6 Months

Ava is 17 lbs 10 oz and 26 1/4 inches long! She had her 6 month appointment today and is doing very well. She is still sleeping a lot (on the same schedule as posted at 4 months) and we think we're going to start solid foods this week. What a big milestone--it is exciting but it's hard for mommy to believe her little girl is growing up! Hopefully that will help extend her nighttime sleep too and drop her early morning nap. Though in part it is nice to have her sleeping so much, I look forward to more time awake with her and being able to leave the house without worrying about missing sleep.

We did find out at the doctor today that Ava's head, still lopsided due to her preferred treatment of the right side, will likely stay a little lopsided! We're hoping she gets the Drake's thick hair to cover it:) The poor thing sleeps so much that she doesn't have a lot of time off her little head for it to round itself out. We're going to try and get her to sleep on the other side more, we'll see how that goes!

A week and a half ago Ava got her first illness--a virus that showed itself in swollen hives all over her body. Thankfully she didn't seem too bothered by them but we felt awful for her and are glad they went away in a few days!

Along with the growing and changing that Ava has been doing these last couple of weeks, she has started moving around a lot more, rolling and scooting herself around in her crib and of course, getting herself stuck. After finding her once in her crib with her whole thigh (and that's a big thigh) stuck between the crib slats and another time with her arm out to the shoulder while on her tummy, I figured it was time for a crib bumper. Though they aren't recommended these days for safety reasons, I found a great one that is thin, made of breathable mesh, and can work on a crib like hers that has a solid back. Success! She has since been sleeping much more soundly but we still find her frequently jammed up in the corner or on her tummy wondering how to turn herself back over!

Ava is showing the beginning signs of being interested in crawling and though we can't wait to see how it progresses, we're also not quite ready for a mobile child. Lots of baby proofing will be happening over these next few months I'm sure. She is also starting to laugh more and engage with us in new ways. Twice now I (Kathryn) have laughed hard at something she was doing and she looked up at me and laughed with me, then would continue doing whatever was making me laugh and keep checking to see if I was watching! It was such a victory to see my precious girl really interact with me. Ava is also a champion page turner.. she loves reading books with her Daddy at night and consistently turns the pages of her books with surprising precision. We are amazed and sure that she's a baby genius.

New pictures are in the albums "Ava in August" and "Ava in September" . More to come!