long naps during the day, and sometimes a short 3rd nap, depending on how she is doing in the evening.

* She has eaten various fruits and veggies; bananas and sweet potatoes are her favorites.

* While she doesn't seem to be close to scooting/crawling (and that is fine with me!), she is getting stronger by the day! She likes to be on her belly (that is, until she spits up and gets it all over her face), and gets lots of exercise from pushing her chest off the ground with her outstretched arms.

*Speaking of spit-up...those of you who know Meredith know that she has been quite the "spitter"...thankfully, this is getting much better!

*She is such a cuddle-bug. She loves to give "hugs". If you are lucky enough to be the recipient of one of her hugs, be prepared for her to squeeze your neck and bury her cute face into yours.

*She of course loves to put everything in her mouth....toys, toes, my hair.

*She is our little "social butterfly" and definitely enjoys people!





To celebrate her "half-birthday", we made a "half-cake". And, before you call the authorities on me with claims of me feeding my 6 month old cake, please trust that she will not be eating any of it...it is for Kris, Caleb and I to enjoy. =) Okay, let's get real. Kris will probably not eat any. Caleb might take a bite before remembering that he isn't a huge fan of cake. So really, I will end up eating it. It's a good thing it is only a half of a cake!



You may think it's silly that we are even celebrating her 6 month birthday in this way. In a way, it is a bit silly. She has no clue. She can't eat cake. What's the point?

I just really want to cherish these special milestones. I know how fast they go, as my baby boy seemed to grow into a little boy overnight. And, to be honest, there was a point when I wasn't even sure that we could ever have another baby. So the fact that we do is just amazing to me.

This little gesture is just my way of recognizing my special girl's 6 month birthday.

Happy Half-Year Meredith!



P.S. We go to the doctor for her well-visit on Friday. I'll update her height and weight stats after that appointment!