Six Months!

Hallie is half a year old! It's so hard to believe. The very best thing happened this month - Hallie is officially sleeping through the night now!  She didn't do it on her own. Dan finally got fed up with being tired and sick from us getting up with her 2-3 times a night and moved her bed out of our room. We found a cozy corner of the dining area for her bassinet that was as far away from the bedrooms as possible, and Dan slept on the couch near her the first night. When she woke up and cried, he'd comfort her every 10 minutes or so, but he didn't pick her up or feed her like we had before.  The very next night, she slept right through the night like a champ, and has been doing it ever since! It was the easiest sleep training of all time.

At her 6 month checkup, she weighed 17 lbs 11 oz (77th percentile) and was 26.4 inches tall (69th percentile).  Her head circumference was in the 96th percentile, because obviously her head is full of brilliance.

Hallie's new sleeping spot in the farthest corner of the house. Apparently, we were keeping her awake, too!

She used to sleep all the time in her car seat, and she still naps in it often. When she's ready to fall asleep, she always cranes her neck as far to the side as it'll go. She'll switch sides sometimes, but always with her nose nuzzled into the side of the car seat.

Hallie is getting so much more talkative. No intentional words or sounds yet, but she is the cutest little babbler.  She's having a heart-to-heart with her dolly in this picture.

She's also getting more playful and interested in things besides eating. She had lots of fun playing with this drum toy.

Hallie had her first beach outing when we got together with our friend, Cynthia, who was visiting from San Diego.

And she got to wear this adorable bathing suit for her first swim!

She really loved being in the warm, indoor pool.

Her meals have expanded to a variety of fruits, vegetables, and grains. So far, she will eat anything.

She's not quite ready to sit up on her own, but loves to be propped up to play.

Over a month ago, she rolled over every day for a week. Then she decided she had conquered that move, and stopped rolling altogether. We have tried to entice her to roll over again to get to her toys, but she is content to lay on her back and play with her toes instead.

Hallie, my mom, and I attended a baby shower this month for our friend from church, Rachel.

She charmed all the ladies in the room, of course.

She can get her pacifier into her mouth correctly now and knows to hold it there instead of jerking it away immediately.

She has successfully held her bottle by herself a couple of times, too. If we take the bottle out of her mouth, she will grab it and pull it back to her mouth.

She thinks Emma is the best thing ever. She lights up and starts giggling as soon as her big sister enters the room.

We had a little half birthday celebration with her grandparents when Hallie turned 6 months old. We wore party hats and ate cheesecake for dessert.

She thought the candles were amazing and kept trying to grab them so she could set the house on fire.  She got a few bites of cheesecake, too, and loved it!

Partying it up!

Dan and his girls

Happy half birthday to our sweet Hallie! We love watching you change and grow!