6 Months Old

Dear Zadie,
Six months ago today I held you in my arms for the first time and instantly fell madly in love and became a new woman - a mother.  I view the world through different eyes, I love more, I care more, I have more strength, hope, and optimism.   You're an amazing little girl, sweet Zadie and I love you with all my heart.  Happy 6 month birthday baby girl. 

Awesome stuff you are doing right now

You smile ALL THE TIME.  You wake up smiling, you smile at everyone you meet, you smile when your Daddy or Mommy walk into the room, you smile when you eat, and even when you bathe.  Every smile melts my heart.  I never get tired of them.  Ever.  I dream, hope, pray that you stay this happy.  Forever. 

You squeak, giggle, coo, and huff & puff when you're excited, my little dove.  It's so funny and adorable.  What a silly girl you are.

You love to roll all over the place.  You're not quite crawling yet, but you still manage to get where you want to be.  You roll, spin, kick, push, but no real crawling.  This week, you love to go under the coffee table.  I move you away, and in two minutes, you go back again.  You certainly are a determined little girl. 

You are eating like a pro.  You've had green beans, sweet potatoes, sweet peas, rice cereal, and avocado.  You like them all, but really love the sweet potatoes the most.

You love to be out and about so we take you all around the city.  You've been to the MoMA, the Brooklyn Museum of Art, the International Center of Photography, The National Museum of the American Indian, The Morgan Library, The Botanical Garden in DC, The Baltimore Aquarium, The Brooklyn Historical Society,  The Fashion Institute of Technology, The New Museum, The Menil Collection, The Rothko Chapel, and a few art openings.  At this rate, you could be an art critic by the time you're four. 

You sleep on your belly with your little butt up in the air, or on your side.  You also like to sleep in and usually get up around 8:15 or 8:30. 

You are a social little girl and do well with other babies. 

Nicknames

From Mommy - Honey Bear, Turtle Dove or dovie, Monkey, Sweetheart
From Daddy - Corporal Stinkington, Monkey Pot-Pie, Sweet little Muffin

White Bean and Spinach Stew

I managed to cook another delicious meal last night.  Hooray!  This cooking thing isn't half bad after all.  I chose an easy recipe from a cooking blog my friend recommended, Smitten Kitchen.  It called for Swiss Chard, but I used spinach instead since it seemed less intimidating.  The stew was healthy, super easy, and fun to make. 

I topped it off with a fried egg (it called for a poached egg) and served it with a nice baguette from the local market.  

My very first apron.  I'm really taking this cooking resolution seriously.  

Zadie had some more sweet potatoes.  As you can see, she wasn't too thrilled about it. 

Two Months Old

And already so big!  She's 24 inches long and no longer fits in her newborn outfits.  Tears were shed by Mommy when she discovered this.  Now Zadie is wearing 3 month old onesies and 3-6 month pajamas and pants.  Baby legwarmers are the way to go.  Need to knit or find some stat.  It's getting chilly in New York! 

Baby Bjorn

I took Zadie out in the baby Bjorn again today.  This time I accompanied my friend Ashley (she's 18 weeks pregnant) to the store to buy chocolate covered pretzels.  Next time I promise to document our excursion with a photo.  Zadie did better than I did.  She fell asleep and rested her little head against my chest.  Me being the worried Mama I am, kept checking to make sure her nose wasn't too squashed.  She was fine, but I continued to check every few minutes which didn't make the trip too enjoyable for me.  But, the important thing is that she was okay and that I was able to get my pretzel fix.  Happy Zadie, Happy Mama.

Hosted our first Dinner

Nate and I successfully hosted our first dinner with friends last night.  Nate cooked an amazing pork tenderloin with mango dressing, asparagus, and couscous.  It was delicious!  Zadie was very well behaved, but dinner took a bit longer than planned and I had to feed her right as the pork was ready to be served.  It all worked out though.  She fell asleep in my arms after her feeding and Nate cut my food for me so I could eat with one hand.  We even had time to have dessert before the fussing began.

The success inspired me, along with a fellow 'new mom' blogger, Georgie Girl.  This amazing woman is fearless and possibly insane.  She is currently traveling through the south of France with her 4 month old and her dog.  If she can do it, so can we.  Nate, Zadie and I are going to plan a little vacation for early next year.  Suggestions of where to go are welcome!