Riley--6 months old.

It's hard to believe that 6 months has already gone by; half of a year to sound longer! It's been a pleasure watching Riley grow and develop so fast. It seems like not too long ago we were waiting for her arrival and then waiting for her to be able to do more than just eat and sleep.

*Play Time* Riley is grabbing at everything and putting most things in her mouth (or trying to). She also enjoys playing with her toys; some of her favorites are soft books that she can chew on, these colorful links that I stuck together to make a chain (also likes to chew on), a baby that sings the alphabet and counts to 10, and last but not least her "Dolly" that she got from her Gigi (Grandma Gina) from the movie Toy Story 3. She also enjoys watching Baby Neptune (a Baby Einstein DVD) when she isn't playing with her toys.

*Appetite* Believe it or not, this little girl loves to eat! She started eating solid foods at 4 months; first rice cereal and slowly progressed to fruits and veggies. She's only eating solid food once a day, but will probably upgrade to twice a day (morning and night) very soon. Some of her favorite foods are carrots, squash, bananas & apples.

*Talking* Babbling, really. Riley enjoys speaking her mind! And even though they aren't real words yet, we all know exactly what she's trying to say. One of the things, she likes to do "raspberries" when she's upset or just too lazy to say her "bababa" sounds.

*Milestones* We've loved watching all the new things Riley has learned. From holding her head up by herself to sitting up, she's learned a lot in these 6 months. Riley can now hold her own bottle while she eats, recognize familiar faces (up close and at a distance), pick things up, pick things up and put them in her mouth, reach for your hands when you put them out to hold her, and last but not least, sit up on her own without falling over (our favorite!). Another important thing that she has done since she was only 3 months old, is sleep through the night! How lucky are we?!

6 months old and already doing so much. Can't wait to see what she learns next!