It's so hard to believe that 9 months of pregnancy have come and gone. All the fears of labor and delivery are over. Our son has been home with us and settled and we have now been parents for 6 months. Our baby is no longer a baby but a cooing, waving, crawling and biting(ouch) 6 month old boy.
He is such a joy and to say that he fills my heart with love is an understatement. His smiles when I lean over his crib in the morning and pick him up. His belly laughs when I tickle his neck. The way he glances up at me and smiles when I am cooking in the kitchen warms my heart. It's only been 6 months but the struggles of sleep deprivation, feeding a newborn every 2 hours and the woes of colic and reflux are a "distant" memory now.
Crewson turned 6 months on July 4th and we even celebrated with a tiny cupcake. No.. he didn't eat the cake or the icing, really, I blew out his candle and I ate the cupcake! Happy 6 months postpartum to mwah!
Crewson is finally sleeping (almost) through the night, usually waking once around 1:30-2:30 to nurse and then back to bed until 6:30-8:00. He goes down without a hitch most nights after a warm bath, stories, prayers and a little song from his momma. I cannot sing and I don't pretend to but until that little boy can tell me otherwise I am his favorite vocalist these days. Crewson also started taking naps last week, again... hallelujah! I was really struggling to find help online and even asked his pediatrician what I could do. I am not kidding when I say up to this point this kid wouldn't sleep at all during the day unless in the car or in his stroller and it's just too hot to be walking him in the stroller outdoors. I seriously considered putting his stroller on a treadmill. Don't worry I didn't! So, anyways, I ran across an article late one night that spoke of the 2,3,4 rule. It worked like a charm, literally the next day and honestly it was more about me than Crewson.
Simply put, Crewson wakes up around 8 am and I was to put him down for his first nap around 10 am (two hours after he woke). Then, after he wakes from his first nap I am to put him down again three hours after waking from nap one. Then again, put him down for bedtime four hours after waking from his second nap. Now, I understand that this plan isn't totally reliable every day but on the days when I am home with him and we can plan our schedule accordingly it works amazingly well. Within a day we went from no naps to two naps, in his crib and for the first time in 6 months I was allowed to clean, shower, sleep, whatever I wanted baby free while he got the rest he needs.
Crewson also gained two teeth this month. He's been "teething" for months it seems but I found two tiny white specks late one night before bed and they've been getting larger and larger ever since. I wish I could say that he's using those teeth to eat but not so much. He started out as a super picky eater, making funny faces every time we tried pureed veggies or fruit but thanks to some persistence despite Crew's dismay, he now will allow me to feed him almost any fruit or veggie for at least a few spoonfuls. Luckily we don't have to worry about Crew getting enough to eat, if you've seen the kid you would agree he's not lacking in his gains! His chubby thighs would give any NFL player a run for their money!
Crew was right on track at his 6 month check up! He is weighing in at 17 lb 10 oz, 27 inches long and his noggin' is a little large. As they tell me in the office, "He's just a little top heavy." He loves baths and splashing water all over our walls and floor. He likes to play in his exersaucer and on the floor. He's no longer a child that I can put down and walk away. He's quickly learning how to inch worm and roll across the room so baby proofing is a must in the next month. He is really happy unless he's tired and then it's game over. This new nap schedule has helped me better plan our day to his and my own advantage. He's a happier, well rested baby and I am a happier, well rested momma.
This month especially has shown me just how fast time is flying by. When a recent memory popped up on my homepage reminding me of our gender reveal party one year ago, I teared up remembering that night. I remember the ultrasound tech announcing "it's a boy" to Casey and I while we both cried in that tiny dark room. I remember walking into stores looking at little boy clothes and surprising our family the next night with a blue fireworks show. It feels like just the other day and in fact it's been a whole year. My pregnancy is over and our son is settled into our family. Looking back I am so thankful for my healthy baby boy and each day we get to enjoy him. I am thankful for the way God has stretched me as a new mom. I never knew and I certainly had no idea going into parenthood just how hard this mom thing would be. I've cried and yelled and prayed in times of such weakness. I've been broken physically, mentally and emotionally over the past 6 months but I wouldn't trade any of it.
God is teaching me so much through this journey of becoming a mom to my son and I pray that he continues to do so. He is stretching me and Casey as parents and as a husband and wife. He is showing me a new glimpse at how full life can be while also showing me just how weak I am without Him. We sing a song in our church titled "Grace Like A Wave" and man, oh man has that song found new meaning in my life. At one point the song goes "grace comes like a wave, crashing over me" and later in the song it goes "wash over me." I cling to this truth these days as I learn how to be a mom to my son and a wife to my husband while juggling new responsibilities. I learned very quickly that I can't do it alone. That saying "it takes a village" that's no joke. It takes our family, friends and our church to keep us afloat and most of all it takes me being covered in the grace and love that only my Father provides. If I try to stand on my own here, I fall every time, back into my puddle of "I can't do this", "it's so hard", "I didn't expect this" but if I cling to my Father and the grace He provides and the love that He gives me every day then I have strength to keep going and keep pushing forward.
I'm so thankful for this journey; the good and the bad. The trials and the triumphs. I love my son and the beautiful being that he is. I love my husband and the dad that he is learning to be. I love the way my Father is making me into the mother, wife and woman that I need to be for my family.