Month Six

Dear Ela,

How is it that you've grown another month older already? When you were first born every day was momentous. I remember what a big deal it was to me when you reached 10 days old (now you were in "double digits" -- wow!) and now another month of growing and learning has flown by. 

You weigh 14 pounds, 1 ounce. You are 25 7/8 inches tall. You're still kind of tiny according to the charts they use at the doctor's office, but we think you're mighty.

This month's oh-so-big accomplishment has been sitting up. You started balancing on your own for a few seconds a couple of weeks ago, and made rapid improvements every day. I told your Dad that by your six month birthday you'd be sitting like a champ -- and lo and behold, you were! Now your "tummy time" rug doubles as your sitting rug. You're surrounded by a ring of couch pillows, and happily play with your toys and your puzzles. Your absolute favorite thing is when Clover the cat decides to rest within arm's reach, and you can grab onto his fur with all your strength. Clover's a pretty good sport.

As always, you are an alert little girl, with wide-open eyes and an inquisitive gaze. Your Daddy likes to take you for walks in the park, and he always says that you spot interesting things (like birds in the trees) from a mile away. Daddy takes you to visit the dogs at the dog run and you watch the big kids play on the playground, and sometimes you swing together. It's always a grand adventure.

You're not speaking in syllables quite yet, but you LOVE to sing. Your friends (the ones that are boys) are sometimes startled by your squeals. We have wonderful conversations together, and I am very much looking forward to hearing more of what you have to say about the world.

With Anson & Kelly and Nate & Holly.

Your ability to be social isn't limited to just your family. You have lots of friends -- of all ages -- that you love spending time with. We get to do a lot of things with a group of moms and kids that live in our neighborhood. Our Friday afternoon routine usually involves walking down to Highlands Square (a nice 3.5 mile round-trip for Momma) and spending time on the patio of the local coffee joint. Momma drinks chai (or sangria, depending on her mood) and you play with your toys, chat with your friends, nurse, and nap.

With Lexi, Isaac (4 years) and Madeline (1 year). Madeline gave you all of your
girl hand-me-down clothes.

The next generation of sangha kids! Satori & Sarada, Ashwin & Chandra, Jyoti & Bodhi, and Faith.

As we've gotten to know other children, I've noticed that they seem to grow stupendously fast between 6 and 12 months. A 6-month-old still seems like a baby, whereas a 12-month-old is toddling around like a miniature person. I know that you'll be doing a lot of important growing over the next few months, and I'm thrilled that I'll get to watch you learn new things each day. I know it's going to be a wild ride, and we'll do everything we can to have fun along the way. And then, at the end of each day I'll cuddle you to sleep, and you'll still be my darling baby -- no matter how big you grow.

Love,
Momma