Haley at 6 Months.

Better late than never... I will have 7 months by the end of the week. I finally started organizing more pictures.

Here are a list of Haley's accomplishments and developments leading into her 1/2 birthday!

Height: about 27 inches (but it's hard to tell since she's so squirmy)

Weight: 17.4 lbs

This month Haley has done several new things. She held my hand and went down the baby slide. She played with some dogs. Her great grandma's dogs also played with her. They were very concerned with her well being and any time she cried they did too. She also kept up with her family by chatting on Skype.

Haley has outgrown her baby tub and moved to the real tub. She loves to sit and play with her duckies and then switch over to play time on her tummy. But her favorite new bath time activity is splashing.

Haley has also nearly outgrown her car seat. I took out the infant insert and moved up the straps, hoping it would last the 6 months that we need her to be in a rear facing seat, but it looks like we may be out of luck. Her feet are still dangling impressively far over the edge. I think purchasing a convertible car seat may be in our near future.

One of my favorite Haley quirks is the way she shakes her head. She will mimic people or just do it for no reason at all. It's fun to ask her questions and giggle at her constant "no" response.

Haley loves to chew on things. My little fuss ball has really suffered through the teething process, but all her tears were rewarded with the appearance of her first tooth. The night before she turned 6 months old we were able to see and feel the first sharp edge of a little Haley tooth.

She has a tendency to let her tongue hang out of the side of her mouth, carefully massaging her swollen gums. It's a little goofy looking, and coupled with her panting laugh makes a great dog impression. Haley is constantly chewing on anything near her, she loves teething toys but more than any other tooth relief she love to chew on cords, computer cords, TV cords, Wii cords, if it's potentially dangerous Haley loves to sink her gums into it.

Another endeavor for Haley has been expanding her world of solid foods. She has expanded beyond her rice cereal days and added banana and avacado to her palate. She is a pretty good eater, usually having solids once a day.

She likes to help...

but, sometimes she can't decide if she likes the food we give her or not...

and sometimes she makes a mess!

In my quest to help Haley communicate I have tried to start teaching her a few baby signs. I have no method to my madness, but I will probably be more consistent when she starts copying my motions or showing some response that indicates she understands. So far I've just been focusing on the signs for more and all done, especially as they pertain to food.

Haley has mastered the art of sitting. She will joyfully topple to the side sometimes, like when she is chasing after a toy. But she can sit for a long time.

She is also doing a great job of standing when she's propped up on something like the edge of the couch or an overturned laundry basket. She loves to be on her toes. She has likes to be placed on her hands and her knees, she gets a kick out of working those crawling muscles. She can't get anywhere in that position just yet, but she is able to hold herself up for longer and longer.

She has learned to jump up high in her jumpy seat. Its her favorite place to giggle.

She loves all of her toys, but has really taken to the her telephone. It plays music and lights up so it was an obviously choice to become an instant favorite. She will still sit in her Bumbo and play when I can't be right near her to help her if she falls.

She has also really taken to her car seat mirror. She could spend hours chewing on the caterpillar and spinning the entire toy around and around.

Luckily she has also discovered that toys do not have to be expensive to be fun. If you want to keep a Haley entertained for hours, just give her a box.

But of course no toys beat playing with Mom and Dad; singing songs, especially bouncy songs, doing Haley presses, swinging upside down, turning flips. It's all in a days play for my little smiling bean.

After really discovering her toes around Thanksgiving Haley has finally discovered that she can get those same toes into her mouth. Its adorable to watch her expand her flexibility as she grabs her feet and tries to eat her toes.

Haley has officially slept through the night.

On Saturday Jan 6th she went to sleep after eating at 10:00. I gave her her binky one time in the middle of the night, and then work up for church on the 7th between 8:30 and 9:00am.

Haley is also trying to decide if she wants to take two naps during the day or three.

For a while I though she would grow up comforting herself with a suck of the thumb, then I though she would suck on her fingers; but, she is a binky girl through and through

Haley hates having her face wiped after she eats. She screams if you get near her wit the aspirator.

But, generally she is a happy baby with a cheerful disposition. She loves to be held, almost all of the time. When I need to get stuff done around the house she is much happier if I put her on my hip in the sling and keep her close than if I put her down to play. She even tolerates my one handed/hip carry around the house where she nearly slips out of my grasp.

She is a very snuggly baby. She loves her Mommy and her Daddy. I love the way she has started reaching for our hugs.

She does a great job being left in the nursery at church, and she is always on her best behavior for visitors. She has even had a few "play dates" and she enjoys interacting with other babies. She hasn't mastered the art of gentleness yet, but she seems to take her own hugs and hits pretty well.

I think her favorite social event is story time at the Library. She love seeing the other babies, singing the songs, and listening to Ms. Laura reveal page after page of beautifully illustrated stories

She has been a champ through the winter, braving the cold without a fuss, and tolerating all of the extra clothes we have been bundling her in. One day she seemed particularly amazed at the mittens we put on her hands, it was adorable!

And last, but certainly not least, she looks really cute in my baby clothes. Her eyes are turning more and more brown, so she might end up looking a little bit like me after all.