6 Months Old

Having never been a mother before, every month, week, and day is a learning experience for me.  For a while now, I have been curious why SO many things start or are allowed for babies at "6 months."  (I've been told to wait until solids, sunscreen, tylenol, blah blah blah...until "6 months.") And now that I have a 6 month old, I am FINALLY starting to see why!

So much has changed in this last month.  Gabriella Daphna has undergone a huge development growth spurt!  She went from drooling to spitting. (Don't worry; she still drools.)  She engages socially and can have laughing conversations, spitting conversations, cooing conversations, etc.  Her giggles and talking will make anybody smile.  Not only is it super easy for her to be entertained by someone else, she can entertain herself independently and express joy and satisfaction with what she's doing. At her 6 month well check, our new pediatrician asked if she smiles at us and familiar faces. We don't really know because she just smiles and talks to everybody!

She weighed in at 16 lbs 4 oz, keeping her around the 50th percentile in weight.  Her length (measured differently this time by a new clinic in Texas) remained at 25.75 inches, putting her at the 50th percentile as well.

Here are some experiences from the month:

It may have rained too much to see her first July 4th fireworks...

...but Gabi still dressed the part in spirit!

Nerd alert...

Such a big girl!!

As described earlier, Gabi is incredibly social and playful.  This video shows the spitting, playing, socializing, smiling, etc!

In this 6th month, she discovered the amazing little things at the end of her body that are her toes.  Grabbing onto her toes led her to start ROLLING OVER from back to front - a brand new milestone!  

Gabi also got to start playing with her new Jumperoo!  She loved it immediately as you can see by her very first experience in it.  It is really cute watching her being able to "stand" by herself and choose what she wants to reach, grab, and play with.  She is becoming such a big girl so fast!

As is to be expected, we needed to take pictures with a sign on Gabi's blanket. We got a REALLY good one, and then the photo session with sign turned into Gabi eating the sign. These are going to become increasingly challenging for me.

nom, nom, nom

For this big occasion of her reaching half of a year, we took Gabi to her 2nd professional modeling gig and took first time professional family photos while we were there. She may have been tired and cranky, and a LOT of effort was necessary from 3 adults, but we got some GREAT pictures!





Having the "official" thumbs up from the pediatrician, this big girl had a taste of her very first solid food! The texture seemed weird to swallow, but she managed to get down a little bit. We are excited about introducing her to new tastes and flavors as time goes by.

creepy mom face...

Isn't this what all happy babies should look like after a first tasting?!

And then of course, there is the very necessary ice cream party. Happy Birthday, Gabriella Daphna! We love you SO MUCH!!!

Gabi keeps her eyes on the prize...

The Next Frontier

{Disclaimer to viewers: This is a LOOOOONG post, covering many aspects of our move.  It could have been broken into many smaller chunks, but you'd still have to sift through the same information. View, stalk, enjoy, and be merry!}

As we close the North Carolina chapter and turn the page, we find Team Cohen starting a new chapter back in Texas, where Debbie lived 6 years growing up.  We are very excited about Austin; we are not so excited that Aunt Syssa let us know that a cold front was coming, dropping the temperature into the 90s.... :/

All members of Team Cohen were hands on and ready to help with the packing and moving!

Gabi likes packing!

Nikki is ready to take charge of the operation.

Brook takes advantage of the new surroundings.

Maggie could care less...

Same box, 2 different cats... (For proof, look at the paws.)

Some final scenes from around Fletcher:

Gotta keep the baby entertained while there is packing and commotion going on inside the house and very little sitting space.

a farewell rainbow

Count all 4 babies relaxing in the hideaway safe room.

Moving day arrives! Gabi has her own ideas of how ALLLL of our stuff will make it to the land of Texas.

Cats don't know what to do with all the emptiness.

53 feet of truck is a lot of space for all of our stuff!

Team Cohen, at their best, in one last shot of their first home together

We make it to our first stop at Nana and Zayde's house in Atlanta. To dress for the occasion, Gabi gets on her UT shirt with her ruffled denim skirt to celebrate her new home.

Aunt Syssa meets us in Atlanta in preparation of a LOOOOONG drive to Texas with Jon and the kitten babies. We surprise her with a birthday ice cream cake.


Jon and Alyssa get ready to hit the road. They don't get to steal the baby, but they pose for a picture as if they do. And as you can tell, fun was had by all, including kittens...including Brook who let it be known that she does not like windy roads :/...

Nikki found comfort on Aunt Syssa's lap.

Brook found comfort on the console between the front 2 chairs.

Maggie found comfort being left alone.

THEY MADE IT!!

Back at the "homefront" in Atlanta, we manage to make our own fun while the others voyage to the new world. We sold Jon's car, ate lots of ice cream, and had good togetherness.

Just chillin' on the floor with Uncle Tani...

Nana/Mommy Fro-Yo!

Tani enjoyed the double-decker stroller rides as much as Gabi seemed to.

Meanwhile, Jon and Alyssa arrive in Austin and quickly orient themselves...by eating...a lot. Craig comes too.

Nana, Mommy, and Gabi arrive and we have a LOT of work to do. The apartment gets messier before it gets cleaner. We spend the week unpacking, buying a house, buying a car, and a lot of finding our new way around.

getting lost in all the packing paper and boxes

With the heat and so much being so walkable, this is how Gabi prefers her walks.

But this is how Mommy enjoys the AFTER walks.

The cats, having been through a lot of rough travel, attempt to settle into our cramped little abode. By the looks of it, they seem to be doing juuuuuuust fine:


By the time our first Texan Shabbat rolls around, we've had a lot of togetherness time. Many have spoken the words, "Poor Craig," but he's just gonna have to get over what he used to accept as reality and accept the new one with Team Cohen in Texas! ;)

Meanwhile, while this was happening:

This was also happening: (Poor Jon?)

All in all, we are glad to have started our journey in our new homeland. We look forward to seeing what adventures befall on Team Cohen next.