At 6 1/2 months and 15.5 lbs, Riley is officially a personality to be reckoned with! It seems like overnight she has doubled her neurological capabilities...and I'm not bragging because I see it happening in all of the babies her age! It is like overnight she becomes more and more her own little person.
Talking is one of her favorite things to do and we love chiming in...some favorites right now are "mamamama" and "babababa", with the occasional growl still thrown in. Morningtime is the best time to catch Riley chatting, especially when she eats. I usually sit her up in her blue Bumbo seat and put her bib on her, at which point she knows what is coming. She starts swaying back and forth or beating her chest with her arms. Once she takes her first spoonful of food she usually swallows it and then babbles away, spraying leftover remains of the food from her mouth all over the place!
Food in itself has been a new adventure too...we started with bananas, then moved to avocado, sweet potato, and now peas. I use an amazing little machine that steams, purees, and reheats food all in one and I store her little meals in baby food ice tray that has a lid to keep things fresh. At mealtime all I have to do is pop out a cube and defrost it! While at first it was a bit sad for me to give Riley "real" food, I'm more and more excited now because I see how much she enjoys it and she seems to really be satisfied afterwards. It only makes up part of 1 to 2 meals per day for her, but it has been a great start.
As for activities, we've been pretty busy lately...it has been an interesting month because we are transitioning from hanging out with our regular mom's group a few days per week to only seeing them once in awhile. Most of the moms are now returning to work and that leaves Riley and I on our own to find new adventures in the city and take advantage of all of our time together during the day. So, I've gotten back to running with her in our neighborhood, hitting up local playgrounds for those infant swings, walking around to look at flowers and people and places, continuing our swim class with our friends Chantal and Fenn, and participating in a weekly Mom/Baby Dance workout class taught by a mom in our group who is a ball-room dancer. All of the activities provide something new for Riles to look at, feel, hear, and enjoy, and they give me a way to get out with her and feel like I'm teaching her and enjoying our city together in a meaningful way.
Finally, with Fall in full force (kind of), I'm reminded of how much I miss a true fall like people get in so many parts of the country. The colorful leaves, the brisk mornings, and the smell of the breeze each day signal the coming change to winter. These things also tend to keep people indoors more, which is when I realize if I have anything to be thankful for with a baby it is the mild climate here. When I miss the Fall most I remind myself of all of the things Riley and I can do all day long without worrying about rain, cold and wind...so we put on our T-shirts and sunglasses and walk outside to make the most of it!
We've got a lot of new photos of the past few weeks, so check them out.
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