We've had 182 days with Harrison. 4331 hours, and more minutes than I'll bother to count. It's been a journey, an amazing one at times, but also one that felt like an uphill battle for the first few months. It's taken time, very little blood, but a lot of sweat and a tonne of tears, but we've made it to Harrison's half birthday and we could not be in a better place. I feel like I'm turning into the girl I used to judge for celebrating the little milestones: I never thought I'd be one to even recognize a half birthday, but at 6 months, it feels like we're celebrating so much more than half a year. 6 months has marked a major turning point for him, and an even bigger one for me. This month, I lost my phone. I lost 6 months of pictures, of videos, of ridiculous feed updates in my notes. I lost my google search history, my favorited websites of irrational and quite frankly ridiculous suggestions on how to get your baby to sleep. I have the DSLR images I take, but those probably aren't the ones I'd miss in the long run. I want the dimly lit 5 second snapchat videos of the first night he smiled, or giggled, or the aftermath of the first poo explosion. I've been criticized for taking so many pictures of my child, for celebrating the mini milestones that aren't really milestones, for oversharing, and recently I've forgotten about the reasons I done those things in the first place. Losing the pictures and videos just confirmed in my head that I do want them, I miss them, and if I didn't have a blog of written updates, I'd have been much more upset. I want to remember the little tiny moments, the ones that don't justify the big camera, the ones that matter. I want to document the half birthdays, the silly days that don't mean anything to anyone else but us, the hard days and the ones that may otherwise go forgotten. 6 Months is a milestone for us, and will forever hold a place in my heart. At 6 months, motherhood became what I always wanted it to be.
Harrison is now a little angel. He's my favorite small person. I can say that because he has now learned how to sleep. For the first four months I was not shy in likening him to a kindred spirit of the devil. Very harsh, but at the time it felt very true. He had every reason to be like that though, if I put myself in his little shoes it's no surprise: I was agitated and teary because I was seeing every hour of the clock during the night, but so was Harrison, in fact, he was seeing more of that clock than I was. He wouldn't nap, and he was tired. If you were exhausted, you'd be a bit of a d*ck too. Something clicked a few weeks after the 5 month mark though, and everything changed for all of us. He doesn't sleep through the night, nor do I expect him too, but no longer are we seeing every single hour. His sleep is up and down, but our down days are still considerably better than they ever were, and I have a completely different child because of it. Anyone who has seen Harrison in the last few weeks comments on how much more content he is. He is a funny little character, who is now smiling more often than not, giggling away at his newfound ability to blow raspberries and who is more than happy to be held by anyone who will take him by the hands and let him walk. He always had his happy bouts, but he was exhausted, and during the day we did not know what baby we were getting. He's happy now almost all of the time, he's making leaps and bounds and I'm putting it down to sleep. Sleep is a wonderful wonderful thing.
(IF I'VE JINXED THIS NOW AND HE STOPS SLEEPING I'M PUTTING IT SOLELY DOWN TO THIS UPDATE).
He is funny. I know I'm biased because I am his mother, but he can crack me up in the drop of a hat. While before that whole hearted chuckle from his belly was reserved only for his daddy's tickles, now even making eye contact with him can set him off. He's starting to become a disgusting little boy fairly early on too. He's recently found his ability to blow raspberries, and will do this for hours on end. He's discovered the response he can get from the very loud farts his very little bum can produce and will look at me mischievously with every trump that slips out. He's also very recently discovered his little man and takes great joy in pulling it as hard as he can while I fight between changing his nappy, and protecting his bits from his grabby hands. He's a character, but he's my favorite character.
Size wise, I don't know where we are at. I'll just say big. I tried to keep him in his 3-6 month old clothes for as long as possible, I really did. I clutched at straws, wanting to hold onto the little baby I never really had. By 3 weeks old he was out of the newborn, he never really got much wear out of his 0-3 months clothes and I've been trying to keep him in 3-6 months for as long as possible, but he is just too big. It was time to accept that and stop letting my child walk around with trousers cutting off at his shins. Low and behold, I popped him into 6-9 months last week, and I was almost upset to find that everything was neat. Nothing looked oversized, and I can't see him getting all that long in these bits either. Please tell me growing slows down somewhere around now? A friend had a beautiful little girl just last week, and I couldn't even comprehend that Harrison was ever that size. There was only 6 months between them, but Harrison looked like a child compared to ditsy Evie. My little 6 month old child.
Weaning is still going well, Harrison does love his food and we are yet to find a puree he does not like. We've been making our own using the Vital Baby Steamer and Blender, and that has made a big difference to my routine, but little to his ability to eat what I'm putting down. He's not picky at all, wolfing down his spoon fed purees like nobody's business, but we've been trying to introduce a bit of the 'mix method', putting down finger foods that he can try to feed himself with, or giving him the spoon. Firm quick pick up and go favorites have been the Ella's Kitchen pouches, the Cow and Gate Banana Porridge and the Kiddlylicious Wafers. We'd previously tried rusks (cue the sugar police), but were looking for something a little less substantial and the wafers have been perfect. They are advertised as no mess, they are not, let me tell you that getting dissolved cracker out of a brand new dungarees set is no mean feat - but what form of baby food will ever really be no mess?
He can't crawl, but he's sure as hell trying, hovering on all fours and bouncing back and forward until he gets frustrated. I don't know if he ever will crawl though: he's constantly on his feet. If he can find anything solid that he can hold on to, he'll try and pull himself up, more concerned with trying to walk than trying to shuffle on his knees. The jumperoo, and the door bouncer have been abandoned before they ever really got used, with his baby walker taking the lead. I can confidently say, with the exception of his play mat, that it is the first toy I'd repurchase. He loves the thing. His little legs are off at one hundred miles an hour and he take great pride into battering over my toes and anything in his way. He's also recognizing the people around him, at a familiar face he'll kick his legs like no-ones business, and can now reach for the people he wants to go to (namely the ones that will walk around with him). It's terrifying to think how much he has progressed in this month alone, the difference is amazing, but also a little sad. It's no wonder people have babies so close together, they are not babies for long at all. That newborn stage seemed to end in a snap second.
This right now is the perfect stage. He's eating, he's sleeping, he's moving. I'm almost scared for him to get any older. Change can be a wonderful thing, but not when I'm so wrapped up in how much fun this period of time is. I'm not sure if it's the end of a regression, the middle of a leap or if I'm simply wearing the rose tinted glasses of the impending return to work, but I've never been happier as a mum. I'm so proud of the little person Harrison is growing into, and although I'd love for him to stay 6 months forever, I also can't wait to see what another 6 months will bring.
Happy Half Birthday Little Monkey.
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