Hooray! I am 6 months old today.
Have you ever wondered what life is like for a 6-month-old baby? Well, I am here to tell you, although my interpretation of events might differ from my mama’s. What I find fun, she seems to find frustrating. My hobbies include cluster feeding, nipple biting, putting Lego pieces in my mouth, and, my personal favourite – waking up after an 18-minute nap. It’s a hoot! Mum doesn’t seem to find it funny though.
Apparently I didn’t get the memo about being a chilled out fourth bubba. I hear my mum mention this “memo” a lot. She appears to be joking but I get the feeling she wishes I were more chilled out. What exactly is chilled out, anyway?
Life has been a bit of a rollercoaster. If you missed my ten week update, you better catch up here. Breastfeeding, which is supposed to be so “natural” hasn’t come that naturally to us. I had silent reflux in the early months, which was not fun for my mum or me. I wouldn’t wish it on any bub. Plus, I had posterior tongue and upper lip ties, which were repeatedly missed. Finally mum found someone who knew what was going on. I couldn’t lift my tongue properly, which was making it impossible for me latch onto mama’s boobs. Talk about torture! I was so relieved when they sorted that out, although the dental procedure and follow up stretches were AWFUL!
Sitting is fun, but I don’t really like being still!
Sleep is for the weak
I am not a good sleeper. My mum mentions this a lot. She and dad are exasperated. But I can’t help it. All my earlier troubles meant I never learned to “self-settle.” That’s another term I hear a lot. They say I can’t do it. I need them to pat, rock and coax me back to sleep. And I lose my dummy A LOT, which means they are up and down like yoyos during the night. As for sleep during the day, well that just seems like a waste of time to me. There’s far too much going on. I don’t want to sleep through all the fun. Sleep is for the weak. Plus, I’ve got things to do.
Like EXPLORE! I worked out pretty early on how to roll. That was fun. It gave me a taste for moving. And boy do I like it. Another word my parents use to describe me is “busy.” I can’t work out whether this is a good thing or not, but I have no interest in sitting still. BORING! I want to move. And I won’t stop until I have mastered it.
My sisters think I am THE BEST!
My sisters think I am the best
I’ve worked out how to sit, and that’s kind of cool. It means I can see my sisters better. Speaking of my sisters, they continue to think I am the most amazing thing EVER. Seriously, I can do no wrong in their eyes. The older ones burst through the door after school and rush straight to me. In the morning, they all bundle into mama’s bed, where I am usually having a feed. I love them. They are all kinds of fun.
I reckon I got really lucky with three big sisters to look up to. But I am frustrated, too, as it look like they’re doing really cool things and I want to join in. So I need to move faster. I can roll, slide and commando across the floor. Apparently this is close to “crawling.” Not sure I’ll enjoy crawling for very long though. I want to walk and run and skip.
My first tooth pierced my gums….and I bit my mum!
Milestone moment
Another exciting thing happened recently. My mum fed me some mushy stuff on a spoon. I wasn’t so sure the first time, as it tasted very different to mama’s milk, but the second time I loved it. Since then I am enjoying these tasty snacks a few times a day. There is a world of flavour I am keen to explore.
My favourite time of the day is the morning, especially when my sisters play with me before school. They laugh a lot and when I giggle they practically explode with adoration. I also enjoy bath time. Getting nude is THE BEST. I wish I didn’t ever have to wear clothes. I hate it when mum gets me dressed after the bath. Sometimes she leaves me nude on the mat for a bit and this is terrific fun.
So this is me at 6 months. I keep mum on her toes. I am “unpredictable” it seems and I never repeat the same behaviours or patterns two days in a row. Apparently there is no “routine”. Mum likes routines, but it sounds kind of boring to me. Who wants to be predictable? Not me!
My family is ACE, especially my mama!
My family rocks
Despite being somewhat of a “challenge” (another word I hear a lot) I know I am loved. When my mums smiles at me my heart feels so warm and happy. My dad is pretty awesome too. I am pretty sure us girls are the four most important people in their lives. We are really lucky. But my mum looks tired. She really ought to get more sleep…
You got any questions for me? Ask away and I’ll give you an honest answer. Or ask my mum – she loves hearing from her readers!
*First appeared on Babyology
Are you sure your not my 1st child?
She is now 3.5 and guess what she sleeps though the night and finally has mastered this self settling bullshit.
High needs, emotionally explosive, kind and extremely empathetic, soak crushingly draining at times,, loving, stubborn, smart, funny as all hell but oh so my God the tantrums from 12 months till 3.
I realise now her screaming as a baby was more in Pure rage than anything else.
Rage at not being in my arms or touching me where she wanted to be, rage at me leaving the room without her, rage at being stuck in the cot or pram, rage at the clothing tag that keeps touchy her, rage at waking up and i wasnt right there where she left me, rage at the old lady in the super market who dared looked at her…
It gets better even if it just might take till 3.5!
Oh Anna, I think you’ve hit the nail on the head about the rage. My second-born was just like your first, and I suspect Miss I is going to be similar. My Miss J was so sensitive to all those things you mentioned. She was just furious at life sometimes. She consumed me. She EXHAUSTED me!!! But now she is the most chilled out, delightful, kind and loving child. It took her 3 years as well. Gosh I hope Miss I gets her act together before then. Finally her day sleeps are improving but she’s a demanding young thing. And let’s just say the hours between 4 and 7 are a particular kind of hell. RAGE!!!