We found a home for the fantastic flash cards that Grandma Susie made and gifted at our baby shower. I'm sure we'll eventually take them down to play with but they just look so charming arranged in a row. I can't decide which I like best; the penguin or the scottie dog. Which is your favorite?

So much is happening with this little girl, right now. It's amazing. I didn't realize that 6 months was such a critical time but suddenly she's hitting several milestones at once. Here in this photo you can see that she's able to hold herself on all fours and we're certain that she's just on the cusp of crawling. Last week she was soldier crawling on her belly (generally backwards) but this week she's lifting herself off the ground with ease and I think it will be just a short time before she's putting it all in motion.

Last week is also when we started to hear more carefully crafted little noises. Her high-pitched "ahhhhhhs" and uhhhhhs" are starting to sound more like soft and low "da-ah-ba-du-uhs". It's not a regular occurrence yet, but several times we've heard things that have stopped us in our tracks.

It melts my heart to watch her discover her voice and find ability in her movements. Every so often she'll lift herself off the ground and look us straight in the eyes with a wide smile almost as if to say, "look guys! Look what I can do!" That combined with her two little teeth poking out of the bottom row are just too much for words.

This was taken on Sunday as Maggie cozied up with Pop Pop. She didn't hold this position for long but I love when I can see glimpses of an older girl. It will be such a treat when she'll be able to throw an arm around someone or hold a hand.

We had a really pleasant day. The weather was great and Jen joined Maggie and I at the baby pool which was fairly crowded with lots of little ones. For some reason, I tend to feel out of place when I'm around so many "mommies". Like they're all "real" moms and I'm just someone pretending to be. (I realize this makes no sense.) Today was a little different, though, and chatting with some of the women around us I finally had a small sense of belonging and a realization that they're just regular people, like me.

I'm not sure what it was, but even after the pool the world was smiling on us. At the grocery store a random person stopped to chat and at the deli counter our sandwich was free because the women working there thought Maggie was cute. Such a funny day.

We have a bad habit of filling our weekends with errands and chores, but this weekend was all play for once. Saturday we went to the Baltimore Aquarium with Jen and Joe, thinking that Maggie would love to gaze into those massive tanks and watch the colors and shapes float by. She seemed pretty content as Graham walked her around in the Baby Bjorn, mesmerized by the fish and people and sounds of other kids and babies. The highlight, for me, was when Maggie handed our tickets to the ticket-taker and he handed them right back to her. It was like she had done it a hundred times!

Today we spent father's day with my parents and brother, playing tennis and lounging around the baby pool. We also had a really good steak dinner with gooey brownies for dessert.

I hope Graham had a good first father's day. He definitely deserves it. I shouldn't be surprised at what a great dad he is because I always knew he would be, but still, he's really got a knack for it. He's so comfortable with Maggie and totally committed to her. He doesn't moan and groan about diaper changes or baths. He's always ready to help and – perhaps more importantly? – always ready to play. Thanks Graham... we love you.

The best part about this video is how much Maggie loves to watch it. Whether she knows that it's her or she thinks it's another baby, she's completely entertained.

Little miss independent.

I love putting Maggie to bed for the night. She's so adorable when she's drifting from drowsiness into sleep, and she's so warm and serene in my arms.

During this ritual, tonight, I was thinking about the pregnancy and how funny it was to have people tell us how much we'll love our baby and how surprised we'll be at how much love we have. Obviously, this came true but it feels strange to define how I feel for Maggie as "love". That seems far too superficial and a bit too close to a Hallmark card (no offense to my mother-in-law!). That said, I really struggle to find the right words for how I feel. I guess, to start, I feel like she is a part of who I am. I feel like I carry her with me every moment of the day - even when I'm not actively thinking of her or I'm focusing on other things. To say I love her is such a small expression for how connected I believe we are. There's not a lot of mush and gush involved... it's more like a sense of belonging to one another that doesn't require hearts and teddy bears for it to be understood.

I guess that's a start? I'm curious to know how other parents might define it. I can't be the only one who finds the word "love" to be inadequate.

P.S. Her hair clips the day of this photo were a choking hazard. I know. I promise that I was watching them like a hawk. It's just that they're so darn cute, I couldn't resist.

This girl can really get around, now. Yesterday we found her under the coffee table, expecting her to be playing on her blanket a few feet away. She's not crawling but she's "maneuvering" and it's starting to sink in how much things will change once she's crawling and walking.

She had a fairly tough weekend, dealing with her tooth. She was not her usual happy self and was shedding more tears and getting less sleep than we're used to. Poor baby. Things turned around a bit last night and she's smiling this morning, so hopefully the worst is over.

More charming family photos. Love the one at the beach... so classic.

Thought you may want to see Maggie's carrot reaction for yourself. This week we are trying squash and we can already tell that she finds it far superior.

In other news, my mom discovered today that Maggie is cutting her first tooth! I still can't get over how quickly things change. Every day is something new and different.