6 Months Old: Sitting up Like a Boss

Baby girl turned 6 months old on Thursday! We've tried some solids and she scarfs them down. My squee pig pig. It certainly makes for some interesting diapers (more on that below).

Around 5.5 months, baby E started rolling over from back to front. She's been doing front to back rolls since she was 5.5 weeks old (hmmm 5.5 theme going on here), but back to front is a lot harder for babies.

She also sits up without support now! She's been doing that for about a week :) She is so much happier now that she can sit up and play with her toys.

Baby girls weighs about 18 pounds. That puts her in the 82nd percentile for weight. So chubbers. I love me a chunky baby ^_^ She also did some serious growing length wise, but I haven't been able to measure that yet (a wiggly baby is also an uncooperative baby).

Beach Babe

Baby girl had her first trip to the beach last week :) She didn't seem too thrilled with the ocean, but she greatly enjoyed splashing in her baby pool. She did great on the beach though. She loves to people watch (who doesn't?) and was content to hang out in her bouncy chair with her new favorite toy: an empty water bottle. Hahaha.

Hanging out in the baby pool with grandpa

Learning to drive at the OBX.

We found some hilarious sunglasses.

We climbed the dunes (I love my ErgoBaby carrier).

Little shade roof  for the sweaty baby.

My mom and dad were on vacation too, so they helped us with baby girl. The hubs and I got to go on a couple of baby-free dates, which was awesome :D We also ran into a teacher both hubs and I had in high school. Such a small world.

And now for some new mom survival tips.

More New Mom Survival Tips

1. You will lose all the hairs. 

All of them. It started to happen to me around 4 months post partum and has just started to slow down a bit. Now I have a billion little tiny baby hairs growing in their place.I have a weird frizzy halo all around my scalp. So strange looking. Oh well. Try not to panic, you aren't balding.

2. Starting solids means disgusting diapers. 

My daughter was EBF until we started letting her try solids. Within a matter of days her poops began reflecting this change in diet. Breastfed babies tend to have yellow, mustardy poops. They don't have as foul of an odor as regular poop and it's way easier to clean.

Now with the solids we have epic blow outs and baby clothes soaking in the sink to avoid horrendous yellow stains. She also grunts when pooping since it's much more solid now. It's kind of hilarious to look over at my baby and see her get this serious look of concentration and then suddenly let out a weird grunt. It's probably not as funny for her though since her digestive system is getting used to solids.

Regardless, brace yourself. Gross poop is coming.

I-I-I I Workout

Hubs got super into lifting while deployed, so naturally he wants to make me do it too haha. Basically, I'm super weak sauce. My max bench press is 70lbs and my max deadlift is 120lbs. At least I can deadlift more than my weight?

Anyway, we ultimately ended up doing leg day. I just used the bar for this (45 pounds) because I can't figure out the hang clean thing to save my life hahaha. Hubs didn't want to add more weight until I can figure that out.

5 sets of 5 front squats with 10 burpees in between each set

Repeat 3X (first round I held a 22 lb weight, then dropped to an 11lb weight for the last two):
30 lunges (15 each leg)
15 sumo squats
25 tuck jumps

2mile run

That workout took about 46 minutes and burned 506 calories, haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. My legs were a wee bit dead

Hold Your Babies, Mamas

The last week has been filled with heartbreak. A family friend recently lost their baby; he was about a year and a half old. I only know this family by name, but being a mother is a bond that reaches through space and time.

I cannot imaging losing a child, losing my baby. I have wept for this family more times than I can count. I prayed and I screamed and I sobbed for this family.

If there is one thing I learned from this tragedy, it is to truly cherish every moment I have with my daughter. Tomorrow is not gaurenteed. I have heard people say to not coddle my baby, to not rock her to sleep--that I'm spoiling her if I do.

I never paid those people much mind--she is my child, not theirs, after all--but now more than ever, I will rock her to sleep. I will cradle her face and soak in as much of her as I can.

My heart hurts so badly for this family. I cannot bear to think about it. So I write instead.

Mama

My body aches for you mama
I clutch my little one to my chest
and I cry into her hair
for as long as she will let me

My heart has screamed for you
because this is bitter and wrong
A mother should never have to bury a child
A mother should never have to bear that kind of parting

Each night that I rock my child to sleep
I imagine the last time you put yours to bed
Not knowing it was really the last time
Not knowing that goodnight would become goodbye

I wonder what color his pajamas were
and if they were his favorite
I wonder what he thought about
and if his hair still smelled like shampoo

I do not know you, mama, we have never met
But this weight in my chest is agony
There is sorrow that burns beneath my ribs
I do not know you mama, but we are bound by name

We are mama
We are the name screamed in the night
to wipe away tears and soothe bad dreams
I can't imagine the nightmare you wake to each day

---

Please help this family if you can.