When I say that Bennett turns 6 months old today, that doesn’t seem like a long time… but if I reword that to, it has been half a year… I am taken aback. I still remember it like it was yesterday. Actually… 6 months ago at this time (7 am), I was pushing, desperately trying to get Bennett out. I can’t believe that half a year has come and vanished. Gone. Where though??? My baby is looking less and less like the newborn I delicately brought home and more like a energetic little boy who is eager to explore the world.
I thank God everyday for choosing me to be Bennett’s mom. He is pretty much perfect… just like his mama. 😉 ACTUALLY, we have our ups and down just like any other family. As much as Facebook makes my life look perfect, it’s not. I just don’t post my family’s shortcomings publicly. Facebook is literally just the best of the best moments of my life. You don’t see my tears of frustrations that come with mamahood or the arguments between Patrick and I. What??? We argue? Yes. hahah. Or the 7 other outfits I tried on and took off because my mama body didn’t feel comfortable in them. You only see the “I love my life” moments. My life has hard moments, joyous moments, tiring moments, exhausted moments, exciting moments, frustrated moments, peaceful moments, thankful moments…. the list could go on forever. That what a family is though. You do life together, you embrace each other through all the good and the bad. There has been a lot more good than bad in these past 6 months though. My sweet sweet Bennett has brought more joy to Patrick and I’s life than he will ever understand… until he has his own baby one day.
So, what is Mr. B doing at 6 months? Too much!!! Just kidding… kind of. He is growing up way too fast and is constantly making his daddy and I proud. This past month has been a big one. He is officially mobile. He can roll to places to reach toys and has started an army crawl… that he only does out of frustration. We can’t leave him anywhere! I had the vaccum in the living room a good 10 feet away from him and he rolled to it and I came back to him chewing on the cord!!! Parenting fail. Let me go ahead and write my name on the shame board. Sigh. We are starting to see all the things in our home that are no longer safe for him. For example, glass coasters that easily fall of the coffee table… they almost fell on me and I immediately threw them in the trash. So, now we have dollar store cork ones!
Bennett is an observer. He watches everything intently and soaks it all up. If we are outside he stares at the trees as the wind blows them and tries to identify all the different sounds he hears. He prefers for Patrick or I to hold him if we are out and about…. meaning, it takes him some time to warm up to people. The first time I have ever seen him freak out was at Patrick’s 30th birthday party. Everyone arrived at once and he just broke down. Like, only wanted me to hold him, didn’t want to be near anyone. We are learning that he does better when he can warm up to everyone.
He absolutely loves water. He loves a bath or playing in the tub or holding his hand under the spout as the water comes out. In the next month or so we will be getting him a kiddie pool for the back porch so we can spend the warm summer days out there. 🙂
We started food this past month! Breastfeeding is a time commitment and at times I have wanted to give up but we made it 5 1/2 months of exclusively breastfeeding! I originally didn’t want to start food until after 6 months BUT Bennett was so ready. He would watch us eat which was cute… but then he started whimpering when he couldn’t have any food. So, we finally decided it was time. We aren’t doing the traditional baby food route like most. We decided on Baby Led Weaning. If you get the chance, you should read the book. It just made so much sense to me and I knew that was the route I wanted to take with Bennett. His first food were zucchini spears. He absolutely loved them. He wasn’t too keen on sweet potatoes, which surprised Patrick and I but he loved squash. We are slowly letting him try new things and he is absolutely loving it.
For the past 2 or 3 months, Bennett has been sleeping through the night.. We start bedtime around 7:15 or 7:30 and he wakes up around 6:30 or 7. He sleeps with a crocheted blanket that he loves to pull over his face or wrap himself up by rolling in it. The fact that he sleeps though the night is the only reason I am as productive as I am. It’s funny, when you’re going through the middle of the night feedings and the waking up every 3 or 4 hours, you don’t know how you’re going to survive. Now though? I am forgetting what it was like… which is what happens with the birth part as well. You forget how hard it was which makes you want to do it all over again! Let’s not run crazy with that thought though!
Bennett still doesn’t have teeth even though he is teething fiercely. If it’s near his mouth, it’s going in. He doesn’t care whose hand it is or what toy it is. He just wants to chew on it. He has upgraded to trying to chew on both of his hands at the same time. I enjoy that he doesn’t have teeth because breastfeeding a baby with teeth seems like sticking your breast in a piranha’s mouth… but I do wish they would go ahead and poke through and give him some relief.
He loves loves loves music! Hearing Patrick play the guitar is always a favorite.
He is still spitting up but it doesn’t bother him very often. Don’t look at our carpet too closely… little man has learned how to roll off of the blanket we put him on just to vomit on the carpet. Sigh. Spit up has become an accessory for my daily wardrobe. I put on a jacket to go grocery shopping yesterday and realized I had dried up spit up all down the arm that I had somehow missed. That’s the life of a mom though!
Bennett is pretty reserved in the thrill seeking area of life. He isn’t very fond of being thrown up in he air or feeling like he is falling. He actually gets startled easily but at least he normally laughs after his minor “oh my gosh what just happened” spasms. He was the same way in the womb with loud noises so it’s kind of funny to see it in person now. He does love a good game of peek a boo though! He just has to know you’re playing peek a boo 😉
Overall the past 6 months have been the best of my life. We are at such a fun stage and age with Bennett. I can’t say that I wish we would have done this sooner because I loved the season of just Patrick and I… but I absolutely wouldn’t change a thing now. We joke that we can’t remember what life was like before Bennett… but it’s true. In 6 months our lives have completely changed. Literally everything is different… but life is so so good. I cherish every time I get to rock Bennett to sleep or snuggle with him or cradle him in my arms because I know that the days of my baby being a baby are quickly fading. As much as I want him to stay little forever, I want him to grow, explore, learn and become an amazing man. 6 months have literally vanished… he will be 1 before I know it. I’ll have a walking talking little human by my side sooner than I can finish my cup of coffee (that I have reheated 3 times).
Bennett Journey, you are amazing. You’re a light in a dark world. You are a gift to your dad and I. You are sweet and loving and all around great. I pray that a day never goes by that you feel unloved. I won’t ever be able to fully put into words how much I love you… it’s just not possible. 6 months ago, you came into this world and in that blubbery exhausted moment, so much love that I didn’t know existed swelled in my heart. I didn’t know it was possible to love you the way that I do. I pray that I’m the mom that you can find refuge and saftey in and that I love you the way that God loves us. I pray that I am clothed in patience and grace and selflessness. I pray that I never focus on your shortcomings or failures. I pray that I can be a good role model for you as you grow up. I pray that you come to know who you are in Christ as soon as possible and that He has great plans for your life. I pray that I have as many days as possible to be your mama. No matter how old you are, you’ll always be the little newborn that made me a mom. I pray you use your smile and dimples to brighten other peoples lives. You have a way of bringing joy wherever you go. I love you Bennett Journey, you’re one of the best things that has ever happened to me. Happy 6 months.
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