Half of a Year Already?

We've kept her alive for 6 WHOLE MONTHS!!! And aside from the crack in her head, we are doing pretty awesome around here! This past month has probably been my favorite so far. It seems like Olivia is learning things at warp speed and we have watched her morph from this tiny, needy lump to a real baby. I can't explain why this seems so different, but we have moved from the Newborn Phase into Baby Phase and this phase is truly incredible.

When Oli was about 3 or 4 weeks old, I had lunch with my cousin Trey and his daughter, Emily. Emily was about 13 or 14 months old at the time and Trey was reminiscing about the days when she was first born. He told me that each phase was so exciting and that every phase I would think "Oh, this is my favorite!" And then the next would come along and I would think "Oh, wait, THIS one is my favorite!" At that time, I looked at him like he had sprouted a second head. "What in the hell are you talking about??" was my response to him. How could this Newborn Phase be my favorite???? Give it another month or so, he assured me.

He was right. I am truly loving watching my girl grow through these phases of her life. While I'm wishing they'd slow down just a bit, I am enjoying the excitement and new-ness that every day brings.

Last night, as we went to bed, Mike and I were talking about how different Olivia is now than from the day she was born. It's like we have a completely different baby. And I *kinda* miss that little newborn sometimes. My daughter is very independent and she wants to figure things out all by herself. I love that about her but sometimes I wish she still wanted to cuddle with me all of the time.

When we first brought her home and she NEVER wanted to be put down, people told me to enjoy that because it would be over soon. But at that time, I just wanted to be able to put her down for 30 seconds so I could pee or eat or shower or any other number of things that I thought I'd never get to do again. I wanted to know when the day was that she wouldn't want to be held all of the time. I'm eating another plate of crow here and saying: You were right. I wish that she would snuggle up on my chest like she used to. She doesn't even fit there anymore. I wish that she would sleep next to me in bed. Now, when we put her in bed with us, she squeals and slaps me in the face until I get up. Literally, I've drifted off only to be punched in the eye with her freakishly strong fist.

Now we are in a different phase. A phase where Oli wants to explore everything and she's developing this amazing little personality. She is rolling over all of the time now and she's sitting up by herself. She is so chatty and energetic and she smiles all of the time. Today, we gave her her first "solid" food! Her newborn hair fell out and now she's got this soft, light brown hair growing in and she is VERY long. She's such a happy kid and I just thank God every single day for the amazing child He has given me. She's really funny too! She likes to scream and squawk at the cat. She likes to giggle a lot and she has this huge, bright smile. She is incredible. And I get to be her mom.

I am truly amazed at how quickly half a year has gone by and I know that this second half is going to go by even faster. In the meantime, I'll be taking things one day at a time and enjoying every single second.

6 months old today!