Six months, half a year...

Definetely a milestone...in several ways. I just cannot believe my baby is 6 months old! Already!!! I really think back to when she was so small and new and back then today seemed like a lifetime away. Today I am happy and sad at the same time. I'm happy because Maddie is growing, she is the sweetest most beautiful little human. She is such a joy, she makes me smile all the time and even on rough days, I am so grateful to have been blessed with such a wonderful gift. But I am also sad because time is going by too quickly. She will never again be a baby, each day that passes is one gone forever. They really are babies for too short a time. I know there are times (many times during the first couple months) were I wished she would hurry up and grow, but now even those hard days seem so wonderful because they had Maddie in them, little baby Maddie. Now every day that passes she is more and more this little human being, with personality, and everything and I realize that as she grows she also becomes more and more independent from us. But on the bright side, I have many moments to look forward to. Many stages she has to go through which we will enjoy and watch her grown and learn. I can't wait!

The other milestone is one that I am very happy with, and that's that we have been breastfeeding for 6 months! At the beginning, I thought for sure I would be ready to wean by 6 months, but now there's no way I would stop. You would have to kill me first!!! That's how strongly I feel about continuing to nurse. I want to make it to 1 year. I love to feed my baby, I love it, love it, love it! And the fact that she still won't take a bottle doesn't bother me anymore. She's smart! Soon she'll be starting a sippy cup, so if we really need to she can drink expressed milk from that. Sometimes people ask me how I can do it, how I don't go crazy! But I wanted this, all of it. And if having to be available to feed my baby anytime is what is needed of me, I will do it. I don't need to go out every weekend, I don't need to work (thankfully, yay 1 year maternity leave!!!), so why wouldn't I want to be there for my baby. It's such a short time, before I know it she'll be weaned (sniff, sniff), and running around, and talking...I WANT to enjoy every bit of time with her. So, to all the well-meaning people that ask me how I can do it I say, because I WANT to do it.

So, yesterday she had her doctor's appointment and here are her 6 months stats:

Head circumference: 43cm
Length: 24.25 in (1 in. growth in 1 1/2 months)
Weight: 15lbs 9 1/2 oz. (1 and a bit lb gain in 1 1/2 months)

She had to get her needles, which she did not like (but who does!!!). Luckly, she didn't cry for long. The doc gave us the ok to start solids! But we are going to wait for Ken to get home so he can be there for the first veggie! She has been eating rice cereal for a couple weeks now, which she really enjoys and does really well with the spoon.

Well, that's it for now. Here's to a wonderful 6 months past, and a lifetime of months to come with our beautiful daughter!