Much More Than A Mom | Dear Bella

Dear Bella – Six Months

bella 6 mos old Dearest Bella,

I seriously can’t believe I’ve been holding you in my arms (as opposed to in my uterus) for half a year. (Plus a week – I’m a little late. I blame it on vacation.) My biceps are starting to believe it, though. You’re at a stage right now where you want to either be held or played with actively at all times. Much of the time I absolutely love it, but it would be nice to be able to go to the bathroom and have both hands free for wiping my butt and washing my hands.

You’re not sleeping as well as you once did, but aren’t horrible either. Your naps are primarily catnaps now, between 20 and 45 minutes, unless we’re driving or walking. In which case you’ll sometimes sleep until I stop moving. At night, you’re waking more often to nurse, but I just bring you in to bed with me and I’m asleep before you’re even done nursing. You’re happiest sleeping in my armpit and, quite honestly, I’m happy when you’re there too. I know how soon you’ll no longer be a baby (though you’ll always be my baby) and I’m willing to do anything I can to bond with you and make the most of the moments we have together.

One thing I stumbled upon accidentally is that you love to sleep on your belly. I laid you in your playpen on your belly one day last week and you zonked out for a few hours. I’ve had to wrestle with the recommendations to never put a baby on their tummy for fear of SIDS death, but you are able to easily push up on your hands so I don’t think we have much to worry about. It has helped a little with getting more solid hours at night, which is nice. After sleeping through the night for almost 6 months I’m spoiled and would like to continue, please.

Your half-birthday came and went when we were on our family vacation in Fairmont Hot Springs. I sang to you and we gave you your first taste of Baby Mum Mum (a cracker that melts quickly in your mouth) to celebrate. You loved it, as you have loved everything I’ve given you in the last two weeks except rice cereal. And really, what is there to love about rice cereal? From your first taste of food, you have loved to eat. You get excited when you see me coming with the bowl and spoon. So far you’ve tasted pears, apples, blueberries, bananas, sweet potatoes, mum-mums and rice cereal. You’re still a breastmilk babe but I’m glad to know you don’t have an aversion to food or texture like some babies do. We recently discovered, also, that part of the sleep issue was that you were hungry. I’ve started giving you a snack about 8 pm (tonight you ate 1/3 of a huge banana!) and that along with the tummy sleeping, has really helped.

You are an amazingly strong child. You can sit independently for as long as you like now, and in the last week have started to rock on your bum and scoot forward to get your toys. It’s crazy! One day you were sitting in between my legs playing contentedly as I read my book, and the next day I expected the same thing but when I looked up you were a metre away!

Mommy’s friend Shannon lent us her Exersaucer a few weeks ago and you were thrilled! You love to jump and our Intellitainer doesn’t have springs so it hurts your feet when you jump in there. We have the Exersaucer in the basement so you have a little jump every evening while Daddy and I are watching t.v. Then you usually nurse and fall asleep in the crook of Daddy’s arm. He’s got the magic touch now, and he loves it.

You’re talking a lot more now than you were even a couple of weeks ago. You talk to Primo in smiles and squeals, and you’ve added consonants in the last week. When you’re upset but not quite crying you’ll say “Babababababababa-mamamamamamama-bababaaaaaaaaa!” To Daddy’s great delight, you said “Ahdada!” once this week as well. He’s been training you for that one.

Bella, you are loved, cherished and adored more than you will ever know. I am so excited and blessed to be your mother. Raising you and Primo is the best job in the world.

Love,
Mommy
xoxo