Watch McKinley Grow - Duck Post - 0 to 6 months

In case anyone was worried you can see I have not neglected to record McKinley's growth with our big yellow duck like I did with the rest of the kids. I have only been negligent in my posting of said duck pictures... :)

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19 August 2013 - 6 months old

 

 23 July 2013 - 5 months old

18 June 2013 - 4 months old

19 May 2013 - 3 months old

24 April 2013 - 2 months old

17 March 2013 - 1 month old

26 February 2013 - 9 days old

 

McKinley is a little social butterfly. She loves everyone and responds to anyone who talks to her with a big smile (or two or three :). In the last week or so she is beginning to show a bit of bashfulness with a preference for me around strangers but it literally only takes a couple of seconds for her to warm up. If you are willing to hold her and talk to her, you can quickly become Ms. McKinley's best pal! :)

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While McKinley is quick to smile she makes you work for a giggle. Even after great efforts (most recently roaring at her has been a pretty funny joke) you rarely get a true giggle. I can probably count on one hand the number of times anyone has really gotten her to laugh. Having said that, however, her giggle truly has to be one of the sweetest and most beautiful sounds in the world. It is beyond precious to hear and watch her explode with happiness. :)

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We have not had McKinley's 6 month checkup yet, but at her 4 month one she was in the 20% for height and weight. I imagine this will be the case again as she was wearing an outfit just today that Reagan wore at two months. She is a little squirt but a happy little squirt! :)

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McKinley rolled for the first time at 4 months. Surprisingly she rolled the first time from back to front vs the easier front to back. Having said that, she still doesn't roll back to front consistently and obviously has a much easier time with the front to back, especially during tummy time. She might do better with the rolling if she ever let us put her down and/or her big sisters and I ever put her down... lol :) In the last week or so she has started doing a decent job of sitting up by herself although I would certainly not set her down and walk away quite yet.

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In this last month McKinley began to eat food. We started her out with rice cereal at night (pictures to come) but quickly moved on to oatmeal in the morning. This was followed relatively quickly by apple sauce or yogurt in the morning with her oatmeal and a veggie such as carrots, green beans, squash or sweet potatoes with her rice cereal at night. So far no hint of food allergies. Thank goodness none of my munchkins have had to worry about that. We are so blessed! McKinley has also discovered a love of Puffs. What do they put in those things? All of my children have found them and still find them to be completely addictive!

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We've been working hard to get McKinley to sleep thru the night. She's pretty much always given me 4 hours to begin with but then she'll want to eat every two hours after (occasionally more). In the last couple of weeks (especially since we've started food) I've been working on getting her to skip some of those feedings and she's been pretty receptive. She still wakes up but after cooing for a minute or two will fall right back to sleep. Accounting for those momentary coos I would say she consistently sleeps at least a good 8 hours before insisting on being fed. Such a good baby! :)

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McKinley is exceedingly loved and adored by all three of her big siblings. Even Jackson has fully come around. The first thing they do when they get up is to come and find her and then frequently dote on her throughout the day. They all love this sweet baby girl and the admiration is truly mutual. Watching your children play, interact and love each other has to be one of the best feelings in the world. I hope and pray they always remain close and enjoy each others company throughout their lives! 

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We are enjoying every minute of watching you grow Ms. McKinley! Your smile and love for life is contagious! I can't believe we're already half way to a year old and I wouldn't mind a bit for the next 6 months to go a little slower than the first. I know you'll be a precious toddler too but I sure love having such a precious baby in the house! Guess I better enjoy it while I can!!! :)