Dear Shobha,
Today you are six months old. It may seem repetitive, but I really can’t believe it’s already been six months. I couldn’t believe it at five months, and here it is a month later already. Half a year. One hundred and eighty some odd days. Incredible.
The best part of this month has been the increase in your interaction level. You love playing peek-a-boo and being read to and having screaching contests with us. You’ve also dramatically improved your hand coordination and are reaching out to grab all sorts of things. Most of which go immediately into your mouth. You’ve also discovered that several of your toys have blinking lights and songs that respond to your delicate swatting and slapping.
It’s been such a wonderful month, watching you take more interest in the world around you. You now reach out and try to touch everything around you. You reach out and touch your father and me while we’re holding you. You reach out and touch the cats. You reach out and try to grab my book, my computer, my morning Mountain Dew. Your hand-eye coordination isn’t perfect yet, but soon we’ll be struggling to keep all sorts of things out of your hands, and in turn, your mouth.
This month we took you to a follow-up appointment with Developmental Pediatrics, part of a program that follows all NICU babies to evaluate their progress. While I’ve known all along that you were a wonderful, remarkable baby, it was nice to have a professional say the same thing. Not only are you right where you should be for most tasks, but you’re ahead of schedule on a couple things. Your ability to bring both hands together in your attempts to grasp the colorful plastic keys especially impressed the nurse. If only she could see how well you grasp your daddy’s whole fist in your attempts to gnaw on his fingers.
The nurse encouraged us to help you push up on your arms while lying on your belly and warned us that soon, very soon, you’d be rolling over. How right she was. Of course, your father and I both missed it, and it only happened the one time, but one moment you were on your belly on the floor in front of Daddy and the next minute he looked down and you were on your back, smiling away.
Each month is better than the month before and each month you’re cuter than the month before. And each moment I love you more than the moment before.
Love,
Mom
Dear Shobha 