Baby Harkey Blog

Mixed Emotions

As I sit in the nursery rocking her to sleep,  I can’t help but think about the future. I picture her starting kindergarten, learning to drive, and going away to college, and the tears start flowing. I know I’m getting ahead of myself but I can’t help it. The tiny little bean that was completely dependent on me for her every need now sits in the floor by herself, contently playing with her toy pots and pans. When I call her name she looks up at me across the room and smiles sweetly but then goes back to her playing. As exciting as it is to see her growing up, meeting milestones, and becoming more independent, it is heart-wrenching at the same time.  So I cry a little….that’s what moms do, right?

Where have the last 6 months gone?

It is hard for us to believe that Claire has already passed her 6 month birthday, and it really seems like only yesterday that she was a tiny newborn! She is growing like a weed and we sadly pack away more and more of the little outfits that she is becoming too big for. At this point she is wearing clothes a size larger than her age (ie. at 6 months she is easily in 9 month clothes!). Our long, slim little baby is now long and pudgy….in a healthy way!

It is amazing how much she changes week to week in terms of her personality and awareness of her surroundings.  She is soaking everything up like a little sponge, and watches everything that goes on with intensity (especially the dogs—she loves them!). Speaking of sponges, bath time is a favorite for her and she kicks and splashes with such fervor that we both end up soaked. Very soon we’ll have to put her in the big tub because of the mess factor—right now we’re still bathing her in a baby tub in the kitchen sink, but more water ends up on the floor than in the tub!

As far as “firsts” go, she rolled over for the first time on her 5 month birthday, and started sitting up unsupported a little before her 6 month birthday.  Another favorite new trick is blowing “raspberries” which she started doing at about 5 1/2 months. She also created a game that she loves to play over and over, just before she turned 6 months. When laying on her changing pad, she will reach up and grab whatever blanket or clothing is nearby, put it over her face, and lie really still. As soon as you uncover her face she grins and laughs! We did not teach her this, she started it all on her own! Her pediatrician said that this is typical of a 9 month old, so she’s obviously a little smarty pants :) She also said that her attention span and focus is more on par with an older baby, which is always nice to hear as proud parents.

As far as things like crawling, that remains to be seen. We are guessing that she may skip that altogether since she is not a big fan of tummy time—probably because she tends to spit up more when laying on her belly so we assume it’s not very comfortable for her. She really enjoys standing up (supported obviously), and will bear the majority of her weight on her own. Just needs to work on the balance part!

She has been an exclusively breast-fed baby up until 6 months, at which point we started her on solid foods in addition to her breast milk. The first food we tried was oatmeal, which she seems to really like, and then pears, which she eats but makes crazy faces at! She really wants to hold the spoon herself, so meal-time is a bit messy. She will drink from a regular cup, and seems to prefer if it is an adult-size glass (basically if we are eating or drinking something, she fights to have some too!). We’re working on the sippy cup, but she seems to prefer the more messy, open cup of course.  

Her sleep routines are up and down—we have good nights and bad nights but overall she does really well and we get enough rest. Most nights we get up once to nurse which is really not bad at all. The night of her 6 month birthday we moved her from her pack’n’play in our bedroom into her crib in the nursery. She did great and didn’t seem to realize anything had changed (that had the potential to be a difficult transition so we were relieved!).

At her 6 month wellness appointment she was a total trooper, and did not shed A SINGLE TEAR, even when she got her vaccines! She was literally smiling within 30 seconds of having a needle stuck in her pudgy little leg. I had a snack bar with me and was distracting her with that, which obviously worked like a charm. The girl likes some food, just like her mom :)

She is such a happy, interactive baby, and smiles constantly. With that said, she also has some intensity to her personality so when she does get upset, its on! She already shows signs of being a funny, quirky little girl, but also seems to already have strong opinions on what she does and does not like (and lets us know!).  We think we’re probably in for it when the toddler years start!

I’m working part-time (every Tuesday and filling in other random days), and the grandmas alternate keeping her every week. This is such an awesome arrangement for us and for her because she gets to know them and we don’t have to leave her with strangers! We are so grateful that our family is close by and willing to play an active role in her life. As hard as it is to be away from her, it just makes us appreciate her more and we are greeted with the most precious smiles from across the room when we come home!

Life with a baby is certainly not easy, but we wouldn’t trade it for anything. You really can’t wrap your mind around how much love you will have for your child until they are in your arms and you actually experience it. Life is forever changed for the better! Our Saturday nights now consist of a lot of take-out but we love just hanging out as a family of 3. Going out is over-rated anyway!