1. Carissa

Carissa is 7.5 months old. I just took her in for her (ahem) six-month checkup. She’s 15 lbs 5 oz and 26 inches long. She’s in the 13th percentile for weight, which is up from 11th two months ago.

A week or two ago she started rolling over from back to tummy more frequently. She’s starting to recognize that she can get around. She spends a little more time on her tummy and sitting in chairs, which means her bald spot on the back of her head is starting to grow in!

Her first tooth (front lower left) poked through yesterday. She chews on her fingers a lot.

We’re trying to get her to hold up her own bottles, but with mixed results. She’d rather play.

I love the way her hair always smells like baby. Her eyes are big and blue. She is a joy to hold and kiss and cuddle.

2. Wes

Wes is 3.5 years old. He is about 30 pounds. Our current adventure is transferring him into the Big Boy Bed. For the last two months he’s been taking his daytime nap in the toddler bed, but I have to be right by him until he falls asleep. Otherwise he won’t stay put. Sometimes he wakes up from his nap an hour early and I can’t convince him to fall back asleep.

Three nights ago we started putting him to sleep at night in his toddler bed, too. The first night he stayed in bed all night but got up an hour early. Which meant I had to get up an hour early.

The last couple of nights he’s been waking up and getting out of bed and crying either in the hallway (if his door’s open) or in his room on the floor (if his door’s closed). We let him do this once, then if gets out again he goes into his crib for the rest of the night.

I sometimes wonder if/when this will ever improve. Carissa could use the crib, though (she’s in a cradle and soon will outgrow it).

We pulled out a game that Wes likes to play (and by “play” I mean, Wes plays with it like a toy rather than like a game). It was a gift when he was a baby, and he’s just now getting to where he can somewhat appreciate it. I have to help him put the leaves in the tree, then he puts the plastic bees in, and then he pulls out the leaves one by one untill all the bees fall out. You’re supposed to take turns and see who gets the least number of bees, but whatever.

4. Baking

It looks like apple pie, but it’s actually baklava. A while ago I accidentally bought filo pastry sheets and thought maybe I should use them. This was my first attempt at a pastry, and, actually, I think it turned out decently! Most things I make I’m happy to taste. But baklava is on a whole other level. Tasting it is like stepping into another world–certainly one outside of my own kitchen. It tastes like it’s hard to make, but surprise! It’s not.

4. Family photos

By Despain Photography.

We did one-half of the full photo shoot and are scheduled to shoot the other hour this weekend–except that this morning as Wes was running to the front door when he saw his school bus pull up, he tripped and sliced his forehead, and now I think maybe we’ll postpone the photos until we see how his head heals up.