six month update

So, what's Maren like? Well, do you know pure joy and love? That's Maren. She is absolutely amazing, "shockingly cute" per her dad, and just the best baby. Seriously, I could rent her out; as in, a wife thinks she wants a baby but the husband is unsure, so they take Maren for a few hours... and then try to get pregnant the same day.

She is fascinated by Toby. If she could talk, she would say, kinda valley-girl style like her Mama: "O.M.G. Did you KNOW we have a DOG?" She just discovered him, and she thinks he is awesome. And she is a good sport (those are blankets on her back that Annie put on her):

She rolls everywhere and is most content on her tummy, just looking around.

She rarely cries - goes days without crying. She smiles constantly. She is just a happy little soul.

She sleeps through the night about two-thirds of the time but gets up around 5 for an pre-dawn snack and goes right back down the rest of the time.

She is social. She likes to look around and be around people. She is absolutely fine going anywhere. She likes being held, she likes baby carriers, and she likes strollers. She even likes riding in the car. I mean, she is open to anything!

She is a super sleeper including naps. :) She prefers to sleep on her tummy. She is a bit of a light sleeper. She and Annie share a room and she pops her head right up with a huge smile when we bring Annie into bed (Maren is usually out by 7-7:30; Annie is up until 8-8:30). It is a bit like a dog does when you walk by them. What? I wasn't sleeping! Then she goes right back to sleep.

She is super long and nice-sized but not chubby:

Milestone-wise, she babbles all day long, can't quite sit by herself yet, and cut her first two teeth last week.

She has the most amazing eyelashes ever. Long and so curly that they literally curl into her eyebrows. Her hair is light brown and soft and short but will definitely be ready for a bow on her first birthday. Her eyes are, well, not blue. That is all we know at this point! I am guessing they will end up in the hazel range??? They have a lot of green, some blue, some brown. So, we shall see. Her features in general seem to photograph darker than they look in person.

It has been a happy six months. We know how very fortunate we are and I hope you can read the love in this post. You can see why we think we want a houseful of kids!