She's Got Skillz (Louisa at Six Months)

[Yes, the title of this post is meant to be sung to the tune of the All-4-One song by the same name.  Yes, I still love my '90's R&B.  Judge if you must!]

Amelia has gotten most of the air time on this blog so far, which is understandable, but I think that it's about time my other girls get a share of this spotlight, as limited as the audience may be!  And what better day to share some of Louisa's recent activities and accomplishments than her half birthday?

So here is what our littlest has been up to as of late.

• Hanging out on her tummy. She enjoys it now that she can roll to her back and then back to her front with ease.

• Observing. She is highly aware of what is going on around her these days. Her favorite subjects to observe are her sisters, naturally, and also our cats, which she has finally realized exist!

• Holding her own bottle.  Such a pro!

• Eating some solids.  So far, just rice cereal and butternut squash, but more to come soon.  And if everyone else is eating but she isn't, she will throw an absolute FIT.

• Sitting up on her own for good chunks of time.  If I'm not within arm's reach, I'll stick the Boppy behind her, but she needs it less and less often.  And when she does tip over, she somehow does it in a slow, controlled manner (usually).

• Smiling at EVERYONE.  She may not want just anybody to hold her, but chances are, if you smile at Louisa, she'll smile back at you.  And she has just the cutest little flirty smile!

• Pulling hair.  HARD.  (Sorry, Grace!)  Also, grabbing ears.

• Chewing on EV.ER.Y.THING.  Favorite items to chew include her clothes and her feet, but any small toy will do in a pinch.

• Drooling.  Teeth may be making an appearance soon, although I continue to hold out hope for a couple more months of gummy smiles. 

Louisa had her six-month well-baby visit today, weighing in at 17 pounds (68th percentile) and measuring up at 27.25 inches (94th percentile).  The smallest of our kiddos at that age, she's still a pretty big girl!  And she has such a sweet disposition.  She got four shots and one oral vaccine at her appointment today, and has both a cold and a diaper rash, but still gave me these smiles during our monthly photo session:

She's such a doll! 

I can't believe that my baby girl is SIX months old today.  We've had so much fun getting to know her over these past six months, and are looking forward to watching her grow and change in the months (and years) to come.

Happy half birthday, Louisa Frances!  We love you.