Can she really be this old?

It's hard to believe that six months ago we were embarking on our first night as new parents of a precious little baby girl. Today at Bible study a friend had her 2-week-old little boy who was a tad larger than Clara was at birth, and he looked so tiny next to her! My baby looked so big, old and grown up next to that precious little boy, it was hard to believe she had ever been that small, and even more amazing to see how much she's grown. As he lay on a blanket, gazing at the lights and making tiny newborn noises, Clara sat up on her own, smiling and laughing at him, reaching towards him, patting the table and, every once in awhile, looking back at me as if to say, "Look mommy, isn't he cute?!" I wished I had my camera, it was a beautiful and surreal moment, seeing just how much she has grown and changed in the past six months. I love every minute with my alert, strong, interactive daughter, but it made me a little sad, missing the precious newborn that she was. It made her seem very old.

While we won't know for sure until her doctor's appointment on Friday, I'm pretty sure that Clara has now doubled her birthweight and is right around 18 lbs. She also seems to have really stretched out just in the last few weeks - when she stands up now she looks so tall! I think she has her Daddy's height genes for sure.

She is an absolute joy these days. Her talking has really exploded and includes a lot more variety now - it's not just squeals anymore (a bit of a relief, as fun as they were!), but lots of babbling, raspberries, "ha bla bla," "fffff," "hvvv bvvvv," and high pitched "aaa aaa aaa aaa" singing. We've determined she's definitely a soprano. :) She loves sitting up on her own and rarely tips over anymore. She still hasn't rolled front to back yet but rolls back to front all the time and just tonight pushed her bum straight up in the air while on her elbows and toes! Current favorite activities include: reading books in the big green recliner, sitting on Mommy's bed and talking to her reflection in the mirror on the bedroom door, helping fold diapers and playing peek-a-boo with the diapers, any kind of peek-a-boo, chewing on anything, playing with Mommy's phone, and eating solid foods!

Clara has been a solid food maniac from the moment she tried her first bite of rice cereal. Actually, to be totally honest, I must confess that, several days before that first bite, she had a few tiny pieces of cooked apple at a friend's house. We were eating apple crisp and she was desperately trying to get a taste, so I bit off a couple tiny pieces of mushy cooked apple and gave them to her. They instantly disappeared! Rice cereal followed for a little over a week, and has now been joined by avocado, banana and butternut squash. Last night Luke and I had steamed carrots and green beans as part of our dinner and Clara enjoyed playing with a couple of green beans herself. She didn't get much, but had a lot of fun! I have yet to find out how much she would eat, as she always wants more, even when the bowl is empty. Tonight I refilled her bowl 4 times and finally stopped feeding her because it was bedtime and I didn't want her little tummy to burst! Who knows how long she would have kept going! Tomorrow we will try pears, and in the next few weeks will add sweet potatoes, applesauce, green beans and peas. I am loving making Clara's food and she is loving eating it, so we make a great team!

I want so much to make every moment count with this precious little daughter of mine. I always dreamed of being a mom, and she has made it better than I ever could have imagined. Each day with Clara is a gift; I wish there was a way I could crystallize these joyous hours and save them in a jar to pull out each one and remember in 20 years exactly as it was. But since I can't I do my best to enjoy them to the fullest right now. They go by so quickly.

Happy six-month birthday pretty girl! Your Mommy loves you more than you'll ever know!

Taken this evening, just after she pushed up on her toes. My happy girl. :)