Rho Is 6 Months!
I can hardly believe I have a 6-month-old. Part of me feels like I just gave birth yesterday while the other part of me feels like I just finished a marathon. We made it and I feel SO proud of us and our tribe for getting this girl to where she is today. I was thinking about how I'd like to recap our monthly milestones with Rhona and I thought it'd be fun to share some things we've learned along the way about her and myself. Motherhood has changed just about every relationship I've had for the better and that little bundle of joy has taught me a lot about myself that I never would've known before.
6 things about Rhona:
She LOVES whenever we sing to her. Our go-to for every grumpy car ride, fussy evening or when we just want a smile out of her, we sing.
Physical touch and closeness is her definitely her love language - just like her mama! Her happiest place is in our arms or sitting close to us while she plays.
We keep waiting for her to like her car seat, but we learned that she just may not ever like it until we transition her into a convertible car seat that is front-facing. Two. Years. From now.
She loves being outside as much as she loves being home (like me, again). She lights up whenever we go outside and does a little shimmy when she's in my arms - even when we're just going out to get the mail. I smile just thinking about it! When we get home, as soon as she gets on her play mat or jumper, she gets SO happy. She starts babbling and doesn't know where to start playing first.
This girl loves solid foods. And even more than that, she loves sitting at the table with us while we all eat together. We got this seat from a dear mama that brought it to my MOPS group one week and we love how it straps onto one of our dining chairs so she can sit right at the dining table with us.
She knows how to fake cry / whine. She'll do this thing where she tries not to laugh or smile when she is a little crabby even if she wants to smile!! We do our best not to give in to it but there are times when that pouty bottom lip is just too powerful.
6 things I've learned about myself:
Now that I'm a SAHM, I realized I don't know how to make friends. Big problem because we're in a new place without family members or many friends nearby. Mom dating is real. If a potential new mom friend is reading this, I'll see you at Target then?
This quote by Rudy Francisco pretty much sums it up for me right now: "I'm still learning to love the parts of me that no one claps for."
After trying numerous oatmeal recipes and brands of pre-packaged oatmeal, I can only tolerate the oat and flax instant oatmeal kind from Whole Foods or Trader Joe's (which are the same, btw). Go figure. If only I actually loved this breastmilk boosting food. Give this stuff a try if you're not into oats but want some of the benefits!
I'm learning that life isn't always easy, even after just now having practically about everything I’ve dreamt of these last three years and that it's okay.
A few things I need every day: Quiet time to myself, to drink my coffee hot, and to have brushed my teeth before 9am. I will OBSESS over these things until I do them. Routine queen.
Coming out of the worst of the postpartum anxiety feels victorious but boy, was it a struggle for me. I didn't anticipate going through any of it and it honestly caught me off guard, so walking through it blindly was one of the more fearful parts about it. I had no idea about this part of motherhood. Now, I have a whole new respect for anyone who has or is working towards a healthy emotional / mental balance in their life. It's tough but hang in there! You are human and incredible, you are!
