Half a year. How can it possibly be half a year since the day Will was born? Its cliche but your perception of time really does change as a parent. Days are long, but somehow weeks can pass and suddenly we have a six month old. It’s hard to blog these days and I’m slowing down the frequency of posts (my last one on mamahood is from the first few weeks with Will), but I can’t let this six month milestone pass without sharing a few details of what life looks like at six months !
He’s on the move
Just this last week Will has started rolling and now its the only thing he wants to do! For the last few weeks during tummy time he was starting to get really frustrated and I could tell he wanted to move, he just had no clue how. I’ll enjoy these last few weeks where he still somewhat stationary because I know its only a matter of time before we get a crawl. He’s so happy when he rolls and I love seeing the excitement in his eyes as he navigates the world around him.
Solids
The journey with solids has begun and Will is working through trying new cereals and veggies. I never thought I’d say breastfeeding was easy. But once you get the hang of it, in a way it is simpler to just whip out our boob and let your baby eat. The older Will gets the easier some things are, but also the more complex others get. That’s how I feel about moving to real food. There’s a bit more prep work now, but its also so fun to how messy he gets while eating and watch his reactions to food. We start sweet potato this week so wish us luck!
Personality
Will loves to smile. When he wakes up from a nap, gets changed, gets fed, takes a bath – he’s always smiling. It’s a shy sort of smile that starts slow and just gets wider the more you engage and encourage him. People usually comment on how much of a happy baby he is. I don’t know how we got so lucky. I’m a firm believer that touch and love are vital for a baby’s development, so maybe the the hundreds of kisses and hugs I give Will each day make him so smiley.
Will is also a little man who very much knows what he wants. If he’s irritated or wants to reach for something he lets you know by grumpily grunting and makes himself red by fussing. Its rather comical to watch. My favorite new development is that he’s started to reach out for either Ted or myself and loves to cuddle. He’ll rest his head on our shoulders and its these small signs of affection that melt both of our hearts.
Going back to work
I recently went back to work which has been a huge adjustment for us as Ted and I don’t have childcare and are working to balance our two full time jobs with parenthood. I won’t lie, the first few weeks were really hard. And its still hard, but we’re starting to find a better balance and see a light at the end of the tunnel now that things are ramping up with the covid vaccine. We have help a few days a week from both of our parents and its the only way we’re managing right now.
Emotionally going back to work made me realize how much I’ve changed as a person since having Will. On maternity leave, you’re in this motherhood bubble and don’t realize sometimes where the old you went. Going back to work brings you back to your “old life” rather abruptly and it was a lot for me to process. It still is, but we’re adjusting much better now and getting into our groove!
Breastfeeding
Will is about 80% breastfeed at the moment and my god am I proud of myself for getting this far. Like many mothers, when I first started breastfeeding I struggled with it. Dreaded it. But I stuck with it, even when the little man insisted on feeding every hour to hour and a half. There was no rest for mama – but he grew and thrived and this kept me going. My initial goal was two months so to get to six months for me is a huge achievement. We’ll soon starting the weaning journey! Sometimes the thought of this makes me sad (there are some weird hormonal, biological things that drive you to keep breastfeeding I swear), but for me its a good move to start to cut back and see how things go. It feels right and I am at peace!
Feelings
I’ve been extremely sentimental these last few weeks because I keep looking back at photos and videos that I took the first few months and realize that Will is no longer a newborn. The small, cuddly milk guzzling ball of flesh is now a smiley, at times grumpy, moving baby with wants and dislikes. He’s becoming a little person! I’m so excited to watch him grow and discover the world, but I also want to go back to those newborn days (I’m insane I know) because I could keep him close, keep him safe. Parenting is this odd mix of being blissfully happy and also full of fraught and unease at the exact same time. The emotions I feel on a day to day basis mirror the crescendos and decrescendos of a symphony. One minute I’m laughing and in the moment with Will and other times anxious about the world he’s growing up in. So many feelings but that’s life I guess.
Its felt like we’ve lived a whole lot of life. I still wake up most days and can’t believe that we have Will in our lives. Everything we went through to get him here was worth it. Our days are so full of love and affection for this little boy. So that’s where we are, the last six months have been pretty amazing and I’m so grateful for each day.
