Julianna is 6 months old - That's half a year!

Wow - I can not believe Julianna is 6 months old. We've come a long way baby! I remember when she was in the NICU when she was only a few days old... that seems like a lifetime ago. I remember bringing her home from the NICU when she was a week old... what a scary but amazing day it was! Little did I know how much this little child would turn our lives upside down! (BTW - she was in the NICU because she was born with a Pneumothorax, which by some miracle self-healed after 6 days!)

I spent the first few weeks worried I would never know what to do with this little child ... worried that I could never handle being a mom. How come these things don't come with a manual? Someone should fix that! I also had a slight case of post-partum depression for 6-7 weeks after she was born... It was a very hard adjustment for me since I am older & used to my life the way it was before she came. Once I got used to everything & got past the PPD, life was grand. Funny how things change. Brian and I brought Julianna out from the day she came home. I don't believe in that 'sit in house for 3 months' thing. You just have to be smart, like not going to Chuckie "germ" Cheese (Blegh!).

I remember the first time I brought her out in public on my own (she was 3 weeks old) and I fed her while having lunch with my girlfriend at a small cafe'. What an achievement that I was able to do that! I felt like a champ! From that day forward, I tried to get out of the house almost every day ... I took full advantage of having 14 weeks off in the summertime. Julianna and I had a great time. It was either that or sit home & be miserable. I opted for the fun part.

I spent one day a week with my good friend who just had a baby boy (Jake) 3 weeks after Julianna ... it was perfect because we went through our pregnancies together, and were able to share the "baby" questions and answers with each other- it helped both of us. We became expert "Mallers" - and had some fun times. It sucked having to go back to work... I wish I could have afforded to take more time off but hey, I should be happy that I even got that much paid time off. I will admit I was sooo happy to see that first regular paycheck!

I remember when Julianna first smiled at us- something that no parent forgets. Her smile warms your heart & soul! Julianna's smile is infectious and beautiful. I love thinking about all the small milestones that she reached during her 6 months. Rolling over, laughing, sitting up (with help), eating her feet, eating solids, sleeping through the night, talking (syllables), koo-ing, playing with toys, holding things with 2 hands, drooling, discovering our dog Pepper & laughing hysterically at her, holding her head up strong, and the list goes on and on. 
When she was a newborn, I loved after her bath, when I could wrap her in her hoodie-towel and cover her whole body with just her eyes & nose sticking out... Now, I wrap her up, and her legs dangle out the bottom of the towel and her arms stick out. LOL. They grow soooo fast!

I remember all the fun weekend trips we took during my summer off with Julianna. We went away almost every weekend to visit friends & family. We got her used to long trips in the car and she has always loved being in the car (luckily) because we had her out so often from day one. She went out to dinner with us so many times and she has always been a good girl when we go anywhere (except for the infamous "New Hampshire/KFC" meltdown - worth reading if you haven't).
We are blessed with this child. This is why we are stopping at one. LOL. She is perfect. No need to mess up anything. No, that's not really our reason for only one, but it sure does make the case for only one.

THEN ... Newborn

NOW ... 6 months