Pete and I were talking the other day, and we realized that we’ve categorized Liesl’s growth and our parenting prowess (or our adaptability, take your pick) into three separate time frames thus far: 0-3 months, 3-6 months, and 6+ months.

0-3 Months
No sleep, no routine, no schedule. Things are dark. You question if you can really do this for a day longer. And then all of a sudden, you get towards the end of the newborn tunnel and a light begins appearing. Enter 3 months.

3-6 Months
The baby starts sleeping better and for longer chunks at night. Sleep training and a full night’s sleep are a game changer. That’s right — a game changer. You are no longer a sleep deprived zombie and can return phone calls to friends and/or family. You begin to swim away from the isolated island called “Newborn Exhaustion” and head towards the mainland, also known as “My Life Before Baby”.

6+ Months
A time to enjoy a well-rested, well-fed baby. The baby can entertain herself for more than a few minutes at a time. This is another game changer — you can start to multitask, even just a little bit! Her curiosity and mobility are fun to watch. She engages with you by smiling, giggling, and playing. Enter fun.

We are really enjoying watching Liesl grow, learn, and develop her own personality. She smiles a lot, like to chew on shoelaces, and loves being able to crawl on the ground.

Everything goes into her mouth, and she soaks about four bibs a day. She’s learning how to put food, like baby snacks, into her mouth and gumming them down. Our daily walks in her stroller continue to be a highlight for her, as is her bath time at night with her daddy. (As you can see, baths are a contact sport in our house.)

She loves being outside and having new things to look at. She loves it when we sing her the A-B-Cs. She grunts and blah-blahs all the time, especially when riding in the car or putting herself to sleep in her crib.

She saw the Easter Bunny, and loved him! No crying child here, folks.

She’s learning how to stand on her own, pulling herself up in a standing position from a sitting position, and walking (while we hold her hands).

She enjoys standing at the window and watching the school bus and kids go by in the morning. She crawls around her play room and is so much happier now that she can be more mobile independently.