6 month milestones

Pequita has fed herself. She turned 6 months old last Wed, and this afternoon managed to properly hold her bottle for an extended feeding. She is lying in the antique cradle that Boston Grandma bought for her at an auction that we keep in front of the stove - since it was snowing here today (we regularly get a storm or two in April) it is the best nap site in the house. Once she was full, the playing began and it got a little messy. The dogs took care of the clean up, though.

After the recent press about BPA toxicity, we bought her BPA-free plastic bottles from Born-Free (better safe than sorry) and will sell all the hand-me-down Avent bottles we were using. We also got some glass bottles from Born-Free, for home use. They keep the milk warmer for longer, although it will be a while until we trust her to hold one on her own. I will be making felted wool bottle covers for them, both to insulate them as well as make them less likely to break when we inevitably drop them.

Homestead Mama still breastfeeds Pequita full time, pumping when at work, and we supplement with formula for a few bottles a week, mostly at daycare. I've been giving her bottles of breastmilk since she was few weeks old, at first when Homestead Mama was having breastfeeding pain and now to give Homestead Mama a break from duties to give her some free time. We haven't started giving her food yet, although she is old enough. We will soon, I think, because we are intrigued with the prospect and also Pequita is starting to notice us feeding ourselves and is interested in the process.

Pequita is a sturdy kid, which is good for me as my style with babies is vigorous. She likes being swung about, tipped upside down, and lifted above my head. She chortles with delight when dropped a short distance into the pouf of duvets on our bed. She is standing a lot more - propped up, holding onto our hands, and as you can see below, clutching the cage of her beloved parrot Peaches. Of course, she lets go when distracted, so we are awfully diligent. Bets are still out on whether we can get her through toddlerhood with only the one big head bump.