Sullivan: 6 Months

Dear Sullivan,

Happy half birthday, or halfy birthday, as I've heard other people put it! I spent the better part of one of my evenings looking at all the photos and videos from when you were first born and I am amazed by how much you have changed in just six short months. It scares me how fast this first six months went by because it means we'll be celebrating your first birthday before we know it. And that, my dear son, I am not ready for.

A lot of big changes happened this past month. You are a pro at rolling over now, both front to back and back to front, and this often makes diaper changes super challenging! It's amazing how quickly you can roll yourself across the rug you play on in the family room. When you roll onto your stomach, you look up, searching for either myself or your daddy, with the most proud look on your face. We clap every time and you grin ear to ear before putting your head back down and rolling back onto your back. You have also found your feet and love shoving a toe or five, into your mouth. This is one of my favourite milestones to date - it's so entertaining and adorable to watch you play with your own feet.

The biggest change this month though, is that you have been sleeping in your crib every night for the past month. It just sort of happened, and while I miss you dearly in bed with me, it's pretty obvious that you really like being in your crib. We are both sleeping for much longer periods now so I know it was the right decision to let you keep sleeping in your crib. You still come into bed with us in the mornings to hang out, nurse and snooze until we get up for the day. I know that when you are older, these will be some of my most favourite moments with you - those quiet mornings in bed, listening to you babble, watching you play with your feet and kicking your little legs. We also started a bit of sleep training with you because getting you to fall asleep at night was becoming a huge challenge and you are still protesting daytime naps like it's your job. We joke that you suffer from FOMO: Fear of Missing Out. Which is something I used to suffer from, so it doesn't surprise me all that much!

Teething has kicked into high gear, but no teeth have made an appearance yet. It's hard to watch you suffer, especially when the only thing you want to chomp on is your little fingers. We've bought you countless teething toys, but your fingers are your favourite.

You had your 6 month check-up this month and your doctor is more than pleased with your growth. You now weigh 16 pounds and 6.5 ounces and are 26.5 inches long. That's an almost 9 pound weight gain since birth and a 7 inch gain in length! You're still our little, lean baby, but you've got some seriously strong legs. And the kicks to prove it! We won't be starting solids until you are in your six month, so your meals consist exclusively of breast milk. You are a speedy nurser now and easily distracted. I often have to ask your daddy to leave the room because you would prefer to watch what he's doing instead of eat. I still nurse you on demand, usually every few hours, but sometimes you want a snack sooner. You are wearing mostly 3-6 months clothing now, depending on the brand. Some pants still fit you better in the 0-3 month size because of your lean torso.

We had a lot of new outings this month. You attended your third bookish event - book club in Red Deer - and had your first "sleep over" at your cousin's house. You slept between your Daddy and I in bed there with no issue. We were so proud of you for just going with the flow that weekend. You really are the easiest baby. Your daddy also took a week off of work to spend time with us at home. We went to the zoo, took you swimming for the first time, and went to your first music class. Getting to do new things with you as you get older is so much fun and really makes us excited for all the things we will do as a family in the months and years to come.

Sully, watching you grow from this tiny little newborn into such an adorable, delightful and fun baby has made this the best six months of mine and your daddy's life.

I love you to the moon and back,
Your Mommy xoxo