Austen’s been sitting without support since she was five months old, but by her six-month birthday, she sits for long periods of time and plays with her toys in a sitting position – only once in a while falling over or doing a “nose dive.” Trying to stand while being held is still her favorite activity, yet Austen also started swimming this month. The kicking and splashing were right up her ally. She needs help tiring herself out because she’s quite restless, never holding still, squirming and reaching for everything in sight.
At around 5 ½ months, Austen started playing with 6 month toys.
“Uhh.” “Ahh.” “Hahhh.” “Agoo.” These are the sounds Austen makes … often and loudly … along with throaty grunts. Sometimes she hits some high-pitched notes, higher than any Mommy can hit. These are hard on the ears but Daddy finds them all amusing and encourages louder repeats.
Austen constantly drools from teething, going through up to three bibs an hour! The front of her shirt is almost always damp.
We now get diapers with green poopies thanks to the rice cereal and supplementary milk-based formula Austen’s been trying to digest. Breastmilk is still the staple of Austen’s diet.
Austen is continuing to sleep in her bassinet next to Mommy and Daddy’s bed, although she often doesn’t sleep well, getting up every few hours for food or comforting. Daddy does his best to help her find her pacifier and put it back in her mouth, but sometimes he can’t find it because it’s hidden under her, the blanket or Daddy’s just too groggy to search properly. Since time is of the essence, Daddy regularly stocks the bassinet with multiple pacifiers. The hope is that Austen will begin to find her own pacifier and put it back in her mouth (this isn’t going as well since Austen’s too sleepy to search around). The pediatrician says Mommy and Daddy shouldn’t respond promptly to Austen’s crying at night, but Mommy and Daddy are not convinced this is the correct approach. She gets fussier when her crying is ignored, even for 5-10 minutes.
The last week of month five, Austen started having some attachment issues, such as crying as Mommy walked out of sight. Fortunately, she spends a lot of time in a lot of different arms. Austen’s social skills are quite advanced for her age. She engages people, looking them right in the eye, enjoying their company. She initiates interactions with people, often smiling first and eliciting exclamations of, “Look, she smiled at me! What a happy baby!” She recognizes her close relatives and gets excited to see them, flailing her arms and grinning wildly.
When naming Austen, Mommy and Daddy had no idea what sort of personality she would have. But they secretly hoped she’d be something like Jane Austen’s most famous heroine, Elizabeth Bennet,* with her sparkling wit and vivacity. At six months of age, Austen is showing signs of living up to her name. Or maybe she has Grandma’s Judi’s love of people and Daddy’s joie de vivre.
*Jane Austen wrote about Elizabeth Bennet, “I must confess that I think her as delightful a character as ever appeared in print, and how I shall be able to tolerate those who do not like her at least, I do not know.” In Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth is described as having a “lively playful disposition.” The following is an exchange between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, the hero of the story:
“Certainly,” replied Elizabeth — “…I hope I never ridicule what is wise or good. Follies and nonsense, whims and inconsistencies do divert me, I own, and I laugh at them whenever I can. — But these, I suppose, are precisely what you are without.”
“Perhaps that is not possible for any one. But it has been the study of my life to avoid those weaknesses which often expose a strong understanding to ridicule.”
“Such as vanity and pride.”
“Yes, vanity is a weakness indeed. But pride — where there is a real superiority of mind, pride will be always under good regulation.”
Elizabeth turned away to hide a smile.