M.O.
Dear Alison,
Your daughter sounds perfectly normal, though it does sound like some of her new foods aren't agreeing with her little tummy. A lot of fruits can be very acidic, something babies -- even toddlers -- can't always handle. For what it's worth, my son was very disappointed by solid foods until we tried him on some mashed/strained peas when he was about 6 mos. Those got us a huge smile and an "mmm" and helped get him on track to being a relatively unfussy eater, for a toddler. No guarantees of course, but I've seen and heard of other good results w/ babies and peas.
And your daughter's motor development sounds perfectly normal. The "back to sleep" generation of babies is reaching physical milestones at a slower rate -- less time on the tummy means slower motor development, esp. when it comes to crawling and creeping. As much as we all want our children to excel at everything, every child has a different developmental trajectory. I'd be concerned about a 6-month-old who hadn't reached 2- and 3-month milestones (holding up head, grabbing for objects, etc.), but your daughter sounds fine.
And please don't worry about her being "behind" on food. She'll wind up with a much healthier diet if you wait to introduce food until *she's* ready for it.
I really wanted to reply because of you, though: it sounds like you might be going through a little bit of a rough patch. Have you considered seeing a dr. for postpartum depression? It's incredibly common and can strike many months after a baby is born. And it's compounded because many women have trouble asking for help, or they feel guilty b/c they don't spend 100 percent of their time in a state of dreamy maternal bliss. If you think you might have some PPD symptoms, I really recommend looking into treatment. My best friend did, and she says it was the best decision she ever made, b/c now she can really enjoy her son.
Take care!
Mira