Six Months

Saturday marked the six month of Sarah's life. It's funny how having a baby changes your life, right down to how quickly time seems to fly. I swear it was just last week I was discharged from the hospital, not knowing what was in store for me. But looking back at the calender, I can see that in all actuality 6 months has truly elapsed since her birth. Before Sarah was here six months seemed like such a long time, but now it's really just the blink of an eye.

In the six months that she has been here with us, she has managed to wedge herself into this family's very core. Everyone loves her so much and I can't really remember what it was like to not have her. I am so excited to see the person she will become. She has already changed so much. We had a tiny, helpless newborn. She was clueless about this world and we were just as clueless about her. But now, oh the stories we have. She's such a great eater, sitter, scooter, bouncer, laugher, and talker. All of these milestones keep flying by like the lines dividing the lanes on a highway.

I just cannot believe how different my life is from six months ago. I was hugely pregnant and just ready to have my baby. I was SO over it all and just wanted to be a mother. Planning for a family doesn't make you prepared for the reality of parenting and all that it entails. No matter how you imagine it, reality is different. Some things are so much worse and others are so much better. Thinking you are prepared and being prepared are two VERY different things. The last six months have taught me so much about myself, my husband, and most importantly my daughter. I can see bits and pieces of her personality begin to emerge and I know I am in for such an amazing ride with this little one. I pray everyday for the wisdom, strength, and patience that I will need.

Her six month check up was today. She's 15 lb 12.8 oz. (45%) Her length is 25 1/2 inches (40%) and her head circumference is 43 cm. (70%) Her head jumped thirty percentile points since last time. No big deal though, my family is full of big headed people. She did wonderfully with her exam and cried for just a few minutes after her shots. We are now moving to THREE solid meals a day and introducing some new foods! YAY!

The pediatrician is really pleased with her growth and development. Sarah is ahead of schedule with some things like sitting and crawling. But there is one area that needs some work, sleeping. We need to figure out how to get her to fall asleep on her own and stay asleep. Her sleeping patterns have improved by leaps and bounds, but we still have some issues. She fights me on every single nap and at bedtime. Sometimes she struggles for just a few minutes and other times it's it's an hour or more. I really think she just doesn't want to miss anything and she's afraid that something exciting will happen while she's asleep. A few months ago this was a huge stresser for me but if I'm going to be truly honest, I am not that stressed about it anymore. She's doing great developmentally and growing like a weed. (We are in 6-9 month clothes already.*Tear*) So I must be doing something right. Sleep will come when it does, if I have to deal with a bit of a fight and a 5 AM feeding than I can do that. Some mamas have it much worse.

To end this huge long post I just want to say that these past six months with Sarah have been the most emotionally charged time in my life. I have experienced great joy, frustration,and sadness, but overall there has been an amazing and intense love that I have never felt before. I helped create something, someONE, so beautiful and perfect. As each day passes I love her so much more and that is what it is all about. My daughter has taught me to love unconditionally and everyone in my life is benefiting from it. So thank you Sarah for coming to my life and making it such a joyful experience.