Mama/6 month update

We went to Elise's 6 month checkup today. The doctor says she is doing great on her growth and milestones. She weighed 18 lbs 10 oz and measured 27.5 inches long. She is a big girl and still around the 90th percentile in both height and weight, so it is nice to know that she is growing proportionally. She got 2 shots today. A few months ago, I decided to space her shots out so that her little body doesn't have to process 5-6 vaccines at once. At her 2 month checkup, she received all of the vaccines and was very fussy the rest of the day. Poor Mike was watching her while I had dinner with the FRG and she was not a happy camper. A few doses of Tylenol were necessary. At the next appointment, she only received 2 vaccines, and she had absolutely no reaction at all. This afternoon she had the other half of her 4 month shots, and so far has had no reaction (other than crying when the shot was actually given). She's been totally normal the rest of the day, so I think it is a success! My plan for the rest of her shots is to go in at 8 and 10 months (instead of 9 months, when vaccines are not given) so that she can receive the normal 6 month shots. If you want more specifics, please let me know.

Today she also did a few cute things... I've been saying "up" and raising her arms whenever I pick her up out of her carseat, off the floor, out of the jumperoo or bouncer, etc. Well, yesterday and today she "asked" to be lifted up by raising her arms. She also started raising her arms when I say "up". It is so cute!

She also woke me up today by talking to herself in her crib. Since she is my alarm clock (and I love that my alarm clock goes off after 8...), I usually listen to her over the monitor for a few minutes before I go in to get her. She was making her usual random noises when all of a sudden she said "mama!" I knew it was coming because she'd been saying "mmmmmmm" and "maaaaaaaaaaaaa" for a while, but she hadn't put it together yet. Now we are working on "dada".

I still nurse her 5 times a day. In addition, at 12:30 she gets a heaping tablespoon of cereal mixed with milk. She's been eating this for about a month and is so used to her routine that she gets fussy at 12:25 if she isn't in her highchair watching me fix the cereal! Last week I added a dinner "meal" around 6. She has sampled avocado and peas and loves them both. I am trying to decide what to serve next... perhaps sweet potatoes?

Also, for those of you who are dying to know how my cloth diapers are working out... I've had ZERO blowouts in the last month! I have had a handful of leaks but it has been due to my error (letting her go too long between changes or not making sure that the pad was completely inside the shell). Her infant carseat cover is still clean from the last time I washed it :) It hasn't been nearly as much work as I anticipated.

Now, for those of you who didn't comment on the cute or ugly post, you have one more chance to convince me that I am crazy... it is latched in the car and ready to go for tomorrow! It was very easy to install and fits well rear-facing in the center seat of the Camry. It is a large seat so it will be a tight squeeze whenever it is next to the infant carrier, but it will fit (I tried it myself just to make sure). I will leave you with a cute picture of my big girl in her big girl carseat.