My Mary

I think it is strange how every single parent will, at some point, make the comment "they grow up too fast." No one really understands that comment until they have become a parent. Even if you are aware of that fact and you try to stay current and "in the moment" it seems like you turn around and your newborn is 6 months old and getting ready to crawl. I remember the day that Mary was born like it was 5 minutes ago. I remember the nervousness that I felt waiting in Triage before they took me to OR. I remember shaking on the operating table as they gave me the spinal. I remember the feeling of calmness that came over me as Neil came and sat next to me and started talking about our camera with the anesthesiologist. I remember the exact sound of her first cry and how Neil and I laughed because it was so much louder than Ty's. I remember. I remember. I remember.

Today, my Mary is 6 months old. She has come from being this teeny tiny little fragile baby to this ever growing, ever changing, always happy, always smiling sweet baby girl. I want so badly to freeze time and remember exactly what she is like today because I know, before I know it, she will be turning 1, and then 10, and then 16, and then getting married. The rest of this post is a random sampling of Mary tidbits that are as of today. I hope that several years from now as I read this post I will be able to picture perfectly Mary.



1.) Mary still has the brightest blue eyes. When strangers look at her they always comment on her pretty eyes.

2.) Her hair is getting much thicker. She even has this cute little curl above her left ear that hints her hair will take after mine.

3.) She still has her adorable dimples, one on each side, and they are also something that strangers always comment on when she gives them her beautiful smile.

4.) You can actually see her first tooth!! And her first tooth will soon have a neighbor! You can feel the two front bottom teeth. This second one is giving her some trouble and we've had to give her Tylenol to help with the pain in the last week.

5.) Speaking of teeth...Mary is getting ready to use them. She stares at food and gives you looks like she is trying to tell you that she wants some soooooo bad. She does eat baby food about 3 times a week. She is getting really good at opening her mouth at the right times, but she still insists of shoving her entire left fist into her mouth after each bite to ensure that nothing slips out. In other words, she gets very messy.

6.) Her favorite food is still her bottle. She can spot one a mile away and will grab for it if it is anywhere close. When it gets towards the end of her bottle she can actually hold it herself.

7.) Speaking of food - Mary gets plenty of it. That is another comment that strangers make about her, "What are you feeding her?" or "She ain't going hungry". Ha Ha! You people are hilarious. She actually only gets 5 bottles a day (60z.). She gets one every 3 hours. Her first one is in the morning and is given to her by her Dada. She has 3 at Andria's house and then has her last one at home, usually given by me, right before she goes to bed.

8.) She's a big girl! She is wearing 6-12 month clothes. Ty was a big baby too, but you cannot even tell by looking at him now.

9.) Mary is a super duper sleeper. We put her down wide awake and she will go to sleep on her own. At night I always stand at her crib until she puts her head down and starts sucking on her thumb. I never want her to see me walking away and closing the door. It usually takes about 30 seconds for that to happen. She goes to bed at 7:00 and Neil will wake her up at 6:30 the next morning for her bottle.

10.) Mary loves Baby Einstein and she loves to watch Baby Einstein while jumping in her jumperoo. It has obviously made her legs very strong because...

11.) ...she can get up on all fours and rock! She can even scoot backwards. The other day I actually saw her go from being on all fours to being on her hands and tippy toes. She was shaped like a little triangle on the floor.

12.) Mary can roll from her back to her front AND from her front to her back. She still favors her left side.

13.) She wants to sit up so bad she can't stand it. The other day I changed her little Elmo mobile to a sitting up position and she actually sat there by herself. She was so cute though because she held both arms straight out for balance.

14.) She is very interested in Lu Lu and will stare at her when she is anywhere close by.

15.) She still gives her best smiles to her Dada. She and he will have a conversation everyday when we get home about what she did at school that day. She is basically squealing happily and Neil is saying, "Oh really? What else?". It usually goes on for a few minutes until she is ready for her bottle.



Mary, my sweet baby girl, I still call you Squishy. I can't help it! I really hope you're not too mad at me when I'm still calling you that years from now. You have this sweet old soul. You are very patient and calm. You are an observer and a smiler. You are always willing to give a stranger a sweet smile. Ty, Dada, and I love you so much. I read on someone elses blog once that when they had their second child he fit in so nicely that it was almost like he had always been there and that describes you perfectly. You just fit.



Happy 6 months Mary! I love you!

Mama