Quick Update - 6 month check up

This one will be quick but we'll write more later this week. Paul has a day trip to New York tomorrow so he has to be up REALLY early and I'll be flying solo with the little one, so I need to get up early too!

Scarlett had her 6 month check up on Friday. She weighed in at 16 pounds, 6 ounces and was 16 5/8" long. She was 75th percentile again for height, 60th for weight, and approximately 45th for head size. We had to wait for about an hour this time (!) and we weren't thrilled with the way the doctor (Dr. Clapp) dealt with it, but after the initial head butting she got much better. Scarlett has hit all of her milestones and is a bit ahead in some areas. The doctor mentioned that right now Scarlett is running about even in all of her developmental areas, but warned us that it could change. For example, sometimes they get so focused on being mobile that they don't develop vocally for a while but then have a surge. She is kind of surging in everything right now, but I guess we'll see what happens in the coming months. The doctor said that it is time to start baby proofing and we should watch for signs that she is ready for finger food (grabing things with fewer fingers as opposed to "raking") and soon start trying her on a sippy cup with just water in it. She already tries to drink out of real cups, so it probably isn't a bad idea. We asked about her chubby feet (normal) and her always wanting to be upside down (she probably just thinks it looks cool) but otherwise everything is great. The doctor said that her growth will probably taper off within the next 3-6 months as she starts crawling and walking.

In terms of where she is developmentally, she has made a lot of progress. She is moving around really well now. I wouldn't say she is officially crawling, but she can move in all directions and has gotten quite proficient at going forwards (she alternates between froggy hops and pulling herself forward with her arms). She passes objects between her hands and is grabbing at everything. The amazing thing to me is how focused she is. She gets fixated on something (like her bottle, a toy, the dogs or cats) and is so determined to get it. If you put something in front of her while she is in crawling position, she doesn't give up until she gets to it, no matter how many times she falls, but rarely gets frustrated. She is definitely testing things now. She likes to hold her bottle and play with the nipple. She pushes down on it over and over again with her finger and then puts it between her gums and bites down -- not drinking, just sort of playing with it. It's pretty fascinating to watch her explore her world. She is doing a lot of "talking" these days. Everyone (including strangers) thinks she says "hi" and "dada." She definitely says both of those things, but we're not sure if she is attaching any meaning to them yet. There was one point today where she was in her jumperoo and when Paul left the room she looked out after him saying "dada," but it could have just ben a coincidence. Cute either way though and he is eating it up! She is sitting up for pretty long periods on her own now (pretty straight up instead of hunched over at an angle like she used to) and loves standing. she can stand on her own for periods of time as long as we let her hold onto at least 1 finger. She is also getting much more needy... She will start crying if I leave the room and start smiling/laughing when I come back in. Same thing with being put down. She wants to be sitting with us most of the time now. She still doesn't cry much, but she is definitely using crying more to indicate her preferences. As for food, she has tried a very long list of things but will eat anything. Her favorites are bananas and carrots. She definitely seems to have inhereted her parents sweet tooth! I knew it was her demanding all of those cupcakes when I was pregnant...