Natasha Pehrson: Gretchen 6 Month Update

I promised myself that I would blog on Monday...and it is Saturday! Where do the days go? I guess I will use this as my excuse...

Does anyone have tips on how to keep up with never ending laundry? I am really good at putting it in the washer and dryer, but folding is another story. Anyway...I got a little carried away taking pictures this month of Gretty, but who can blame me? She is the cutest! Her personality is really coming out and she always makes the cutest faces. We love her so much!

And she is spent after lots of picture taking.

Weight: 15 pounds 7 ounces.

Height: I'm not sure...maybe 27 inches?

Clothing Size: 3-6 months but they are tight on her now. I was in denial about her diapers too and kept putting a size 1 on her until one day I tried a size 2 and it fit perfectly. She is growing too fast.

Eating: She stopped spitting up so much this month and has finally started to pack on the pounds. She even has wrist rolls now! So adorable.

I am down to nursing just in the morning and pumping the rest of the day because she is too distracted to nurse - even giving her a bottle is hard because you have to chase her around with it. Luckily she is getting the hang of holding her own bottle and can hold it while she looks around.

A few weeks ago we also started giving her baby food, and it only took her a few days to get the hang of it. She loves apple sauce and prunes. She can't get enough. Need proof? Check out the prune spit up all down the front of her.

Sleeping: Sleeping is awesome! I guess having a very difficult newborn has its perk in that you get blessed with an easy baby later on! Her bed time is 6:00 pm (any later and she gets super cranky and will wake up earlier in the morning) and she sleeps all the way until 7:00 -7:30 am.

I finally nap trained her this month too so she falls asleep on her own for naps within 15 minutes (sometimes crying but most of the time squealing and playing in her crib) and she takes 3 naps a day. Towards the end of the month she started napping longer so now she normally takes 2 long naps (1.5 - sometimes 2 - hours) and one short nap that is 30-40 minutes.

Health: Super healthy and growing fast! She is so active and happy all the time.

Speech: Mainly squealing, but she has also started blowing lots of spit bubbles and making humming noises.

Personality: She is so determined and focused. If she wants to knock something over on the other side of the room, she will roll over there and spend 10 minutes (or more) trying to pull all of the books off of the shelf/all of the blankets out of the basket/etc.

Whenever we go somewhere new, she is very observant and takes everything in! She will get serious and stare at all of the different things in the room. She went to the eye doctor with me a few weeks ago and the doctor commented that she is going to be a very good student. Like mother like daughter!

So independent she is! She loves playing by herself and exploring whatever room we are in. As long as she knows I am in there with her she is happy to play and roll around by herself and looks up at me every once in a while with a big smile.

Baby Gear Love: We started solids this month so here are some of my favorites: I like the Munchkin Soft-Tip Infant Spoon for more soupy foods like applesauce, and the Gerber Soft Bite Infant Spoons for thicker foods like carrots and squash. I also love these Tutti Bimbi Silicone Freezer Trays for making your own baby food, freezing it, and popping the cubes into zip lock bags. And last, these little Ikea Kalas BPA-Free Bowls for defrosting and feeding.

Milestones: Caterpillar crawling. She likes to get up on all fours, launch herself forward, and repeat. She makes it pretty far using this method. It won't be long before she is full on crawling.

Likes: Chewing on everything, rolling, and squealing. She also loves being bounced on laps, and sitting on mommy's belly when I do crunches. She really likes to bat the Christmas tree ornaments around and loves chasing balls around. She is also most giggly when she is on the changing table getting a new diaper.

She loves it when I sing to her. Right when I begin to sing she gets the biggest smile on her face.

Dislikes: There isn't much she doesn't like. She is always so happy and smiley. If I had to choose one things though it would be when new food makes her constipated. :(

Signature Move: Rolling under tables, cribs, beds...really anything that an adult wouldn't fit under.

Mom's Proudest Moment: Nap training! I am also so proud of her for all of the growing she has done this month - both in the weight department and her mastering all sorts of skills! She amazes me everyday and I am so proud to be her mother!

Dad's Proudest Moment: He is so proud of how fast she has caught on to eating baby food and loves feeding her especially when she opens her mouth nice and wide.