October 2011 - Alena 6 months

I feel really guilty about wishing Alena's infancy away (that was a tough time for me), because here we are halfway to her 1st birthday. Time really does fly when you have your hands full!

She has developed so much over the past month. She is sitting up unsupported now - it happened overnight, it seems! A few weeks ago, if I would place her in the sitting position, she would just fold in half with her face planted on the floor. Then one day she caught herself with her arms and was in the tripod position, then a few days later she was sitting with her arms up in the air as if saying "look at me, looky at what I can do!"

She finally got over her cold and ear infection, but it left us with a bad habit - waking up in the middle of the night for a snack. She would go right back to sleep, but then she started with this thing where she wanted to be held until she was totally asleep. If I thought that she was sleeping and go to lay her down in the crib, she would start to cry - but then immediately stop if she was picked up. Well, that had to end -- enter Ferber-ization! We did the cry-it-out method, and within 3 nights she was sleeping through the night and not needing to be held. I am a believer!

I was feeding her 1 container of baby food daily and then advanced her to 1 container twice daily just last week. After I advanced her, I noticed a change in her bowels - I think that all that food was starting to constipate her. This past weekend she would have a screaming fit, and when it ended, I smelled the aroma. So I have added prunes to her menu and cut her back down to 1 container daily. We go to the doctor on Thursday, so I will be sure to address this with him.

She is drooling and putting things in her mouth constantly. Her favorite thing to put in her mouth - my knuckles. She gnaws on them nonstop - sometimes it really hurts. But she doesn't have any teeth yet (which I am grateful for since I am still nursing).

Luci had a good month too. She is MUCH better at dance school now. She doesn't cry or run to the door at all - and we can actually sit at the window the entire 30 minutes. Last week, one of the other little girls was hesitant about going into the studio, and Luci told her "C'mon Charlie, come with me and dance!" I am so proud of her.

We have to be very careful about what we say and who we talk about in Luci's presence these days because not only does she repeat everything - she REMEMBERS everything! The other day at dinner she looked at me and said "One day, your mom was at our house, and she called Alena Oscar the Grouch." I asked her if she was talking about Nonni and she confirmed it. I called my mom (cracking up) and told her. She didn't recall that, but said that she must have made that comment if Luci said so.

Potty training is going a little better. It's just that I have to remind her to sit on the potty, but she is very compliant. There have only been a few times when she tells me that she has to go potty, so mainly she is being instructed to go. I have her in pull-ups as an incentive, and Santa is going to bring her underwear as a stocking stuffer, but I am open to suggestions!

Halloween was fun - Luci had multiple activities and multiple costumes for each - thanks to the hand-me-downs from my sister! We had 4 different costumes to choose from!

Here are pictures from last month!