Keeping Up with the Buckners: December 2011

Hello there happy readers!

On December 9, Hailey turned 6 months old! I just can't believe it. Half a year has already passed, and another half a year from now we'll have a walking, talking 1 year old! Is it too soon to start planning her first birthday party? :)

She is growing like a weed!! At her 6 month check up, she measured 28 inches long, which is in the 99th percentile!! On the doctor's computer screen the little "x" for her height was literally off the chart! No idea where the height comes from.. because neither Rian nor I are tall people, and neither is anyone in our families. She is 17 pounds, 11 ounces, which is in the 80th percentile. She's moved into size 6-9 months for most clothing to accommodate those long legs!

In the past month since I've posted, Hailey has had lots of fun and exciting milestones. She has become a lot more vocal, saying things like babababa and wawawawa. It's so adorable. She also does this really cute thing where she opens her mouth as if a really high pitched squeal is going to come out but then its this high pitched whisper instead............. hard to describe, but so cute to witness.

She has also become very interested in faces. She just stares at Rian and I and loves to reach out and touch our faces. It is so sweet...... except for when she goes in for my hair!

Just lovin' on grandma!

She has taken a big interest in Bucky in the past few weeks, too. She loves pulling his ears and tail and then laughing at him when he tries to get away. She thinks he is just the funniest thing! And he still enjoys pulling the socks off her feet and licking food off her hands! Strangely though, she doesn't go for his toys too much and he rarely goes after hers. Must be a smell thing. It's really cool to see her interact with him, and he's really protective of her, too, snuggling near her when she naps in the living room, and always coming to sniff her hello when we get home!

A big milestone that she reached about a month ago was sitting up all on her own. Its really opened up a door to a whole new way of playing! She's pretty steady, too, and good at catching herself whenever she starts to fall. And it made her 6 month pictures so much easier!

A few weeks ago Hailey started waking up in the middle of the night again because she was trying to turn herself from back to tummy in the middle of the night. Neither Rian nor I like the thought of her sleeping on her tummy, so we kept turning her back to her back and that just made her more angry! We consulted the doctor and she said to just let her go and let her sleep on her tummy............. so that is what we are doing (sense the anxiousness in my voice/words...)! Crazily enough, it works! We stopped using the fleece sleep sack and switched to fleece jammies instead so she can have access to her full range of movement when and if she wants to turn over in the middle of the night. Rian and I often go in there to make sure her little head is turned to the side and that she is breathing :)

Her sleeping pattern is still a little crazy right now - but NOW its because she is teething! The most adorable little tooth just popped through on the bottom left side, which is causing her lots of pain these days. She LOVES when I give her a "pop-pop" which is a piece of ice inside a popsicle-looking mesh bag thing - it must feel so good on her gums. She is a happy girl when she is chewing on anything soft, especially wet wash cloths... weird! We also received some Hyland's teething tablets for Christmas and those work like a charm!

Hailey's first Christmas was a few days ago and it was a great day! Hailey was lucky enough to receive lots of toys, books, and clothes! And, she wore the same dress I wore on my first Christmas back in 1983 :) Even though she's only 6 months old, it was so sweet to see Christmas through a child's eyes. It's been so special to experience all of Hailey's "firsts" this holiday season - visiting Santa, seeing a Christmas tree and Christmas lights, and of course opening presents! Being a mother is just the most amazing experience in the world. I love that little girl more than words can say :)