Six Months

Dearest Meredith,
You are six months old now and I can confidently say this last month with you has been the absolute best. It's almost like the moment you turned five months old you personality just popped right out of you. Daily you have learned new things and given us a greater peek at the little girl you will become.

You are very vocal so I'm curious if you will be a little chatterbox. You mostly like to "sing" in an operatic type voice. Sometimes it's very loud. A couple of weeks ago a man stopped me while we were out to comment on how vocal you are. One thing I have noticed though, is that you save most of your talking for home. You talk almost nonstop at home, but often get quiet and curious while we are out. In the last week you have started to make new sounds- sounds with consonants. You started with "gagagagaga" and just a couple days ago started saying, "mamamama." While I know (or at least don't think) you have any idea what you are saying, it really brings me such joy. Your daddy was a little bummed you didn't say "dada" first :) Yesterday you said "baba" once. I'm excited to hear all the new sounds you figure out.

This month you have also learned to roll over. You roll from tummy to back and back to tummy quite efficiently now. I am so proud of this accomplishment. You now have a little piece of mobility. You are also starting to be very determined to crawl. Mostly you lay on your tummy and flail your arms & legs about. Sometimes you'll manage to get up on all fours, but you don't know where to go from there. I have a feeling that you'll figure it out by the time you are seven months old.

This month saw a lot of firsts. Your first Christmas, your first time getting a Christmas tree, your first time visiting Santa, your first time meeting your great-great-grandfather and your first time meeting your great-grandmother on your dad's side. You saw your first snowfall and survived your first blizzard :)

five generations!

I could say this every month and I'm sure I will, but I have fallen even more in love with you this month. I love the little baby that you are- how happy you are and how friendly you are to our friends, family and even strangers. I love how your little smile and squishy hug can cheer me up when I'm having a sad day. I'm having trouble capturing just how fun and wonderful you are and just how fun and wonderful this month has been. But just know, baby girl, that your dad and I love you to the heavens and back. Not a day goes by that we don't marvel at you, this wonderful little baby we've been blessed with.

Lots of Love,
Mommy

Conversation

Have I told you the hubs has this week off? It has been heaven. We've been taking turns getting up with Meredith so one of us can sleep in. We've taken naps and lounged around reading. Every morning we've had something delicious for breakfast- hashbrown quiche, waffles, pancakes cinnamon rolls. We've laid on the floor playing with our girl watching her try to crawl, start saying "mamamama" and not "dadadada" much to the hubs' disappointment. We watched The Town and have generally been having one of the best weeks of my life. My favorite part of this week though has been the conversation.

Since Meredith's birth I have felt my brain get mushy. When Chris gets home from work sometimes all I have the energy for is a quick recap of the day and then I want to read or peruse the internet. But this week we have had great conversation. We have talked about friendships- those that have brought us joy this year and those that have left us feeling disappointed. We have talked about jobs, where Chris wants his career to go. We have discussed travel and the desire to be somewhere warm. We have talked about how we view my job of being a stay at home mom- while it's something we value greatly, many people have a different view. It's the first time we have sat on the couch or at our dining room table and just talked. And not just talked about the baby. I feel refreshed. And just like this picture suggests, I feel a little more color in my life.


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A Year in Review

2010 was absolutely the most life-changing year of my life. Getting married, graduating college and getting my first job all in 2007 was very life-changing, but becoming a mom takes the cake. 2010 has been a fantastic year. I loved being pregnant, giving birth was incredible and now, watching my little baby grow is a daily joy.

I have fallen more in love with my husband as I've watched him be a dad. I have increased love and respect for my parents, now that I have become a parent myself. I have greater gratitude for my siblings as they have loved my daughter like their own. I have more appreciation for those friends who have provided the much needed extra encouragement and support in this journey of motherhood. I am much less quick to judge, because somehow, being a mom makes your heart bigger and more open to love and less open to hate. These changes? I can't take credit for them. I cannot boast. It's Meredith. It's being a mom. I am a better person (i think, i hope) at the end of 2010 because of this little baby that has entered my life and irrevocably changed me. So, without further ado, I give you the big events in our 2010 life.

Seeing our baby for the first time in February:




Moved to a new, bigger apartment:


Went on a babymoon to Puerto Rico!


Set up the nursery in April & May:






Camping in May, at 36 weeks pregnant :)


Dave Matthews Band concert at 38 weeks pregnant:


Installing the car seat! This made her arrival feel so close.


Our last date night before baby. Seafood on the harbor, Mike's cannolis while sitting along the Charles River. It was heavenly:


My water broke at 3:30 am, laboring in the hospital, waiting to meet Meredith:


Fresh out the oven!


And then we were three:


Lots of fun and chillin' in the summertime:




First airplane ride in September:


Meeting her great grandparents on my side:


Her first camping trip:




Apple picking!




Pumpkins:




First trip to Parker's Maple Barn:


Halloween :)




Thanksgiving in Abilene:


Getting our first tree at a family of three:


Christmas eve:

Me, 2010

Cjane inspired me to do a rather self-involved 2010 reflection post. Today's is a picture blog of the changes I've gone through. I'll have another "big events" post later on, but today is about me :)

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Not quite ready.

I'm not quite ready to come out of birthday, Christmas and hibernation mode yet. We are enjoying a lazy day inside, peeking out from our warm cozy bed at the fluffy, white snow drifts. Drinking coffee, eating pancakes, playing with our girl. Hope you are having a good Monday. We sure are. I'll leave you with a few quick shots from our Christmas weekend.