Eloise is SIX months old! (Dr. Appointment Update!)

Today my tiny angel turns 6 months old! I can't really believe that six months have gone by! I often count from February to now and am in shock. Where did that time go? Wasn't I JUST calling my best friend asking her to come pick me up to go to the hospital? Or struggling to put on a straight line of eyeliner through contractions (yes, I am one of those people)? Regardless, she IS half a year old (cue tears) today. Seeing as we have been moving, dealing with the deployment, etc, she hasn't seen a doctor since 3 weeks old. I decided to make her a 6 month appointment just to see how she was doing.

We are one of those "crunchy" anti-vax, breastfeeding, cloth diapering, co-sleeping type of folks so I was nervous to see the doctor and have to stand up for myself (I am a wimp) regarding my parenting choices. I was pleasantly surprised that they didn't try to push anything I wasn't interested in, but only said the mandated "you should vaccinate" thing and moved on. Of course, though, Eloise is perfect! She is now 16 lbs, 3 oz (in the 54th percentile), 26 inches (in the 61st percentile), and her head is 45 inches (74th percentile). She has surpassed the majority of the 6 month milestones, but is still working on sitting up and making sounds (she is a relatively silent baby). Eloise is still exclusively breastfed and will continue to be until she can sit up on her own. The doctor suggested starting her on rice cereal now, but I don't plan on ever giving her that. We are practicing baby led weaning so rice cereal is not really in our future, especially with its lack of nutrients. Once Eloise can sit up on her own, she will start filling her belly with fruits and veggies (and breastmilk, of course!) and other good things.

All in all, Eloise is PERFECT, growing right on track, and super duper healthy! She has FINALLY started to laugh a little bit for people other than Luka. She still LOVES music, it makes her laugh. She is attached to a blanket that her namesake, Katy, made for her. Eloise loves toys (especially books and toys that spin) and our puppy. She enjoys chewing on her own toes! Eloise takes 2-3 naps a day in her pack-n-play lasting for 1-2 hours and goes to sleep for the night around 8, gets up for the day between 6:30-8, and wakes up 2-4 times to nurse through the night. She starts off in her pack-n-play next to my bed but usually winds up in bed with me by morning (we like to snuggle).

Hopefully, I will be able to get some awesome pictures of her this week to mark this awesome growth milestone!

-Kacy