Half Birthday!!

     I cannot believe my sweet baby is half a year old already!!!!! Why must time fly by so quickly?! She is about 18 lbs (90th percentile) and 26 in. long (75th percentile). She wears size 6-9 Month clothes. Shes transitioning from size 2 diapers to size 3 diapers. She wears size 1 (0-3 Month) shoes. Little miss tiny feet! She is on an eating and sleeping schedule and has started consistenly sleeping through the night in her crib in her room from about 8 pm - around 5 am every night! I miss our middle of the night cuddles, but I knew it was important for her to self-wean from middle of the night feedings before 6 months, for developmental purposes.

    She has started solids and she has loved it thus far! She eats 4 tbsp rice or oatmeal cereal and a stage 1 food for breakfast, 2 stage 1 foods for lunch and 4 tbsp rice or oatmeal cereal and a stage 1 food for dinner. She drinks about 5-6 ounce bottles or nurses in between meals, and I've started letting her have a little bit of water in a sippy with her meals just for practice. She averages less than 1 full oz of water per day; the maximum amount of water that is safe for an infant her age is 4 oz per day. She has about 4 oz of formula per day mixed with her cereal, otherwise she's still mainly breastfed.

    The weather has started to warm up, and she LOVES being outdoors. She loves spending time with Rylee whether it's indoors or out. Rylee loves to slide down with Payton in her lap (I catch Payton at the bottom of the slide). Payton laughs and laughs the whole time, so Rylee does, too. These two girls love each other more and more each day. I cherish it now before they get older and start getting on each others' nerves. They are so precious together now its hard to believe there will ever come a day...

 I got her a new swing for outside as a gift for her half birthday! She loves it so much! The other baby swing we had was a hand-me-down and the rope was fraying so it kept leaving little rope burns on Payton and that did not make me happy, so I was happy to get her a new one that was safer for her that she can enjoy at least this year and next! :) I also moved her to a convertible carseat. I want to leave her rear facing until she's 2 because all research has shown that that is the safest way for infant and small toddlers to ride, so a convertible carseat was the bets choice for us. She hated her carrier and was getting to heavy to carry around in it for much longer. She LOVES her new "big girl" carseat!

   She can sit up completely unsupported now. She has also started scooting around when she's on her belly. She has started chattering away and "talks" nonstop. She has also moved up to MAM size 6 Month + pacis. She LOVES them. She liked her MAM 0-6 Months pacis okay, but she really wasn't that attached to them. From the very first time I gave her the 6 Month + size, she has been HOOKED! I am glad she has gotten hooked on a paci, because she was beginning to try and suck her fingers. Rylee is still a finger-sucker even though she desperately wants to stop, so I don't want Payton to pick up that habit. Pacis are a much easier habit to break because you can take them away, but not til she's around 2! ;)

     Payton Joy, you sure do live up to your name. You are so full of joy, it pours out of you and fills everyone else's life with such joy just to know you. Mommy and Daddy love you more than you will ever know. Big sister says your are her "cute little peep"! We all love you to the moon!