Three Days of Firsts

My sweet girl, how time gets away from me! I want to journal on a really regular basis, to chronicle your growth, your life, and my thoughts on all that is you. Yet here I am, over 2 weeks since my last post. Life gets busy when you're old. How I miss those days of childhood when every day, every week seemed like an eternity...I know you'll wish to grow up fast, but trust me when I say it will be too fast.

So anyway, three days of firsts --

Saturday, May 7th: Your first trip to the beach! You, me, and Daddy went to St. Augustine for a day and a night. Your Aunt Beth and her friend Kim were there too. We had fun even though you were tired and cranky for most of the day. You stayed awake the whole way there and never really got even one nap that day (you do best when you take 2!), so by the time we got your bathing suit on (I love that suit! It was $20 from Baby Gap, but too cute and so worth it!), got our suits on, got everyone lathered up with sunscreen (you, my love, have inherited mommy and daddy's ghostly skin), got all the "stuff" loaded up, walked down to the beach and set everything up, you were pretty much over it and ready for a nap.

We were bad parents and kept you up to show you the ocean, but all you really wanted to look at was our shadows on the ground. Then you sat on my lap in a slue for a while and splashed a little. Daddy stood you up where the ocean meets the shore and let the waves wash over your tiny little feet. Your feet sank in to the sand and you just stared and stared. I love to imagine how many, many more times you'll get to enjoy the beauty of the beach in your lifetime. You are a Florida girl from a long line of beach lovers - especially your Mimi! - so I suspect you will one day love it too. After a couple minutes of the waves, we went back to our little tent where you promptly fell asleep. While you slept, I went and carved your name into the sand and took a picture of it. It came out good, and Aunt Beth suggested that I frame it, so I will.

After you woke up, we went up to the pool where you perked up a bit. In your excitement you got a mouth full of chlorine water which you DEFINITELY did not like! But then Daddy cheered you up by swimming under the water and popping up right in front of you - you laughed so hard every time! We had a fun time and I can't wait to go again. Bonus? No one got a sunburn!! :)

Sunday, May 8th: my first Mother's Day! The whole family made this day so special, especially you. I spent a lot of time just holding and hugging you, feeling so blessed to have you in my arms, safe and healthy and beautiful and happy. Last year, you were with me, but in such a different way. You were still growing in my belly and I didn't even know that you were a girl yet!

I had been a little stressed out from the weekend away - you and I didn't sleep too well at the hotel, and things were rushed once we got back home. However, once we got to dinner with the family, I was able to relax and just enjoy the day. Daddy, Mimi, Grandad, Aunt Beth, and Uncle JJ all pitched in and bought me a lovely rocking chair. It is a lot like Mimi's, which she bought when I was a baby. She rocks YOU in it now, so it's been around a loooooong time! Haha!
Daddy also bought me a spa package to go get some massages and relax, he's a very wonderful husband, and knows just exactly what mommy needs! Aunt Beth and Grandma gave me some cute picture frames already filled with precious photos of - guess who? :) It was a memorable day, and I look forward to many, many more.

Monday, May 9th: your first real food! Some people give their babies food earlier than 6 months, but as you will quickly find out, Mommy and Daddy are very "by the book" when it comes to that kind of stuff and we waited until Dr. Grooms gave us the green light. We bought you some baby organic oatmeal and mixed it with some formula. You were very excited to try it, and seemed to like it at first. Then you started making all kinds of hilarious faces and spitting it out in spitty bubbles! Oh yes, and we have pictures and a video! We are going to try the cereal for a few more days and then we'll move you on to something more exciting.....sweet potatoes!

By the time you are able to read this, you will probably find it very hard to believe that for the first 6 months of your life, you lived on milk/formula alone. It is weird to think that that's enough for you, but it has been. You are growing and changing like crazy! You had your 6 month check up on Wednesday (5/4), you weighed 15 lbs and 13 oz, were 25.5 inches long. Your head measures in the 75 percentile which is great because it means you are brilliant! :)

Tomorrow, my daughter, you will be a whole 6 months old. It baffles me how quickly this half a year has flown by. I was looking at pregnancy pictures of myself earlier today, and it feels like just yesterday that I was walking out the door to go to the hospital - scared, excited, nervous, elated, and just SO ready to meet you! And here you are, my perfect child, my heart, my reason for being. I love you Juliette!!!

Tomorrow I am going to make a blog listing out all the things you can do now.... Happy half birthday, love!

xoxo,
Mommy