Half a Year Baby Girl

Somewhere in the mayhem of Christmas and New Year, in between the mince pies and Prosecco, my baby girl turned six months old.  Her half-birthday was spent in a Christmas comedown, we were too busy finishing the boxes of chocolates and playing with new toys to really notice it, but like it or not, Cora is now six months old.

Six months old means the newborn days really are gone and we have replaced that tiny newborn with a baby that sits up and rolls around and shouts at us to get attention.  She chats away in her own little language, she chews everything in sight and her personality shows through more each day.  My little lady is a Mummy's girl and wants to be in my arms all day.  If I hand her to anyone else she needs to check constantly that I am still there, still within her sight and ready to take her when she lets us know she has had enough.  She still wants to sleep curled up next to me and I can't imagine her anywhere else.

On Christmas day we started weaning and I have a feeling it will be a slow process.  2 days off of the recommended six months and we offered Cora carrots on her tray.  She picked them up, she licked them, she pulled a face of utter disgust and she left them alone.  We are following the principles of baby led weaning so I am confident when she is ready she will eat a little more.  I am quietly hoping it will improve her sleep (without holding out too much hope) as she has recently taken to feeding every hour.  She can sometimes do a 2-4 hour stretch when I first put her down, but after that she likes to wake and feed very frequently, sometimes just being awake for a few hours in the middle of the night.  

Cora is pretty average sized and we are starting to pack away some of the smallest of her 3-6 month clothes and bring out some of the smaller fitting 6-9 month bits.  I will be washing her stretchy wrap this week ready to pass on as she is so curious and heavy that I find her more comfortable in a more structured carrier.  We swapped the carrycot for the seat unit reclined on her pushchair about a week before she turned 6 months (although she was back in the carrycot tonight) and she loves being able to see a bit more of the world.  

The boys still adore their baby sister, they know how to make her laugh, and they are incredibly gentle at times.  Finn is desperate for her to join in with his games still and he is a lot less gentle, Cora adores him and I can already foresee the mischief they are going to be causing together once she is on the move.

I can't fathom how these six months have passed so quickly and I am desperately hoping that the next six are a little slower.

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Things 1, 2 and 3

It was at the end of last August that we first saw our little pretzel on the sonographer's screen and the excitement of adding a third little person to our team began.  I ordered the boys special t-shirts to make our announcement and I stopped trying to hide my bulging belly.

One year on, and we have a six month old.  The year has been busy, it has been nothing like we planned but it has been an amazing journey that led us from that place a year ago to the one we are in now.  It seemed only apt as Finn turns six months to celebrate in a similar style to the way we announced his presence all those months ago.  

A little t-shirt arrived for him and the big two still had theirs (I had ordered them big originally so that they still fit once the baby had arrived).  The day was wet and miserable which of course means pent up energy and a lack of co-operation but I did manage to get a photo where you can see all their tops.

Dylan is giving me his fake cheese smile as he thinks there may be something in it for him.  Finn has noticed his brother's hair, and the next photo on my camera show him pulling it rather hard.  Archie heard the word strawberries and is suddenly a little more interested in taking part (an interest that lasted around 1.5 seconds).

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Half a Year

26 weeks old, 6 months, half a year.  We have reached this milestone without me really understanding how the time has passed.  My newborn has become a baby and this baby is growing up, learning new skills and changing constantly.

Finn is still such a content baby.  He loves to cuddle, he wants to know I am close, even if we aren't touching and he adores his big brothers.  He is starting to teethe and is constantly chewing his hands.  We have introduced a few teething toys now that he has the co-ordination to get them in his mouth and Sophie the giraffe is already proving to be a favourite.

He has started sitting unaided, although only for short bursts and he still leans quite far forward.  He can roll from his front to his back, and lying on his back he seems to turn in circles as he lifts his bum in the air and moves round.  I am not convinced this is on purpose, but he isn't usually facing the same way that I left him anymore.  He isn't showing an interest in crawling yet and I am happy for him to stay that way  -  Archie crawled at around 7 months and I remember how much trouble they can cause! 

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6 Months In

Half a year has passed since Archie entered the world and things have certainly changed.  Whilst I still have a lot to learn, I feel like I have the 'mother of two' thing pretty sorted (for now at least).

This month has been full of change and Archie seems to have grown up almost overnight.  As well as competently rolling all over the place (and quite often across the room), the little man is now sitting unaided.  He loves to play on his tummy but since he found his balance, he is happiest on his bottom and I tend to put a V cushion behind him to soften any falls.  He loves his new view point and watching the world go by.

We have also started weaning, and after an uninterested start, Archie is now incredibly interested in food and desperate to get at anything we are eating.  We started with a mixed approach but are finding that he much prefers the baby led style.  He has moved quickly and this week we are introducing the third meal.  His favourite food is breadsticks and he seems to prefer vegetables to fruit so far

Archie has moved out of the crib next to my bed and is now comfortably settled in his very own room.  He is out of the moses basket and so has his day time naps up there as well if we are in.  He seems quite happy in his cot and as much as I miss him being right there next to me, it is also lovely to reclaim our bedroom and not spend my evening creeping around by phone-torch light.

Generally Archie is a pretty happy little chap.  He loves having his nappy off and is the most smiley when he is naked.  He is definitely teething now and we don't leave the house without our trusty companion Sophie le Giraffe.  He is still comfortably fitting in his 6-9 month clothes but I don't think it will be too long before we are reaching for the next size up.  He is still such a mummy's boy and happiest in my arms. 

Despite the introduction of solids, he still wants to breastfeed often and nights usually include a 3am and 5am feed, with him generally coming into our bed for the second as he won't settle back in his cot.  Sometimes he still adds in a 12pm feed too but not as often anymore.

This month has been the most difficult with both the boys and Dylan seems to be struggling with the concept of gentle.  Sometimes I think he is just over excited, but other times I think he lashes out for attention.  Most of the time he just wants to talk or play with 'Bubba' and he loves blowing raspberrys on his tummy to make him laugh.  I remember very clearly what it was like to have a younger brother, and I am not expecting it to be plain sailing but I am hoping this is just a little phase.

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Happy Half Birthday Baby Boy

Archie,

I was warned how fast time would fly with a second baby, but it has still shocked me to wake up and realise you are half a year old already.  Six whole months have passed since that beautiful moment when you entered the world and although it feels like you have always been in our lives, it also feels like no time at all since we became a family of four.

Six exciting, exhausting, emotional and amazing months I have spent watching you grow from a helpless curled up newborn into a curious, smiley baby who is desperate to be on the move.  For six months I have been the proud mama to you two beautiful boys and every day you challenge me, educate me and make me so proud.

You are nothing like your brother, you are eager to be on the move and happiest on your tummy.  You still sleep on your tummy with your squishy little bum high up in the air and it makes me smile every time I see you snoozing away.

We started weaning a couple of weeks ago, and you are finally coming round to the idea.  You have already decided how you want to be fed and we have termed it 'Archie led weaning' as it doesn't seem to fit into either of the common approaches.  You want proper food, but you want it fed straight into your mouth rather than feeding yourself.  It isn't easy and we are trying to convince you to either hold it yourself or take the food from a spoon but you are a determined little man!

At six months I thought your brother was so big but you seem so little still.  Dylan was in his own room by 11 weeks old yet it took me over 5 months to let you sleep in your nursery and I still found it hard.  At 6 months Dylan was wolfing down meals, open to every new taste and desperate for more.  You are not bothered and it takes you quite a while to get used to every new flavour.  At six months, Dylan was sitting up unaided perfectly, yet you can only manage a few seconds before you decide you are happier on your tummy.  You are so much more interested in what is going on around you though and I see your eager eyes taking it all in.  You won't still be sat content at 12 months like him and I can already see you longing to join in with his games.  Despite this comparison to your brother, I am in no hurry for you to grow up.

You are well and truly a mummy's boy and I wouldn't have you any other way.  Your eyes follow me, no matter what else is going on and you are happiest in my arms.  You want to be worn in a sling rather than sat in a pushchair and I find it difficult to leave you knowing that I am the comfort that you always desire.

Baby boy you are perfect just as you are.  Everytime you catch my eye and offer me that beautiful smile I remember exactly what is important and why I have the best job in the world - being a Mama to you.

Happy half birthday Archie

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