Em & M at 6 months

Beautiful Mia at 6 months. 

Adorable Emma at 6 months.

I write this post in my head every day, as there are countless stories to share about the girls from their sixth month. Our busy schedule doesn't permit me to write (aka brag) as much as I'd like to, but I stayed up late tonight to share a few observances of Emma and Mia at 6 months. 

Finding Their Voices

The girls' personalities continue to emerge and their voices are louder than ever. Emma is sweet, thoughtful, skeptical as always, and has a big, contagious  smile. Her voice is has a soft, cooing tone, but that doesn't mean she's quiet. She knows how to make herself heard, but often lets her sister have the spotlight.  Which Mia loves.  Mia is wild, spontaneous, funny and has a smile for everyone. She is our little class clown. She loves to talk in her often shrieky, high pitched voice and will carry on a conversation for as long as you'll talk to her. Needless to say, both girls are very social and love to make friends.  

Beauty Rest

The girls have matured immensely in this past month as far as sleeping goes.  The turning point was really when they started day care.  They just seem to appreciate sleep so much more after a busy day, and look relieved to go to bed each night. We used to spend hours getting them to sleep, and now there are times we can put them in their bed while they're awake and they'll fall asleep on their own. Sometimes they chat for a while, and other times they're out right away. Mia has grown to like her binky when she sleeps, and that usually does the trick for her.  She has slept all night - 7pm - 6:30am - the past 4 nights in a row, only waking up to find her binky!  Emma does not like her binky, but does like hearing us sing lullabies. This isn't a quick fix like a binky, but helps her get to sleep nonetheless.  She is down to waking up once a night to eat, which is a great improvement.  There are definitely off nights still, and we know sleep is never a guarantee, but we're encouraged that they have matured so much so quickly. 

New Tricks

Both Emma and Mia are doing a great job sitting up on their own.  We still have pillows around them in case they tumble over, but they are so strong and can sit up and play with toys for long stretches at a time.  They get lots of practice with their friends at day care.   They love this new view of the world and want to be upright and see what's going on at all times.  Another favorite hobby is blowing raspberries, which is really more like sticking their tongue out and spitting in their case. Mia loves to do this and thinks she's hilarious.  Emma has picked up the trick too. It's quite a talent!

Emma and Mia practice sitting up at daycare.  They love to sit in this window spot and see what's happening outside. 

Smiley, happy Emma.

Mia sits up tall. 

Chow Time

Sitting in their booster seats and eating from a spoon is a new thing. Emma seems a bit more interested than Mia, but it's really more about practice at this point. They've only had rice cereal at this point, but we'll mix in some vegetables or fruit soon enough.  Look for even messier photos soon...

"I want what she's having," says Emma.

"I can do it myself!"  Emma tackles the spoon on her own. Do we have a lefty on our hands? 

Mia cleans up.

"Hey, I know you..."

By far the coolest development this month is that they really know each other. They've always been aware each other, but now they are looking at each other and interacting much more.  They reach for each other, pull on each other's clothes, feet, noses, etc. They share laughs over inside jokes and make each other smile. We know they are best friends, and it's so cool to see them start to realize that too.