Zoe – at 6 Months (plus 2 weeks)

by Kara

---

---

 

Zoe turned 6 months old while we were camping. It’s been a while since I wrote a post;  I’m not as good at ‘recovering’ from camping as my sisters are. I spent a little over a week cleaning camping gear, catching up on laundry, and trying to get warm. Zoe has been adjusting to not having her cousins around. The days have flown by, and the 6 month post never got written.

Its hard to believe that my beautiful girl is already 6 months old. It seems like she was born just yesterday, and yet, I can’t remember life before her. She growing so big, and learning so much.

Growing: The last time Zoe was weighed was at 4 months, when she was 19lbs 7oz. Her next appointment is on Monday, and I’m sure she’s well over 20lbs now! She got her first tooth a bit before she was 6 months, but she hasn’t cut any new teeth since then. She is starting to drool a lot again though, so there may be another coming soon!

Eating: I began giving Zoe purees when she was 5 months old. By that time, she was sitting well in her high chair, and she would watch our food intently while smacking her lips. She was so eager, and she loved (and still loves) eating. Not all of her food is pureed. She occasionally gets to chew on some vegetables, and she loves exploring new tastes and textures.

On the Move: Zoe rolls around all over our house. She also is able to scoot – backwards. This causes some frustration when she is aiming for a specific toy, but keeps moving further away from it. She also gets up on her hands and knees and lunges, preparing to learn how to crawl. Its only a matter of time! I’m very excited to watch her develop these new skills!

Sitting: Zoe has been doing ‘sit ups’ when lying on her back since she was about 2 weeks old. I think this has really strengthened her stomach muscles, and she learned to sit very quickly! She sits very straight, and easily moves from a sitting position to her stomach so that she can roll around.

Playtime: Zoe is typically good at playing on her own. She spends at least one straight hour in the play pen, playing with all her toys and rolling/rotating around her play space. Its important to me that she is happy in the play pen so that when she does learn to crawl, I can keep her contained and happy for short periods of time. Zoe also loves to sit on the floor in whatever room I am working, and will happily play for a couple hours. Her favourite toy right now is the stacking rings that she got from Aunt Vicki as a ‘birth day present’. She pulls them all off and chews on the rings, then giggles when I stack them back up. She also tries to put them back on the pole herself. I love watching the amount of concentration that goes into her play. She is clearly learning so much every day.

Sleeping: Zoe is typically a good sleeper. She started sleeping through the night around 2 weeks old – which was a huge blessing! Especially since I have recently learned that I am not good at getting up multiple times in a night. Zoe has entered a phase when she wakes up throughout the night, and I go to give her her soother. I know, I should technically leave her to try get back to sleep on her own so that she can sort out her sleep cycles, but this usually causes her to become wide awake, and then its very difficult to get her back to sleep. Zoe typically naps twice in a day, but the length of the nap varies from 15 minutes to 3 hours.

Personality: Zoe is such a happy and social baby! She watches people eagerly, and cracks a big smile whenever somebody looks her way. She is also a mommy-suck. Although she can handle being babysat for a while when she is well-rested, I hear it often ends in tears before bedtime. She is stubborn and independent. She will often refuse food that I am feeding her, and insist on feeding herself (a very messy business). Zoe is an eager learner, always observing, playing, and exploring. She reveals more of her personality every day, and we love getting to know our little girl.