How are Things?

Safia at 6 months

Safia checking out a picture of Ellen's family

It's been so long since I've sat down for a blog post that I hardly know where to start.  Safia is getting bigger and bigger and more fun and more fun everyday.  I know Ellen said it previously, but it bears repeating: Safia seems to have turned a major corner, and is soooooo much easier, and I'll go right ahead and say it....fun to be around.  The lion's share of the credit goes to Ellen, as she did the hard work of getting Safia on schedule with naps and eating and bedtime, and it has resulted in a drastic reduction in frustration, confusion, and disgruntled-ness.  Countless friends and supportive advice-givers assured us that 6-months was a "golden age," and although I thought it would never come, here we are, and it's pretty sweet.

Some notables:

1.  Safia grabs at everything.  We now have to clear everything from her radius of reach lest it be thrown on the ground or stuck into her drool-tastic mouth.

2.  Safia is very clingy right now.  Her preference is to be held by Ellen, of course, but she'll tolerate me if Ellen's not around.  Put her down in a swing?  Put her on a playmat to roll around?  How about the bouncy chair with toys?  Nay!  She must be held.  A google search for "clingy 6-month old" turned up a plethora and an abundance of similar quandaries regarding this phenomenon.  Turns out she's at an age where she is developing her sense of object permanence and is grappling with separation anxiety.  Whoa.  Tough to be 6-months old.

3. Safia is an eating machine.  She devours carrots with conviction, eats squash with spirit, ingests green beans with gaiety, and feasts peas with passion.  The quantity of food this little girl can pack away is impressive.

4. Safia has discovered Zoey (the dog) and Zoey has discovered Safia.  Whenever Zoey saunters into the room, Safia goes nuts - laughing, lunging, and flailing around for her.  Zoey, predictably, loves to give Safia kisses during feeding times.  I think this is going to be a wonderful partnership between these two little puppies.

5. Safia went to doctor for her 6 month check up, she's healthy and growing well.  She's 16 pounds, 7 ounces (in the 50th percentile), she's 27 inches long (in the 90th percentile), and her head is 17 and 1/2 inches around (95 percentile).

I often get asked, "How are things?"  I'm really pleased to respond, "Things are great!" and to know that I'm being honest.

Cute Photo Shoot Outtake #1

Cute Photo Shoot #2