Truth: I'm struggling.
I'm struggling to blog. At some point this has become a chore. The joy has been taken out of it. No particular reason why. Maybe it is because I have been so busy lately. I am at a point where I find myself wanting to blog only when I need to complain. That is not why I blog. I don't blog to vent or complain, but to share those ultra special moments in my life. So when I am catching up on writing in Haley's baby book, I can look back in my blog and read about when and how things happened. I was re-reading the first few weeks of Haley's arrival. It hit me. This is why I blog. I loved re-reading those moments. Nothing takes you back in time like re-reading the very thoughts and words you had at that time. 6 months ago, now seems like a lifetime ago.
But I am here to stay. I won't give up on blogging. It's cheaper than a therapy. No, seriously...
Today is Haley's 6 month birthday--her half birthday if you will. It's so terribly cliche to say, but I can't believe it has been 6 months already; yet, I can't imagine my life without her. It has been an adventure, but I am loving it. I look forward to bedtime, but miss her the minute she's asleep. I still check in on her several times at night.
But in the spirit of recording the important stuff, here is 6 month life with a child.
Haley @ 6 months.....
Weighing in at about 18-19 lbs., she is a beautifully chubby baby. Finally, she is rolling over from tummy to back easily. She still hasn't rolled to back to tummy, but she doesn't care to be on her tummy, so it would make sense that she wouldn't try to do so. She can sit on her own unassisted for a very short amount of time (just a few minutes). Still no teeth, but tons of slobber and chewing on stuff, so my guess is that teeth are coming soon.
One thing I am starting to notice is how LOUD she is. Her coos have been traded in for loud shrills, grunts, yells, and demands. Heaven forbid you take the bottle out of her mouth during bottle feeding, or show her a bottle when she is hungry! She will tell you exactly what she wants. She also makes this weird hissing noise in her throat when she is playing. It is so interesting listening to her play with the different sounds and level of sounds she can make.
She currently does not like to be cuddled or even held when she is sleeping. As much as it breaks my heart, I am sure it is a good sign that she is well adjusted. She does amazing at bedtime. Her bedtime routine works amazingly well. Around 6 or 6:30 she eats some veggies. She loves peas and orange veggies but doesn't care for green beans. After dinner, it is bath time. She LOVES bath time. After bath time, it is lotion and PJ's. Generally, there is some time to play before out nighttime bottle. We read books, listen to music, or play on the floor. After playtime is a bottle around 7:30. After the bottle, I lay her in her crib, say prayers, give her a paci and turn on her projector. Within minutes, she is fast asleep. I am so lucky bedtime was quickly established. She sleeps through the night, and generally sleeps between ten and twelve hours a night.
She doesn't mind riding in the car and usually falls fast asleep anywhere we go since it's a 15 minute drive anywhere we go thanks to the fact that we live in Johnson County right now. She is not a napper. Napping has been a struggle since day one. We are lucky to get one good nap in per day. I've tried having a super strict schedule and I have also tried a flexible schedule based on her sleeping "cues". I've found that reading her cues tends to work better than a strict schedule, because her patterns seem to change so quickly. I blink, and it's like she's grown another month older. We are still working on it, but it is getting better.
Mommy and Daddy at 6 Months....
The other day I asked Ian if he thought having a kid changed our relationship. It was a dumb and obvious question, but I was just wondering about his perspective. The truth is, having a kidlet can really strain a relationship. It is a lot of work. A lot of work with a lack of sleep.
When a kid enters the picture, perspective and priorities change. It becomes a balancing act. For us, having a kid has truly brought us closer together. Ian is the most nurturing and helpful Dad, ever. I can't imagine another man out there that is willing to help out and jump in without even being asked. It is his absolute joy to spend time with Haley and take care of her. Which makes it so much easier on us. We work seamlessly as a parenting team. Parenting has brought us closer together and has given us a true feeling of unity.
But it's not all about the kidlet. A marriage that is based strictly on kids is a marriage doomed to failure. And thankfully, we still find time to be our dorky, flirty selves.
Now, I am not promoting Go get knocked up, it'll fix your marriage. Because chances are, a bad relationship will turn disastrous when you throw a kid in the mix. But luckily, we are continuing to defy the odds as a couple married young with a kid. I hope, in 50 years, I can look back and say the same thing.
The SAHM/ working a small part time job where I drag my kidlet with me ( they don't have a fancy abbreviation for that) gig is going well. It isn't as easy as it sounds, but it is the most amazing experience I have ever had, and I can't picture my life any differently. I am so grateful for Ian. He doesn't "tolerate" or "let" me stay home. It drives me nuts when people comment about how he "lets" me stay home. When we were even dating, it was understood that I intended on raising my kids as a SAHM. It is how we both envisioned our lives, so we planned accordingly. It was something we both wanted.
Right now, basketball is how I keep my sanity (besides my husbands companionship). Monday nights are my basketball nights. We are already signing up for another session, so I am super excited about that. Our last game (for this session) is this next Monday and we are playing for the 1st place title. Go us!
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Well there you have it. You have the scoop on the Abbott's with a 6 month old.
I'm struggling to blog. At some point this has become a chore. The joy has been taken out of it. No particular reason why. Maybe it is because I have been so busy lately. I am at a point where I find myself wanting to blog only when I need to complain. That is not why I blog. I don't blog to vent or complain, but to share those ultra special moments in my life. So when I am catching up on writing in Haley's baby book, I can look back in my blog and read about when and how things happened. I was re-reading the first few weeks of Haley's arrival. It hit me. This is why I blog. I loved re-reading those moments. Nothing takes you back in time like re-reading the very thoughts and words you had at that time. 6 months ago, now seems like a lifetime ago.
But I am here to stay. I won't give up on blogging. It's cheaper than a therapy. No, seriously...
Today is Haley's 6 month birthday--her half birthday if you will. It's so terribly cliche to say, but I can't believe it has been 6 months already; yet, I can't imagine my life without her. It has been an adventure, but I am loving it. I look forward to bedtime, but miss her the minute she's asleep. I still check in on her several times at night.
But in the spirit of recording the important stuff, here is 6 month life with a child.
Haley @ 6 months.....
Weighing in at about 18-19 lbs., she is a beautifully chubby baby. Finally, she is rolling over from tummy to back easily. She still hasn't rolled to back to tummy, but she doesn't care to be on her tummy, so it would make sense that she wouldn't try to do so. She can sit on her own unassisted for a very short amount of time (just a few minutes). Still no teeth, but tons of slobber and chewing on stuff, so my guess is that teeth are coming soon.
One thing I am starting to notice is how LOUD she is. Her coos have been traded in for loud shrills, grunts, yells, and demands. Heaven forbid you take the bottle out of her mouth during bottle feeding, or show her a bottle when she is hungry! She will tell you exactly what she wants. She also makes this weird hissing noise in her throat when she is playing. It is so interesting listening to her play with the different sounds and level of sounds she can make.
She currently does not like to be cuddled or even held when she is sleeping. As much as it breaks my heart, I am sure it is a good sign that she is well adjusted. She does amazing at bedtime. Her bedtime routine works amazingly well. Around 6 or 6:30 she eats some veggies. She loves peas and orange veggies but doesn't care for green beans. After dinner, it is bath time. She LOVES bath time. After bath time, it is lotion and PJ's. Generally, there is some time to play before out nighttime bottle. We read books, listen to music, or play on the floor. After playtime is a bottle around 7:30. After the bottle, I lay her in her crib, say prayers, give her a paci and turn on her projector. Within minutes, she is fast asleep. I am so lucky bedtime was quickly established. She sleeps through the night, and generally sleeps between ten and twelve hours a night.
She doesn't mind riding in the car and usually falls fast asleep anywhere we go since it's a 15 minute drive anywhere we go thanks to the fact that we live in Johnson County right now. She is not a napper. Napping has been a struggle since day one. We are lucky to get one good nap in per day. I've tried having a super strict schedule and I have also tried a flexible schedule based on her sleeping "cues". I've found that reading her cues tends to work better than a strict schedule, because her patterns seem to change so quickly. I blink, and it's like she's grown another month older. We are still working on it, but it is getting better.
Mommy and Daddy at 6 Months....
The other day I asked Ian if he thought having a kid changed our relationship. It was a dumb and obvious question, but I was just wondering about his perspective. The truth is, having a kidlet can really strain a relationship. It is a lot of work. A lot of work with a lack of sleep.
When a kid enters the picture, perspective and priorities change. It becomes a balancing act. For us, having a kid has truly brought us closer together. Ian is the most nurturing and helpful Dad, ever. I can't imagine another man out there that is willing to help out and jump in without even being asked. It is his absolute joy to spend time with Haley and take care of her. Which makes it so much easier on us. We work seamlessly as a parenting team. Parenting has brought us closer together and has given us a true feeling of unity.
But it's not all about the kidlet. A marriage that is based strictly on kids is a marriage doomed to failure. And thankfully, we still find time to be our dorky, flirty selves.
Now, I am not promoting Go get knocked up, it'll fix your marriage. Because chances are, a bad relationship will turn disastrous when you throw a kid in the mix. But luckily, we are continuing to defy the odds as a couple married young with a kid. I hope, in 50 years, I can look back and say the same thing.
The SAHM/ working a small part time job where I drag my kidlet with me ( they don't have a fancy abbreviation for that) gig is going well. It isn't as easy as it sounds, but it is the most amazing experience I have ever had, and I can't picture my life any differently. I am so grateful for Ian. He doesn't "tolerate" or "let" me stay home. It drives me nuts when people comment about how he "lets" me stay home. When we were even dating, it was understood that I intended on raising my kids as a SAHM. It is how we both envisioned our lives, so we planned accordingly. It was something we both wanted.
Right now, basketball is how I keep my sanity (besides my husbands companionship). Monday nights are my basketball nights. We are already signing up for another session, so I am super excited about that. Our last game (for this session) is this next Monday and we are playing for the 1st place title. Go us!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well there you have it. You have the scoop on the Abbott's with a 6 month old.
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