Very Professional

Genevieve turned six months old this week. It's amazing how much a life changes in six months. I can honestly say that I have never loved anyone as much or as fiercely as I love her.

This is the face that faked a thousand sneezes.

Recently, there have been a lot of huge developmental leaps for her, including reaching for me (!!!), teething, crawling/inchworming, growing, sitting, and uttering her first, clear, intentional word: Mama. (Mom heard it, too. Apparently, first words don't count unless you have a witness. And possibly a notary.)

Don't turn your back. Don't look away. And don't blink. Good luck.

As we all know, change isn't easy, and developing neural pathways is flat-out exhausting. Genevieve has needed me more than she has before, in what I refer to as the "MOMMYMOMMYMOMMY" way. Meaning, nobody can make it better but me (and Andrew, but it's a hard sell, evidently).

She wants to physically be touching me almost all the time, which is a little challenging. She's close to 20 lbs already, and there have been a few days in the last few weeks where my lower back - and occasionally, knees - just *ache* with fatigue. And pain.

My core strength disappeared while I was pregnant, and I am slowly working on rebuilding it, partly by putting Genevieve in the Ergo carrier and bouncing on my pilates/birth/bounce-your-baby-to-sleep ball.

And it works! I do what I can while I wear her (which isn't much) and she sleeps soundly. I remind myself that housework will wait, and a well-rested baby is a happy baby. Happy babies usually have happy Mommies, and we all pay that love forward.

You can hear her snoring lightly in the background, if you listen for it.

Despite our challenges and growing pains, I love everything about her. I love sewing for her.

Dandelion nighties

I love that she has found her voice.

All of the things, they go in my mouth.

(Even though that voice is occasionally providing the dialog to - what sounds like - a very complicated and dramatic original telenovela, featuring the dastardly wooden bird on her play gym. From what I have observed, he is *quite* the villain.)

"¡Ay, no! ¡Tu eres muy mal, Pajaro!"

She still has a fantastic smirk, which I believe is courtesy of Unkie Sam, an Olympic a champion smirker.

How YOU doin'?

But really, I love all of the faces she makes. Especially her excited face, which usually is accompanied by a full-body wiggle. Because, to quote the Pointer Sisters, she's so excited, and she just can't hide it.

Wigglewigglewigglewigglewiggle, yeah!

She also learned about kisses, and she LOVES them. They only count if they're noisy and you say, "MWAH!" while you give her kisses. And the best part? She loves giving us kisses, too. (They're more like puppy kisses, but it's all about the intention, which is completely heartwarming.)

I love that she still laughs in her sleep- full, belly laughs. I also think it's charming that she will do the Ernie laugh.

You will do anything to make me smile.

Best of all, if you look closely when she laughs, you can see two Very Professional Teeth.

Mouse teeth!