Happy Half Birthday, Charlee!

Six months has come and gone, and this past month (the fifth) has been the most fun we've had with our little love so far.  At six months old Charlee now has a wide variety of baby skills which truly impress us on the daily!

Charlee started sleeping in her crib at night the same day we arrived home from Europe.  That transition was seamless; she really likes her crib and we had no issues moving from the bassinette in our room to the crib in her room.  While Charlee didn't experience a drop of jet lag upon arriving in Europe, coming home was a bit of a struggle.  We were all jet lagged for a few days, but after a week of a mixed up sleep schedule things evened out again.

Jet lag aside, while we were in Europe Charlee stared putting herself to sleep! Before we left for Europe she would fall asleep every night on Joel's lap on the couch.  We knew Charlee's bedtime "routine" wasn't sustainable, but she fixed it herself while we were away.  Most nights and naps now consist of us going in to her room to soothe her a little bit before she falls asleep on her own.  Of course there are the few massive nap refusals that take 45 minutes to get through, but those experiences are few.  We are really proud of our girl learning how to self-soothe and sleep soundly all on her own!

Charlee can now roll in all directions and she loves it! She's always been a strong girl despite her tiny size at birth, but even her doctor is impressed with how strong she is! She loves to jump in her Jolly Jumper, too.

We've got the "go ahead" for solid foods, but we haven't ventured into that territory yet.  Maybe soon.

Charlee is making a lot more sounds now and she even giggles! This is probably the cutest thing she has done so far.

Charlee is very aware of her surroundings now.  She realizes when she is in a new place and she reaches out for her toys and various objects, especially my face when she drinks her bottle.  Charlee also notices the kitties now and squeals with delight whenever one walks into the room.

Charlee loves books and will sit and listen/watch observantly when I read to her.  The other day Joel and Charlee were looking at a book together and she turned all the pages herself...who IS this child?!

While we were in Europe Charlee weaned herself (from breastfeeding) and I must admit, I am so happy about that.  This topic can be a touchy subject for many, but I can honestly say I was never really that into breastfeeding to begin with.  I understand the whole "Breast is Best" slogan and I realize breastmilk is complete nutrition for babies, but the whole experience for me was a "take it or leave it" kind of thing.  I don't believe that breastfeeding is the only way to create a sacred relationship and bond with your baby; Charlee and I have had many other opportunities to create this relationship that don't include breastfeeding and I am grateful for that.  In addition, Charlee was always supplemented with formula from the day she was born because of my drugged up, high risk c-section state of affairs.  The first drink Charlee ever had was formula from a bottle (that I did not feed her) and there is absolutely nothing I can do about that, so I've chosen to not dwell on that fact and make myself feel guilty about it.  I was advised by several health nurses to attend breastfeeding workshops back in the early spring, but I chose not to go that route because my pregnancy and delivery was a terrible enough experience...I didn't want the struggle of breastfeeding to consume my entire maternity leave.  We are happy.  We are healthy.  We are slowly moving past the traumatic birth experience and moving on to more awesome things like the fact that Charlee now weighs over 16 pounds and has grown 20cm since birth.  I am definitely going to the shortest person in this family.

Here are some photos of Charlee taken since we returned from Europe 3 weeks ago (which I have yet to write about!)

And here are Charlee's six month photoshoot pictures!  Many people think Charlee looks like Joel and while I can see that resemblance, most of the time I think Charlee looks like my sister!

Keep care,

k&j&charlee rae