There's a first time for everything!

Despite Mariah being a 3rd child, we are experiencing some things for the first time.  Mariah is my first child to learn to sit BEFORE crawling, which means she will sit and play with toys without moving.  It is amazing, everything I hoped it would be.

Mariah has been with us only a short 6 months, but we feel so in love with her.  It is hard to remember life without her.  She is an absolutely amazing baby.  We figured that in a short 5 months, she has traveled to  14 states (NY, Hawaii, UT, California, Texas, North Carolina, Ohio, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Nebraska, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona) and has been on 20 + flights.  I can't recall a single episode that she was memorably terrible or cried a lot.  (except maybe the first flight, when I didn't plan the eating schedule well)   ( I wrote this before our recent trips to Houston, TX and Virginia . . .add a couple more states to the list)  She smiles at all strangers and everyone around her loves her almost as much as I do.

She is calm and content.  She is happy and smiley.  She is moving and wiggling quite a bit more and she loves trying to grab things.  She doesn't use her opposable thumbs much and ends up hitting things around a lot.

We've tried some food with her.  She likes chunks of banana (likes to chew), rice cereal (yuck!) and yams with cinnamon (Yum!) She still hasn't figured out how to get that tongue out of the way to eat properly, but we'll give her another week or so.  Turns out she has an intolerance for rice cereal and had a couple of terrible reactions (all with no tears at all!)  So we are on to just oatmeal and added carrots, green beans, applesauce and pears.  She likes it all so far (This is definitely a first for our kids!)

 I wrote all this a couple of weeks ago and now I am eating my words.  Mariah started teething and has been whiny and throwing baby tantrums when I lay her down for a nap.  This is the first time I've noticed an extreme difference with a teething baby.  Perhaps because she is so well behaved most of the time, it is more noticeable.  I am just hoping this is not a change to her regular behavior, but rather a short phase :)  Her bottom two teeth just broke through . . .she is growing up too fast!

Mariah recently prefers ONLY mommy and will cry whenever I leave her anytime.  She will go to daddy, but will quickly turn around to come back to me.

Mariah will NOT take a bottle of any shape or size from any person.

Mariah will ONLY take the green pacifier we got from the hospital.  We value them like gold.  She doesn't usually need it, but likes it to help her fall asleep and be soothed.  I don't think she'll be an addict (but watch me eat my words because there is a first time for everything :))

Mariah's 6 months stats:

17 lbs 1 oz (70th percentile)

27 1/2 inches long (99th percentile)

head is in the 80th percentile. 

 This photo sums up life as a third child in our family perfectly.  Hallie is on her way to chew on M.  M is terrified, but can't do much about it.  Jackson loves her to death and can't leave her alone at all if they are in the same vicinity.

 I love these little matching runner suits.  So adorable!  Wish we had weather to use them in a bit more.

 Sure do love these kids!