Today is my baby girl’s half birthday.
Six months old, already? It doesn’t seem possible.
At just six months, I know I’m not an expert mother.
You get sent home from the hospital with a few tips on how to keep this tiny baby alive. You have to figure out how to feed them, change them, comfort them, bathe them, get them to sleep… the list goes on.
Those first few weeks are focused solely on survival – keeping your child alive but also yourself – and how to deal with exhaustion and someone needing your care 24/7 all while recovering from birth.
It’s hard. And it wasn’t really fun.
But then she started to grow.
She started to recognize our faces and really look at us. She discovered her hands and before long knew how to use them. She started to smile and notice what was going on around her. She started to react to noises and make some noises herself.
She started blowing bubbles. She figured out how to put her pacifier back in her mouth. She found her toes and started grabbing them.
Before you know it, she was laughing and rolling and “talking” and playing and trying to sit up and stand. Her personality really started shining through.
She’s learned how to use a spoon and is trying different foods. She’s touching and feeling everything she can get her hands on. She’s taking in everything that surrounds her.
And this whole time she’s been learning, I’ve been learning too.
I know when she’s hungry, when she’s tired, or when she has an upset belly. I know how to make her smile, how to make her laugh, how to get her to sleep.
I know how to comfort her and entertain her. I know what her favorite toys and pacifiers are.
Being a mom is so hard but so rewarding. Some days you’ll want to scream and other days you can’t stop smiling.
You hear about how fast your child will grow, but it’s so different once you’re finally experiencing it.
The days are long but these six months have been short and sweet.
I can’t wait to see what all we learn in these next six months, Riley Jane.
Mornings with Mackenzie 