Half a year ago today, I was having a party in my L&D room as I cruised through contractions (thank you, epidural, courtesy of Dr. Hunk!) and because every party has a pooper — in this case, the guest of honor — the party was cut short as our baby decided that nope, she was only going to make an entrance on an operating table instead! So at 10:25 p.m., after 14 hours of pitocin-induced labor because, again, she had no plans of leaving her little warm and snuggly home, we had a baby.

Half a year ago. HALF. A whole year. Cut in half. And that’s today.

The Divine Miss M, Madelyn Shana, is six months old today and I can’t believe the time has gone so quickly. She delights us every day and we are constantly in awe of how much she grows and changes. Six months ago, I could have never predicted what our baby would look and act like in February, so when I think about what the next six months will bring, I think our August will be filled with many lovely surprises.

This month, Madelyn:

• Is rolling around like Princeton does when he finds a nice patch of mysterious-but-yummy-to-him patch of grass. We’ll set her down on her play mat, turn around real quick, and come back to find her on a completely different part of the room and not at all on the play mat. Don’t worry, the play mat is not elevated. However, the changing table is the new Olympic venue for gymnastics. Madelyn now makes diaper changes an athletic event with lots of rolls and squirms on the contoured pad. Changing a diaper is exhausting and challenging, but I’ve learned that as long as I keep a toy on hand, she can be distracted into staying still.
• Holds her bottle all by herself! Part of me is sad because she doesn’t need me at mealtimes anymore, but the other part of me is throwing a flippin’ party that I can give her the bottle, keep her happy (and quiet), and go on my merry way through the market, Target, and Nordstrom. Drink up, little darlin’! Mama is going shopping and actually getting to browse!
• Makes this fantastic sound when she’s super excited or happy. It’s kind of like a backwards laugh with a screech and as horrific as this sounds in print, it’s actually really cute to hear. When she makes this noise, her eyes light up real big and her cheeks look like they’re going to get stuck inside her ears. This is usually followed by a series of giggles which, forget about it, kill me into mush.
• Began eating cereal. We started her on baby oatmeal mixed with formula and at first, she was not that impressed. I think it was more about the inability to swallow and use her mouth properly. But later in her fifth month, we gave it another try, and she totally gets eating. Thank goodness, too, because if she had decided that food didn’t interest her, she would have had to find a new family. Friedmans are eaters. She sits in her Bumbo on the table and we sing the “Sittin’ In My High Chair” song (I know, we’re liars. She’s actually in her Bumbo. One day she’ll read this and be ruined.). She ends up in a big mess and it’s all so deliciously cute. We get through about five or six spoonfuls before she’s all done, but it’s still a good amount that helps her practice and get ready for the more exciting foods that are about to start for her (pureed peas, anyone?).
• Understands when it’s time to come out of her car seat. When I start to unbuckle her, Madelyn lifts up her arms as if to say, “Come get me!” and then smiles real big as she comes up toward us. It’s amazing how babies soak up routines. And then, to top it off, she wraps her arms around our necks and lays her head on our shoulders. It’s a major case of warm fuzzies.