Nettie Jean: 6 Months

I thought every month before this was awesome, but 6 months is the bee's knees. This little gal is simply a blast. She's becoming more of a little girl and less of a baby, and we love it!

Things she's been up to:

-Crawling! Like the legit hands and knees crawling...with some army crawls thrown in here and there. And lots of standing! She literally cannot stay still or be silent. She has even started 'dancing' in her high chair when we play music.

-She loves to get into anything and everything. She always wants to be involved with what's going on.

-Lost of new noises. I swear she says 'mama'! (She even says it when I know she wants me, or when she's looking at me) And that 'farting' noise is my absolute fave. (Once again, please excuse the embarrassing commentary. Having a child really brings all the weirdness out.)

-She is starting to throw little tantrums, with the best little pouty lip. They are both hilarious and dramatic. We're are working on finding a method to address these.

-She is in love with Seth. She absolutely adores him and everything he does. She is enamored with his every move the minute he gets home from work. Their favorite activity is running around the house on his shoulders. 

-She is starting to purposely drop her toys. She will hold something to the side, look up at us and then casually drop her toy. So 'sneaky.'

-Loves being outside or looking outside. Looking forward to spring and lots of trips to the park!

-She has started preferring certain people at certain times. Mostly it's me, Seth or my mom. She lights up when she sees us, and even raises her arms or leans towards us to hold her. It makes my heart smile. 

-I often catch her making facial expressions exactly like some of Seth's. It's crazy how similar they are.

-She is still very social. Loves watching/playing with other babies/toddlers. 

-She is a very aware little gal. Most of the time I feel like I'm hanging out with a little kid. She is always watching, studying, trying to imitate, making facial expressions, etc.

-She is ticklish! I have been waiting for this day since she was born, and it is so fun to squeeze those thighs and get a giddy little response. 

-Still a great eater. We are introducing vegetables this week. She loves drinking water from her sippy cup as well as from our glasses.

-Still a good sleeper. We had a little rough patch when she first started crawling. Instead of sleeping, we would find her crawling around her crib giggling away. Super cute, but super naughty!

-Starting to learn what 'no touch' and 'stay' mean. Not necessarily following them, but we can tell she's getting the hang of what they mean. Changing clothes and diapers is becoming a bit more of a task. She is always wanting to roll over and play. 

-Still only 2 teeth on the bottom, but we think she's working on the next 2.

-I am learning more and more that while Nettie develops, so do Seth and I. I am learning how much I need and desire real, uplifting Christian friendships. I am learning how discouraging and unfulfilling it is to be in friendships with people stuck at surface-level or people who like to appear to 'have it all together.' I am learning the beauty of being vulnerable and imperfect, and how God can use me through that. I am learning how destructive it is to compare my life to others'. I am learning to take advantage of every second of my day, because this is it. My life has started and I only get one shot. I am learning to focus on aligning MY heart with God, instead of how my husband 'should' align his. And let me tell you, I LOVE learning. I really REALLY do.

6 month stats:
17.8 lbs.
27 1/2 inches long

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Nettie Jean: 5 Months

 Since 4 months:

-Still sleeping great- 9pm-8/9am with a feeding at 6am.

 -She is getting more mobile. She can sit up for short periods of time, and can really move around on the floor by either rolling over or scooting a little (she is starting to lift her body up in the crawling position!).

 -Her personality is really coming alive-and she is one feisty little gal! She is always going, going, going-I can barely keep up! I can't even imagine how energetic she is going to be once she's completely mobile!

-Started solids last week. I really wanted to wait until 6-9 months, but she had other ideas! So far she has tried homemade brown rice cereal and mashed avocado. She loves both! She is the cutest thing to feed. She makes this adorable 'mmmmm' noise with every bite.

-She is mesmerized with food. She stares every time we eat. She'll even start to salivate and move her mouth when we move ours. Too funny.

-Such a social little gal (much like her father). She loves interacting with others. When she starts getting tired/cranky we can buy more time by riling her up again! She really feeds off of others. Sometimes she will just sit there, looking at me, waiting for me to talk to her. Once I engage her, she gets really hyper.

-She loves her toes.
 

 -She had lots of fun with the family over the holidays.

-Still absolutely loves shower/bath time.

-LOVES time with daddy!

-Her first tooth poked through yesterday! She finds a way to chew on everything she can get her hands on.

My little roly poly sure keeps me on my toes. She is always talking and moving. But I cherish her spunk and wouldn't want it any other way!

Nettie Jean: 4 Months

Since 3 Months:

-Lots of rolling over, both ways

-Showing signs of scooting/reaches for objects

-Loves being around people/people watching

-Loves singing, talking and laughing

-Has the cutest pouty lip I've ever seen

-Can recognize her name

-Started getting chubby (It's all that formula!)

-Loves playing with her feet

-Loves playing with my face, and getting kisses (especially both at the same time)

-Obsessed with the TV remote and our iPhones

-Two favorite things are: hanging out in her birthday suit and standing up. She gets so pleased with herself when we let her do both at the same time.

-Starting to need discipline. So far we have introduced 'stay' when she is on the changing table, and 'no touch' when we are at the dining table. (This one came as a surprise. We thought we had more time to prepare! We can already tell we will be spending lots of time praying and in the Word over this.)

We are having too much fun interacting with her. 

Her personality is really started to come alive; and, sure enough, it's just like Seth's!

4 month stats:
14 lbs. 1 oz.
25 inches long

Nettie Jean: 3 Months

Nettie Jean turned 3 months November 10th, but I've been pretty busy around here so I'm just now getting to this! She has been quite the joy, and such a blessing to have around.

Nonetheless, she has already taught me a great deal about motherhood in these quick 3 months.

A few of which include:

-multitasking (seriously, motherhood takes this to a whole new level)

-parenthood is secretly just God's way of straightening out my heart, and bringing me closer to Him.

-it's very important to be aware of how I react to situations. I always have a little person watching...and learning.

-to ignore those looming feelings of loneliness and self-doubt when I'm alone with her all day; instead focusing on the beauty of this wonderful gift.

-sometimes having long conversations with a naked, giggly baby is way better than cleaning, cooking, working out, or showering.

-those embarrassing mom 'baby' noises are inevitable; and, well, embarrassing...

-it is crucial more than ever that I have a solid relationship with God, as well as with Seth.

-I am pretty stoked for #2, #3, #4....#5?

3 month stats:
11 lbs. 8 oz.
23 inches long