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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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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18 Months Old!

Somehow 18 months have passed since the little dude entered my life.  I cannot quite account for where they have gone but looking through the thousands of photos I have taken it is amazing to see how much he has grown and changed and the amazing things we have done together.

At 18 months he is no longer the gorgeous newborn baby, but a cheeky toddler with enough energy for us both! He is always running around and has so many words (although I still don't understand them all).  He will soon be a big brother which is as exciting as it is strange!

To celebrate his half birthday, I decided to go back through my photos and showcase one from every month of his life to show how much he has grown up! Every photo is a memory and I remember taking every one and thinking how gorgeous and perfect my baby boy is.

0 months, 0 days, 3 hours!

1 month old

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Day 2- The Half Birthday

6 months seems like a turning point.  My 'baby' is now closer to being a toddling, talking one year old than he is to that helpless little newborn.  He is now on solids, smiling, laughing, rolling, sitting unaided, chatting away (although not in words yet), eating his toes, teething and sleeping in his own room.  He has a beautiful personality and his features  are becoming more prominent and gorgeous every day.


Today we celebrated Dylan's half birthday for the first time.  No cards or fancy presents, but some extra special cuddles and kisses.  Of course we did keep the most important part of the birthday tradition going - cake.

For our 'new thing' today, Dylan had his first lunch ( we are now on 3 meals a day!- how grown up) and he had his first cake.  Granted he only ate a miniscule amount of it, but he had a lot of fun smearing it round the highchair.  The candle light was present enough for him, watching it flicker could have entertained him all evening.

Celebrating half birthdays will definitely stay as a tradition in our house - any excuse for cake is good with me!

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