my squishy

I am so crazy about this beautiful little baby. She is so wonderful, so beautiful and so sweet in every way. This week, she will be six months old, which is probably my favorite stage. She's old enough to interact, to smile socially, babble, play peek a boo and even be ticklish. But she's still young enough that her needs are very simple (eat, sleep, be changed) and she still sleeps often. She doesn't need toys for stimulation but is content to watch her big sisters play and she loves to be talked to. I don't even mind the once a night feeding because she sleeps so well and is on a fairly predictable schedule. She's got such a great disposition, she's a happy baby and smiles so easily and so brightly. I've taken to calling her my squishy because I love to cuddle her. I love to playfully squeeze her tight and kiss her adorably full cheeks. She rewards me with huge grins and rambling babbles or squeals. She's even mastered a tongue click now which is surprisingly loud for someone so small. She doesn't sit on her own quite yet but she loves to lay on her back and play with her feet. In fact, trying to change her diaper is getting harder because she insists on grabbing her feet.

Butterfly was, to put it nicely, a difficult baby. Because of her stomach problems she cried often, spit up often and was fussy constantly. She got her first teeth at four months and as new parents, we were still learning so much. We were overprotective, easily overwhelmed and inexperienced. But like all new parents, we learned fast. We read a lot, asked a lot of questions, learned to trust our instincts, did the best we could and found a parenting style that worked for us. When Ladybug hit the six month mark, Butterfly was well into the toddler phase. I would learn about all the new challenges that toddlerhood would bring. Fortunately, Ladybug was a comparatively easy baby and we got to enjoy her baby stages. I got told over and over to "enjoy it while it lasts" and while we might try, time marches on. And especially when babies are born close together, I think it just gets hard to relish and remember the sweet perfection of those precious moments.

Now we've got a preschooler (sch a fun age! I love all the new experiences and getting to see her grow and communicate as a person), a toddler (fun but it's called terrible twos for a reason!) and the blissfully wonderful six month stage.

I love my beautiful girls. And I love love love, to cuddle and hug my adorable squishy.