Liana had her six month birthday last week! Her growth and development have been absolutely incredible. Baby girl is sporting her two front bottom teeth like it's no ones business, and a THIRD tooth just broke through as well! (Am I the only one who finds it weird that she has three bottom teeth but no top teeth?) We've been experimenting with solid foods and so far she seems to enjoy avocado, peas, strawberries, and apples. I gave her a black bean once as well and she gobbled that right up. This weekend I decided to give her some veggie rice rusks and she took to them in seconds. Although it was her first food that she had to "chew" to eat, she put it in her mouth and bit it straight away! She hasn't liked banana the first 3-4 times she tried it, but we're going to try again before ruling it out.


Liana is has been sitting up completely unassisted for several weeks now and occasionally lifts herself up to her hands and knees for a few seconds, but has yet to get the hang of crawling. In fact, when she tries really hard, she only moves herself backwards. A few times she has gripped the floor and pulled herself forward (with the rest of her body lying flat on the floor) to move. She still sleeps well through the night and occasionally tells herself a story and puts herself to sleep at night if we lay her down when she shows signs of being tired. She's reacts to her feet, spine and back of her neck being tickled. She smiles and kicks when she sees Ashton or I walk into the room. Her overall mood is generally very happy and bouncy. She laughs, kicks, squeals and blows bubbles all day long. She is obsessed with all technology and anything that lights up. Her Taggie Puppy is her new favorite toy when I add in the sound effects.


I have been waiting to post this update until Liana had her six month appointment with her pediatrician so I can include her weight and other info. Little one is now a whopping 16.3 pounds! I checked out her growth chart and she is right on the 50th percentile with her weight, slightly under the average with her length (25 1/4 inches) and slightly over average with her head circumference (16 inches). So I've been joking saying she is a shorty with a big head!


After playing with Liana for a few moments (having her stand up holding her hands and observing the way she grasps objects), our pediatrician said not to be surprised if Liana starts grabbing furniture to pull herself up onto her feet and developing her "pincer" grasp (picking things up with just her fingers instead of her whole hand) very soon. My little sprout is just growing up so fast!!

There is nothing in the world that compares to a mother's love for her child. I have spent hours upon hours watching my baby girl sleep, playing with her tiny toes, and kissing her mini-me nose. From the moment she was born, I thought she was perfect. I watch Liana play and wonder what she will want to be when she grows up. The possibilities for her future are endless.


Since last month's update Liana has worked on sitting up, moving around on the floor, bouncing in her jumper, growing two teeth, gaining a pound and a half, sleeping in her own room, and trying her first taste of solid food! So much has happened this past month and Liana has grown an incredible amount.


I was so anxious and a bit sad the first night Ashton put Liana down to sleep in her own room. I was used to her being less than three feet away from me in her bassinet, and now she is in a different room. I slept very lightly the first night and woke up to any break in static on the baby monitor. Liana did so well with the transition though, and now she is in there every night.


Liana's first taste of solid food was a bit of pureed strawberry that I let her try when I was making a smoothie. She seemed to like it, so a few days later I mashed up the end of a banana to feed her, but... that didn't go over so well. She made the worst face I've ever seen. I couldn't tell if she didn't like the taste or just wasn't used to the consistency. I tried mashed banana again the next day and about a week later, but she made the same icky face each time.


Did I mention that Liana has her two bottom teeth? Yup! I actually thought the teething process would last a bit longer, but she's getting through it like a champ! One day when she was being particularly fussy, I noticed two white lines under her gums where her front bottom teeth would be. She spent the next few days excessively drooling and and being extra fussy before nap time. Within a week, her first tooth (bottom right) broke through and about a week later her second tooth (bottom left) broke through, and now they are coming in fast. She doesn't seem to be as cranky or sore as when they were first coming in though. I love it when she smiles or laughs and shows them off. :)