Half of a year

Here I go again, writing about how amazed we are by how fast time is flying (I mean, duh, this is how it always goes, right?), how quickly Kendall is growing and changing (that's what kids tend to do, you say), and how incredibly blessed we feel to get to be her parents...but I'm having a hard time thinking of anything else to write about! I'm not kidding you, we seriously think or say one of those things daily (or probably all of them!). Becoming parents has been the very best decision we EVER made! You see, going to college was important and necessary to have the jobs we hold and love, getting married was amazing (and key in getting us to the parent part),  but having a child has been life altering in the best way possible.

It's EXHAUSTING. For example, we were up around 4:30 this morning---and that certainly never happened before Kendall, unless we had to catch a 6am flight!. Yet we don't think twice about getting up  and changing that diaper or feeding or snuggling our sweet little one.

It's MONOTONOUS. I can NEVER remember which side I nursed her on last, because my days get a little blurry sometimes. Or if I really thought about how many times I've changed a diaper in the last 6 months---whoa. Each day feels a little like the one before, yet I don't ever want to miss a moment! I find myself just staring at her, getting lost in her baby world, while she takes in everything around her with excitement and wonder because it is not monotonous to her!

Most importantly though, it's LOVE! I love every bit of parenting, and so does Keith (the good, the bad, and the stinky), and we love that Kendall is entering an age where she can love back in a very tangible way. She is starting to raise her hands to us when she wants to be picked up----talk about a melting heart OH. MY. WORD. She gives little baby hugs when we are holding her, and likes to give little tickles too. We get endless drooly kisses (one actually resulted in me getting spit-up in my mouth---and as gross as that sounds, it didn't even phase me!), and my favorite is when she snuggles. Oh the snuggles....I hope they never end! We are so in love with our baby girl!

I've heard many people say how much they love the 6th month, and now I know why!
*We've sorta found our rhythm, I guess. It feels like we sorta have a little bit of a clue of what we are doing...maybe...sometimes...more than we have before anyway. We are getting better at reading our daughter, that is for sure!
*Kendall is still immobile (other than a one way roll, and an occasional scoot). This, we understand, is something to be grateful for! We still need to baby proof the house sooner than later because we know it's only a month or two away before our life significantly changes all over again. 
*She isn't as needy as she was in the beginning. Yet she still needs us enough to make us feel useful, but not abused!
*And she is FULL of personality, making us laugh all the time with her silly faces and sounds.

Some of her new accomplishments include:
*Consistently rolling from tummy to back, and attempting to roll from back to tummy (she can get to her side, then loses motivation and goes back to her back).
*Very "wet raspberries", especially when she is excited about something, like the cats!
*Sitting up by herself for a few minutes at a time.
*Grabbing her own feet.
*Bouncing in her exersaucer. And bouncing anywhere and anytime someone gives her the chance!
*Traveling to visit Great Grandpa Dave's house again.  And charming everyone on the plane on the way home!
*Eating rice cereal, oatmeal and even bananas, successfully!
*Loving peek-a-boo.
*She is mesmerized by the cats.
*She continues to be a fountain of drool, but no teeth to speak of.
*She usually sleeps through the night (8pm to 6 or 7am).
*One of the best accomplishments is that she is happy to be held by a variety of other people now (just in time for that "separation anxiety" stage to hit---HA!). This makes it oh so much easier to go to work and not worry if she is crying all day long, and I no longer feel as "stuck" while in the company of others.
*She weighed in at 13lbs at her 6th month appointment keeping her in the 5%,  and she is 25 1/2 in. long moving up to the 50% for height!