Libby at 6 Months

Sweet Libby girl- I can not believe how quickly the time is flying by for you.  You are now halfway to being a one year old- I can't take it!  The changes we see in you are now increasing exponentially with each passing week.  You are very sturdy sitting up on your own.  You occasionally fall back off balance, but the majority of your day is spent sitting up and chewing on toys, or down on your belly.  You are occasionally trying to rock back and forth, and you are very adept at scooting backwards and rolling around to get to where you want to go.  If I leave you for a second by yourself in the living room, within a minute I hear you crying because you've moved 10 feet and half of your body is stuck under the couch!

Your first time sitting up in a cart!

Your sleeping has been a dream.  We are going on a couple of months now of 12 hours or so straight at night.  If only we could get your big brother to stop waking up in the middle of the night, dad and I would be much better rested!  You also take 2-3 great naps during the day.  You are still the easiest child to put down- I feed you, hold you for a second, and put you down on your back in your crib.  You look up at me for 2 seconds, smile, then turn your head and close your eyes.  Seriously- you are a dreamy little one!

You smile all of the time, and we can tell you recognize us the second you see us

We are definitely feeding you more than milk now.  You would prefer milk any time, but are getting better using a spoon.  Your brother loves to feed you himself, and it is so sweet to watch how amused you are at him.  The funniest thing is watching you devour a pouch of apple sauce or other pureed fruit/vegetables.  If I hand you a pouch,  you take it and suck the contents out within 3-4 minutes.  It's amazing how independent you already seem to be.  We've also started giving you puffs and small bits of cereal, and you are working so hard to get them to your mouth (low success rate for now!).  You are definitely interested in anything we are eating or drinking and are constantly trying to grab at our items.

At 6 months, you are doing just fine on your growth charts- you are one healthy baby!

-You are not sucking your thumb or a pacifier as often now, and are more interested in our hands, your toys, Parker's toys, or anything you can get your hands on.
-I hear you talking more and more each day- lots of cooing, but now Ma-ma is frequently coming out of your mouth
-Still no teeth yet, but you are drooling like CRAZY, and have some swollen little gums that are always gnawing on something
-You are getting so big- already out of 6 month clothes and 9 months are very tight (of course, I would not call you a petite baby....)

It is impossible to remember life before you joined our family, Libby!  We love you more than you will ever know.  We can't wait to watch you continue to grow and develop your little personality and interests.  Our family is so blessed to have you as a part of it!

All of our love,

Mom

Libby at 5 Months

Dear Sweet Libby,

You are now 5 months old, and it is amazing to see how much you have changed in such a short period of time!  This past month, you have really become so much more active.  When I put you on the ground, you are happily self-entertained, and are constantly rolling from side to side and sometimes across the room.  I have also noticed that you are almost starting to do a modified crawl- after a few minutes alone, you will have scooted backwards about 6-12 inches and usually facing a new direction.  You also love to lie on your back and hold on to both feet and do some exercise.  It is such a change from those early days of nonstop sleep/eat cycles.

Look at what a difference 5 months makes!

Speaking of sleeping- you have gone almost a complete week of sleeping 10-11 hours at night uninterrupted.  This is all on your own.  With Parker,  I tried all of the sleep tricks, read books, scoured websites for tips and let him "cry it out."  With you, I literally put you down awake, you smile at me, turn your head, and instantly go to sleep.  I can claim none of this success as my own!  The unfortunate thing is that your brother now decides he wants to wake up once or twice a night.  Thank you for giving me a break at night.....so I can tend to him!

You are napping really well also.  You tend to nap about 3 times a day.  You would think I would know your schedule by now, but we tend to go go go all day long, so you just adapt and do something a little different day by day.  Typically it's 8am-9am, 12pm-2pm, and 430pm-530pm.  You are getting old enough now that you don't sleep as long or as well when we are out and about like you did as a newborn.  I'm not complaining- you're still a dream sleeper!

Jack stays close to you at all times.  You are just now starting to really take notice of him- and I keep catching him give you tons of kisses!

Nursing you has become so much easier and more enjoyable.  However- you are now so distracted that it is not quite as efficient.  Every little noise turns your head and gaze.  And then after every 45-60 seconds some sessions you pull off to look at me, smile, then put yourself back on.  It is so fun to see you become so much more aware of your surroundings. We are also starting to feed you some real food including rice cereal, bananas, avocados, and sweet potatoes.

Breakfast with my babies

Your brother has lost most of his jealous tendencies, and now is obsessed with taking care of you.  I love hearing him talk to you.  Tonight, I asked him to tell you a story, and I heard him telling you about a policeman, his police car and the sound the siren makes, and how he puts the bad boys in jail.  You love when he talks to you and plays with you.  He puts a huge smile on your face and I can tell you are fascinated with watching his every move.  Of course, I occasionally still catch him trying to pick you up by himself (which instills panic in me!).  He also will lie on top of you, sit on your stomach and bounce saying "giddyup" as I race to knock him off of you, and loves to wrap you up completely in a blanket in such a way I pray you can breathe before I can reach you.  In the car today, you were crying, and he tapped your carseat and said, "Be cool honeybunny."  I love moments like these!

Parker LOVES feeding you- this is when he used his snake spoon to feed you sweet potatos

New this month-

Chewing on your fingers

- Rolling over back to front started right after you turned 4 months- now you are never still!
- You are such a thumb sucker- you are starting to not have interest in the pacifier these days and prefer to have your thumb or really your entire fist in your mouth.
- Cooing- you are becoming more and more vocal and I love listening to you experiment with making sounds.
- Sitting up- you can almost support yourself in a tripod position.  I have a feeling you will master it by the end of this month.  You can sit up pretty well if you are supported decently in a chair or on the couch.



I am filled with such indescribable love for you.  I want to remember this sweet time forever.  You have these soft smiles followed by giggles with your whole body.  You light up when you see our faces approach you.  You have this completely laid back disposition, and it will be interesting to see if that becomes your personality as you get older.  We love you Libby!

Mom

We have done a lot of swimming this month- you just lay back in your float and don't make a peep 

Beautiful girl!  

12 Months

Dearest Parker,

Your Dad and I are just amazed that a year has flown by so quickly.  What a year it has been.  The first few months, we were just focused on trying to figure you out and how you would fit into our family.  Now, we can't imagine our family without you in it.  You are continually bringing more joy, laughter, and delight into our world.  Our hearts and home are forever changed, and we love you beyond what words could ever convey!

12 month Stats:
Height- 29 inches (1 in. over last month)
Weight- still about 21-22 lbs.  You are moving nonstop, and your little body is getting so slender

always smiling

Teeth- 7 still, but your drooling leads me to believe more are on the way
Sleep- usually 10-11 hours a night.  You still take 2 naps a day for about 1.5 hr each.
Eating- you are a great eater.  Still mixing baby food with real food here and there.  You are always up for trying new things.  You still love sweet potatoes and carrots the best, though.
Talking- no new words yet, but you are saying Mama and Dada pretty often- and intentionally!  Your babbling is increasing each week!  I am so ready to know what you are thinking.  What has been a blessing is teaching you some sign language.  You appropriately communicate to me "more", "eat/hungry", "milk", and "all done."  Since you can't actually talk to me, it has been so helpful for you to communicate with me your needs and wants.  I am amazed that this actually works with babies.  I wish I would have started it earlier.

Your new favorite drinking location

your expressions are priceless

You are so close to walking!  You are very strong, and walk really well when assisted or when holding on to furniture or toys.  Right around your 1st birthday, you actually took 2-3 steps solo, but it isn't consistent yet.  I know most people tell me not to wish for it to come because life gets harder, but I think it will make life easier and more fun when you can get around on your own.

You love reading books every day!

We had a whirlwind month of holiday activities, but we were so blessed to spend this month with so many special people.  Your Mimi was here in SC with us for your first Christmas, and then we had a great week in Arkansas with your other grandparents and relatives.  I am overwhelmed with pride and love watching you with our family and knowing that you are now a part of it.

Your first year was a full one.  You have already had two surgeries- both of which seemed so scary and frightening at the time.  Now we look back and are so impressed how well you recovered and how well you continue to do.  You have no idea how many lives you have touched and how many parents you have encouraged by your story.

We've made so many friends, and enjoyed playdates along the way.  We watched Dad finish residency (highly decorated I might add), and now have watched him embark on the journey of fellowship.  We have had more visitors and visits than we can count, but are so blessed that you have gotten to know your family so well being so far away.

We love you buddy.  Can't wait to see what this next year brings!

Christmas with the Robinsons

After our Birthday Celebration, we headed south to Pine Bluff to spend a few days with Spencer's parents.

Parker was spoiled to receive some extra attention, we had several visitors come by to see us, and Spence was beyond thrilled to get 2 days of duck hunting in- something he hasn't done in 4+ years.  He was actually giddy, I think!

one of my absolute favorite pictures!

Parker was fascinated

playing the iPad with Sport