the 6 month mark

August 21, 2014

Cameron is 6 months old, as of yesterday.  I have to say it was a pretty crazy ride up to this point.  I think I am only now finally — finally — settling in to this whole mother-of-two thing.  And I can’t blame C!  He was a pretty easy newborn and continues to be a good baby.  He’s even slept through the night 4 out of the last 5 nights (hoping last night was an anomaly!).

There was so much sweetness and beauty in the past 6 months.  I also have to be thankful, because I’ve had the most amazing help from our nanny and this has made things 800 million times easier than they were with Annabel.  And yet — it was still kind of hard.  I found it really stressful to deal with both of them at the same time for a while (couldn’t keep them both happy 100% of the time?  Clearly I am a failure as a mother and a person).  I didn’t see how I could have any time ever for myself — ever again.  And you all know I stressed heavily about the whole milk thing.


WELL.  Thankfully, I do feel like things are starting to get better now.

First of all, there’s this:

The above is yesterday’s view of the freezer.  My stash survived to 6 months!  In the past 2 weeks or so, I have finally settled into a rhythm of pumping/b-feeding that is not driving me insane, and I have high hopes of continuing to breast feed 2-3x/day as long as he will let me.   C will get his first taste of formula later on this week, but I feel really good about making it until this point.  Finally letting go of the obsession a few weeks ago has been incredibly freeing.  I could say that I wish I had done it sooner, but I just wasn’t ready.
Then there’s this:
I’m not sure if we’re truly over the sleep hump, but the past several days of decent rest have felt amazing.  We did not sleep train, he just started . . . doing it.  That said, last night he was up at 1 am and I did have to feed him, so . . . yeah.  I can’t start celebrating too soon.  But it’s a glimmer of hope about how much nicer life when you get to stay in bed all night.
Lastly, there’s this:

 
He is truly starting to come alive!  With babies, I forgot that not that much really happens for the first few months (although they are ridiculously cute and innocent and sweet) — and then BAM.  Obviously he’s not talking yet, but he’s starting to enter that period where milestones just start piling up and it’s so exciting.  He is such a good natured and easygoing sweet little thing and will laugh at almost anything — especially his sister.  I absolutely love seeing the two of them interact — those moments are the most beautiful and rewarding ones of all.

I am slowly learning to be a mother-of-two and actually enjoying the evening stint of solo parenting (to be honest, I truly dreaded it at first).  I am also carving out routines that work and that allow me to just be me sometimes.  Which is why I am going to end this post now and sneak in a 3-miler right now.

Happy half-birthday, sweet Mr. C!  Excited for what the next 6 months will bring!

6 Comments

  • Reply Larica March 10, 2019 at 7:14 pm

    Thanks for the post. Frankly speaking, I really love to rear your each and every post. These post are very nice and informative. These post are very essential for parents. I eagerly waiting for your new post. Thank you again.

  • Reply Ana March 10, 2019 at 7:14 pm

    lovely. this made me smile.

  • Reply Nesrin March 10, 2019 at 7:14 pm

    Thank you for this. I also felt that things actually started to feel manageable (not to be confused with "easy") when the second one hit 6 months. I too dreaded doing bedtimes on my own. I can say now that I enjoy it! During those first 6 months as a mom of two, a lot of it was just… not fun. And I felt like a bad mom for admitting that.

  • Reply Priyanka March 10, 2019 at 7:14 pm

    Happy Half Birthday, Little Man! You are by no means, a failure. I think you are a great mama. Don’t be hard on yourself. Having a demanding career, and managing two kids is hardwork and you are really doing an amazing job.

  • Reply Emily March 10, 2019 at 7:15 pm

    Congratulations on hitting the 6 month mark! Our #2 turns five months tomorrow and I go back to work on Monday (actually, starting a new job, which is a whole different source of anxiety!). I hope that I can rock the working/breastfeeding mom-of-2 thing as well as you have been these past few months!! I just took the kids to their new classes at daycare this morning and they both seemed happy so I’m hoping things go smoothly. It is going to be a wild ride to handle two kids and a demanding job but reading your posts has given me confidence that I can handle it.

  • Reply Bree March 10, 2019 at 7:14 pm

    Oh my – that smile! What a doll. Wishing you more joy and continued sleep success!

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