Six months. Half a year. How is my sweet baby girl six months old when it feels like only yesterday I was first cradling her in my arms? It is surreal to me how much more quickly time passes as soon as you have a baby. It’s like someone presses the fast forward button and you just want to hit pause.
Before I get to the update, I want to apologize for my lack of blogging. I’ve been so busy with life that by the end of the day sometimes the energy just isn’t there. Everytime I’m around my house I think about things I want to post about or posts that have been requested like how I orgnize Harper’s clothes, what our weekly routine is like, crafts I have been working on, etc, and it just all gets away from me and I always end up finding something around the house that needs to get done (like a bajillion loads of laundry), crafts that need to be made (I’m making my ornaments as gifts this year) and spending Harper’s awake time with her. Having said that, I’m going to try to work on getting motivated to create more posts because there’s so much I want to share.
I say this every month, but we’ve seen a whirlwind of changes lately. Harper can sit now, unassisted, for long periods of time. She went from falling forward or backward a lot to just getting it one day and she’s been loving to sit ever since. She also loves to stand and can stand with a tiny bit of support or using an object as support, like the ottoman in her nursery. She has zero interest in crawling right now, but can scoot her way around her crib when she’s on her belly. She also recently started to “reach out” to us when she wants to be picked up or sees us coming to pick her up. It’s adorable. I know this is just normal baby stuff, but whoa, it totally blows us away to experience it.
She is also babbling a lot and we are seeing her personality emerge more and more each day. She’s all over the place—one moment she’s “reading” (more like eating) a book and the next she’s grabbing a toy or smiling as we sing to her. She’s more alert and more interested in everything around her.
Sometimes, if she wakes up at 4 or 5 a.m., we just bring her into our room so she can sleep for another couple of hours. I was always the one who said we would NEVER (ever ever ever) have our baby in our bed, and now I am eating my damn words because it happens often—and always on weekends when we catch a few extra hours of sleep. I think the important thing is to co-sleep (or bedshare, shall I say) as safely as possible. We have a king sized bed which leaves her ample space to herself right in the middle and we don’t cover her with blankets or have any pillows near her. We also sleep at the very edges of our respective sides of the bed so she has a lot of space. And, this is obvious, but neither of us drinks or uses any kinds of sleeping medications when we bring her into bed with us, which is important. I will fully admit I used to judge people who did this, but now, I totally understand why people do it. I personally wouldn’t want to bedshare all of the time because I like that she sleeps in her crib, but a few hours here and there work for us.
Social: We’ve noticed that Harper has started to have some “stranger danger” in some places where there are lots of people. The first time it happened I was so shocked because she usually smiles back at people and doesn’t mind seeing new people and being in new places. I read in my Wonder Weeks app to expect this and boy were they right. That app is always so spot-on. It really depends though—today, for example, we went out to eat and she was smiling at our waiter and totally okay with all of the strangers she saw. In terms of interaction with other babies—she is still in daycare three days a week and our teachers tell us the babies are all noticing one another more and interacting a bit. We had a pow-wow recently for all of the daycare families and it was fun to see the babies together since we all pick up and drop off at different times and don’t often have that time together.
Diet: I am still exclusively pumping for Harper (read more about my pumping story here) and I still produce just a little more than she needs, which I’m thankful for. At this point I am considering donating my breast milk that’s in the freezer because I don’t know if I will ever get around to using it. A lot of people told me my supply might tank once I went back to work, but it hasn’t at all. I still pump between 33-37 ounces per day (I track each pumping session on my BabyConnect app). I’m not sure why there’s that few ounce discrepancy, but sometimes I produce just a little more or less on any given day.
For feeding solids, we decided to stick with the AAP’s recommendations that babies should be exclusively fed breastmilk (or formula) until they are 6 months old. This seems to be an unpopular choice based on other moms who I’ve talked to that started sooner and to be honest, we were excited to start solids, but we felt best just sticking with the recommendations of the AAP and our pediatrician and Harper seemed more ready to start solids at about five and a half months than earlier anyway. That’s when she really started to notice and take an interest in our food.
We fed her her first solids—sweet potato on Saturday, just a few days after her 6 month birthday. We skipped over rice cereal, but I did buy some Earth’s Best baby oatmeal to try. We are using the book “Baby Love” as a guide to make all of her food. She didn’t love the sweet potato, but we tried again today and she took about 2 spoons worth. Everyone has told me that it’s normal for babies to take awhile to like food and to just keep offering it. We are going to try peas, pears, apples and avocado soon too. It will be fun to watch her try all of the different foods and see her reactions. We are loving our Boon Flair highchair and our beaba feeding spoons.
Likes: Being picked up, sitting, standing with support, bottles, pacis, books she can eat, playing “airplane,” new places, lulu.
Postpartum: I am so thrilled that I met my first breastfeeding goal of 6 months! I know it doesn’t seem like a big deal, but it was such a struggle for us and exclusive pumping isn’t easy, but I made it and I’m very proud. As I mentioned before, my second goal is a year and if my supply keeps up, I will continue. There are no signs so far of it slowing down so I hope that is a good sign for these next six months.
I still pump five times a day and some days four. Eventually, I would like to go down to four pumps a day but have been weary to try it because I worry about supply (even though the days I do four pumps I get the same amount of milk or even a little more than usual). I might try to wean down to four pumps per day at 8 months or so.
The one frustrating thing about pumping is feeling like you’re always watching the clock and not being able to leave the house or do much at all without thinking “when is the next time I have to pump.” I basically make all of my plans around it. I think I hate pumping most on weekends because I wish that time was just all “free time” where I didn’t have to think about it. Everytime I want to throw my pumping parts in the trash, I remind myself how blessed I am to have gone for this long and how imprortant this goal is to me.
In other news—this really kind of happened at 5 months, but I am back down to pre-pregnancy weight! Some days I’m about a pound or two under my pre-pregnancy weight. Too bad losing the weight doesn’t mean getting back the body you once had, LOL! I know pumping has largely contributed to my weightloss with all of those extra calories burned and I will admit that I’m seriously worried about weaning because I eat so much now (I’m ravenous all the time) and I wonder if I will continue to be that hungry even after I stop (hopefully not, because that would be no beuno, lol).
Emotion wise, I feel pretty good. I am happy at work and have settled even more into a good routine but I do have some days where it’s extra tough (by the way I’ve had multiple requests to share our weekly routine, so I will do a post about that soon). I also have major road rage. There is construction going on on the route I take home everyday and there aren’t really alternate routes that would significantly reduce my driving time, so I’ve had a lot of angry car moments on the way to daycare because every minute I spend in traffic means a minute less of those precious evening hours with the baby. It is so frustrating to drive in this city.
I also had a breakdow at the beggining of November because there were some days I literally had 45 mins to an hour with the baby because of traffic and Houston’s horrendous drivers. I remember saying to myself “this isn’t how I imagined life as a working mom“, and so in order to keep my sanity and have more time with Harper, I started to leave work at 4 p.m. most days. I get to work earlier than most of my colleagues (I always have) and I hardly ever take a lunch and just eat at my desk and continue to work, but I always felt guilty about leaving earlier. Finally, I had a “come to Jesus” moment with myself and realized that I had to stop feeling guilty and I had to do what was best for my family and so that I felt there was some balance in my life. If you’re a mom who works outside of the home, I’m sure you’re just like me— you feel guilty being away from your baby and also guilty leaving work early. But something’s got to give and you have to do what gets you through the day—and for me, that’s coming in earlier and leaving earlier. I meet and exceed my goals at work, so I don’t know why I was feeling guilty, but slowly, I’m allowing myself to feel good about my choices. I realize having a flexible schedule is not an option for a lot of working moms, but I’m greatful to have bosses who feel the same way as I do about work/life balance.
Thanks for reading and I hope you all had a happy Sunday! Here’s to a great week too.. 🙂
Harper is wearing…
Tutu dress- Baby Gap
Hair bow- Willow Crowns, c/o
Schnelle says
She is such a little chunk- love all of those little rolls! The monthly photos are the best idea ever but the last two months have been tough because Aubrey just wants to rip the stickers off now! I always frowned upon co sleeping too but we take naps together sometimes and we have brought her into our bed a lot lately! We just started sleep training though so I'm really trying to not do that anymore. We were having some sleep issues and our pedi basically said we need to stop caving and spoiling before we create a really bad habit. He said it would take a week because of the habit we created but it only took 2 days for her to start STTN again. I'm still pumping 5x a day at 10 months and I really want to drop a pump too. It was only a month and a half ago that I stopped pumping at 4am. I'm so paranoid about loosing my supply. I totally feel like a slave to the pump too. Sometimes if we are going somewhere I'll just pump early so I have 4 hours to run around or go someplace. I also bring my pump with me sometimes and pump in the car if need be. It's so hard sometimes. The things we do for our little girls, right?!
[email protected] says
OMG! I must insist you stop pumping at 4 am! I do pump at 5:30 am because that's my first pump after I wake up. Is 4 am your normal wake up time? I know what you mean- I pump early too if I need to leave. I even to 5 hours sometimes and my supply Isn't affected. Do you track how much you pump everyday? Good for you for sticking with it! 🙂 proud of you!
Schnelle says
4 am was her wakeup time for a while. I would pump around midnight and would wake at 4 to pump again because I had a supply dip and the LC told me not to go more than 4 hours between pumps. Between that and power pumping, my supply increased drastically and has been great. Yes, I do keep track. I'm pumping a little more than she is taking in, so I'm thankful for that. I have so much frozen milk that I've thought about donating too. I feel so fortunate to have a supply that I'd love to share the wealth. It's something that I'm going to look into. So proud of you as well- especially with the rough start you had- you are doing fantastic!
Judy says
What time do you put Harper to sleep each night? My baby is 3 months old and she gets her last 4-5 ounce bottle at 7-7:30 pm but I still do a dream feed (2-3) ounces at 10 pm. I'm trying to ween her from the 10 pm feed but I'm afraid she'll start to wake up through the night. She currently eats on a schedule every 3 hours and is sleeping between 8-7am. My pediatrician says to just feed her when she's hungry instead of on a schedule but I'm nervous it's going to throw off her sleeping. Also about how many feedings does Harper get? Thanks so much for sharing so much of your first 6 months of motherhood it's helped a lot of new moms who are right behind you. -j
[email protected] says
Typically we start bath time around 6:30 and she has her bottle and is asleep by 7. We
Feed her about every 3 hours during the day but she is not on a schedule– even at daycare they feed on demand. I think schedules are convenient but they don't take into account things like growth spurts during which time a baby may want to eat more
Often so we always just fed her on demand when she was hungry even if that was every 2-2.5 hours. Harper eats about 27-30 ounces a day. On days where she eats a lot,
[email protected] says
It could be up to 36 ounces
But that's not typical
Ditto That says
She is so perfect! I love the one with her checking out Lulu…and you can definitely see the red hair coming in now:) Enjoy every minute of this!
Patrice
dittothatstyle.blogspot.com
Ellie says
This was such an awesome recap and I thoroughly enjoyed reading every bit of it! Omgness Harper is sooooo cute and I just love her expressive countenance. Also, I have to say that you're doing such an amazing job with her and you work so hard at everything you do even if there's barely any time left in your day–which is something I admire and truly applaud you for. I'm also pretty curious to see how my appetite is going to be once I start to wean….To be honest, I'm not eating that much more than pre-breastfeeding but I'm definitely more lenient with eating sweets than I used to be–so hopefully I'll be able to cut back just a bit or else–no bueno! 😛
Noemi says
Oh my god she is so cute !
When you start solids, life becomes funnier lol. Aria started at 4.5 months and she loved it right away. The doctor told us that a few spoons – at the beginning – were enough, but she wanted more and more. Now she eats all kinds of veggies and fruits, a bit of meat and fish too.
I think it's amazing that as working mums we still want to make our own baby food. I always say "don't give to your baby things you wouldn't eat" 🙂
Ashley @ Words About Waverly says
Happy six months!!!! Congrats on breastfeeding!!!
wordsaboutwaverly.blogspot.com
pretty little things says
omg she is adorable!! xo
https://allthingsprettyandlittle.blogspot.com
Jenn says
The girls just wore this dress on Thanksgiving! I posted pics today. My favorite…so cute! Harper is growing so beautifully and is just gorgeous. You're doing a great job mommy (and daddy!). xo ~Jenn
http://www.twobytwomom.com
Erin says
Hi Veronika! Long time reader, but not too talkative! I am so glad to read you were able to push past the feeling of guilt about leaving work earlier than most. I too live in Houston and have a 15 month old daughter and found myself getting no time with her during the week. I adjusted my schedule and leave work at 4 as appose to 5 and I also struggled with this for some time.
Harper is just such a doll, its so fun watching her grow … thank you for sharing her with us!
Adrienne says
LOL'd at the pic of crying — is that terrible? hehe
Caroline says
Those chunky thighs!!! I love her and how she's always so smiley 🙂
Andrea Clare says
her red hair kills me! so cute!!
Megan {Willow Way Blog} says
I totally know what you mean about being at your pre-baby weight but not having the same body. I'm 11 lbs less than when I got pregnant and feel like I'm finally there. I ate my words on having Olivia in bed with us too. That's parenting though, you do what works for you 🙂
Nicole says
Congratulations on making it to 6 months pumping! I know exactly what you mean about pumping running your life- I pumped 8x a day for 7 months and it was hell. Pure hell. And I still had to supplement with formula. I ended up stopping at 7-8 months because I was so depressed about pumping that much and still needing to supplement. You are doing a great job and deserve a lot of credit! I also agree with you on waiting until 6 months- we did BLW and started at 6 months, but most of my friends started way before even though the 6 month rec is well-researched and widely accepted at this point. Oh, and it took my daughter 2-3 months to really get into food as nourishment rather than something to play with.
Thanks for the update- I loved reading it!
Lijana Shestopal says
Hi Veronika! Love your blog! I am not sure if I missed it or you haven't posted on the topic yet. How and when did you transition Harper into her own room? My little one is 2.5 months old and I am thinking it might be time, but it is quite difficult to do..
Emily says
Haha, the monthly photos are great, but just you wait another month or two….Harper will NOT want to sit still and will probably try to crawl away every chance she gets! And she will probably also try and rip her sticker off, as my son always tries to do now! I love having the monthly photos too, but they definitely get more comical as the months go on 🙂 I'm thankful I only have two more to do with my son, it's getting to be a real challenge now that he walks and is all over the place!
Carolina Belle says
What is it about the sight of chubby baby thighs that turns a girl into mush! I think my favorite pic of this set is the one of her throwing a fit – she's pitiful! Your dog is precious too, I think it's awesome that he and Harper are BFF.
July says
Hi 🙂 I haven't commented before. But I have been following your blog since you were pregnant. I just has a little girl back in August, so Harper and Milly are 2 months apart! I wanted to finally take the time to write and say that your baby posts have been so helpful. The last couple of months have been a roller coaster, but I have looked forward to your updates, as our babies have a lot of similarities. It's been nice to know some things that I can anticipate. I wanted to ask you if Harper is on any kind of schedule? Also, I would love to read a post about how you are managing your morning routines as working parents. My husband and I are still trying to figure it out, and each morning feels like a rushed hot mess!
Thank you so much, and I look forward of future Harper posts!
Ella Pretty Blog says
I'm so glad you are able to leave work earlier and realized you shouldn't feel guilty about that – and so amazing that you have a boss who supports you!
Also SO impressed with your commitment to pumping and congrats on reaching your 6 month goal!
Loved reading this update!
Jan says
Harper is so adorable. Can she get into sitting position by herself or are you propping he rup ? If its the latter , I would hihgly encourage you to read this article
https://mamaot.com/2013/07/14/to-sit-or-not-to-sit-developing-functional-sitting-skills-in-babies/
Babies need to learn how to get into sitting and not placed in sitting position , i know you would like to do whats best for your child. So read the article so you can understand better.
[email protected] says
Jan—I think I am okay since I read this part of the article: Though I’m advocating for more time on the floor (tummy, back, side) until baby is a functional sitter, there is a time and place for sitting baby upright. When your baby can sit upright without the need for propping by baby gear or with their own hands, it is safe to have supervised independent sit time on the floor. You can also support your baby in sitting on your lap, engaging in fun play and movement games. And who doesn’t love a game of “timber” on the bed?!?!?
We have supervised sitting time and we still do lots of tummy time. 🙂
Jan says
Great! Glad you took time to read the article. Too many parents confuse sitting and functional sitting and prop their baby up in that position without giving them the opportunity to learn that skill. Tummy time does wonders for all sorts of gross motor skills 🙂
Dewa says
Love her rolls!!!! Seeing her makes me sad that my little guy is losing his. He's getting all tall and skinny and hardly looks like a baby anymore! Anyways, love your updates! 😉
Jennifer Belle says
oh she is delish! those legs!
Seven says
She is so precious with Lulu! The way he is sitting makes his poor little leg looks funny though, haha
[email protected] says
His leg has been turned out like that since he was little. We asked out vet and they don't know why but it doesn't hurt him, thankfully.
Anna says
She's so cute! Where does the time go though? Haha! I love reading other peoples updates of their children – because they all develop at different ages. My son – who's nearly 8 months – is now only really sitting for longer periods without toppling over. And he is moving around whilst on the floor – a mixture of rolling and pulling himself along with his arms. He doesn't seem interested in really crawling. He'll get in the position though – but it's like it's too much for him.
Also with food, he'd been showing signs of wanting to eat solids since he was 4 months old. But we held off till 2 weeks before his 6 month birthday. By then I'd had enough of him getting upset every meal time because he wasn't getting any – even though I'd just breastfed him. But I just started on baby rice & porridge.
Congratulations on the breast feeding for 6 months. I can't imagine how hard it is to do via pumping. As I'm back at work, I now pump for that, but I only do that 4 days a week & 2/3 times a day.
DiamondsandTulle says
The comment about her chunky butt! 🙂 I just about fell off the chair laughing! So well loved and well off my family would say! She is just too adorable!