A post about perseverance

I was guessing that Squeak weighs about 20 pounds. At her 6 month well baby visit recently, she was 19 lbs 15 oz. Still 75th percentile for length and head circumference and above the 95th for weight. She's doing great. She didn't even cry about the immunizations and just took a long nap afterwards.

A week and a half ago, she got halfway to sitting and fussed because the was stuck. Then later she tried again and was sitting. I am amazed at the ease with which these milestones come. She has to work a bit, but then suddenly, there it is! Nathan had to work so hard and be so persistent to achieve each milestone. I'm not sure I realized it at first, since he was my first baby. I'm amazed and delighted by the things his sister is doing, but I also have a new appreciation of how hard these things were for him, and how hard he continues to have to work for each success.

When I was a kid, I pursued the things I was good at and gave up on the things that were hard. Luckily, I was good at enough things that this strategy worked out all right for me. But now I think there is some value in persevering when things are hard or scary. I don't have great gross motor skills or ability to know where in space a moving object will be. I gave up on learning to ride a bike, and I cried my way out of many, many days of PE when we had to play various sports involving hitting, kicking, catching or throwing balls. I gave up on piano after 2 years and clarinet after a couple months. I understand how Nathan can get frustrated and give up-- it's not fun to try and try and try. But he's going to need to try and keep trying in order to have those successes. He's not going to be able to give up and skate by on his strengths the way his mom did-- too many things are hard for him to just work around them. I think there's a lesson for mom in here, and one that will apply to his sister too, about continuing to try those things that are difficult. Sometimes that's more important than being good at the stuff that comes easily. And maybe one of these days I should learn to ride a bike...

6 months old!

Squeaky Cianna turned 6 months old July 19th. At 6 months, she is sitting unsupported, feeding herself rice rusks (but Gerber puffs are too small for her to manipulate), making a variety of sounds to include a fake cough, and is quite close to crawling. She is spending 3 days a week with daddy now that mama has gone back to work. She loves to watch her brother and is quite interested in his toys. Her main focus continues to be on putting everything in her mouth. Pine needles, grass, dirt-- you put her down near it, she will find a way to move herself so that she can cram it in her mouth. Fun times are in store as she becomes more and more mobile AND develops that pincer grasp!

Assuming the position

This girl wants to crawl. She is getting up on hands and knees and rocking. She is motivated.

Big brother

Nathan has been a good big brother. He's not always super interested in his sister, but when he does attend to her he's generally nice. He gives kisses and plays a little footsie. Lately there has been a bit of hand holding. And of course whatever Squeak can grab goes in her mouth!

Increasingly mobile Squeak

At 5 1/2 months, Squeak is not crawling yet. But she wants to. Badly. She does seem to be able to move herself around through a combination of rolling, pivoting and scootching. She becomes easily frustrated in her efforts to crawl, but I imagine it won't be long now.
She's very interested in toys and anything she can get in her mouth. She is also very interested in people, especially her brother, and can spend quite a while laying on her tummy on a blanket if there are kids to distract her from the frustration about crawling.