SIX Months!!

I cannot believe Zooey is six months old! I look at pictures of her from when she was a newborn until now, and I can see her little personality come alive in the changes. She is so much fun, and the more I get to know her, the more I love her. She is amazing.

Zooey has five teeth, and another one is working it's way in - oh my! Fun for her when she gets to eat food, not always so fun for the nursing momma. She's still in a little bit of a "leap phase," and I don't think the sunshine period has quite hit, yet, but I'm waiting for it. Meanwhile, I can tell she's working on some new skills. She's really starting to enjoy her jumparoo; she's short (like her mom & dad), but her little toes are finally touching the ground and she manages to hop a little bit now. She really likes the toys on it and you can really see the look of concentration as she examines them, then tries to make them do what they're supposed to do. She also does this with the faucet at bathtime; she stares at the water and loves to try to grab it to no avail. She's talking more and has said "ma-ma," "uh-oh," "da-da," "la-la," "ah-goo" plus many, shrieks, squeals and silly noises. The words are pretty indiscriminate right now, but it's still fun to have a conversation. Zooey's beginning to cry more often when Ryan or I (mostly me) walk away from her, but even when she does, she stops pretty quickly as she becomes distracted. Zooey rolls from tummy to back all the time now - she won't even stay on her tummy if we put her on it! Yesterday, she rolled from her back to her side once, so I know the full turn is coming soon. She's now doing independent playtime twice per day, once for 15 min. and once for 20 min. We've started putting her bumbo chair in her playpen with a basket next to it. She likes to take all the toys out, nom on them with her mouth and throw them to the other side of the pen. It's very cute and just another way we can really see the wheels turning in that little brain. Zooey loves the cats! Whenever she sees one, she squeals and pumps her little arms and legs in excitement. She tries to pet them, but she usually just grabs their hair, so I kind of have to guide those little hands to be gentle. Zooey's also really starting to enjoy her books; she gets excited and talks to them when I read to her, and sometimes when we're done nursing and she sees one, it seems like she's trying to reach for it. She also loves dancing with me or Ryan and when we lift her high in the air for airplane; these two things are always a sure bet for laughter.

I feel a sense of complete, unadulterated pride when I see her doing each new task. To me, she is the smartest, most beautiful baby in the world. Biased, I know, but pure bliss! Being a mom is amazing, and I'm so incredibly thankful that God blessed me not only with Zooey but with this wonderful experience.