Dear Cedar at 6 months |

Dear Cedar at 6 months

by elizabeth on January 11, 2017

Baby boy you are a light in our lives. I am honored you chose us to be your family and humbled by the opportunity to be your mother. You are gentle, observant, calm and happy. You have a sweet soul. When in a new environment, you are most comfortable when given the opportunity to look around and get your bearings. If we move to quickly I can tell you are overwhelmed. You are very observant. You nap best at home where it’s quiet and dark. When we are out, the stimulation of the world keeps you alert and awake. You don’t want to miss a thing.

From the get go, Sage had an aggressive approach to life. She jumps feet first into everything. She acts first, thinks later. You on the other hand prefer to sit back, observe your surroundings, and evaluate. Sage offered her smiles to anyone in her sight. You are pickier about who you interact with but you choose well. This reminds me of your Dad. Once you get him relaxed and settled, when he knows he’s in good company, his warm eyes and big smile brightens up a room. But if he’s not in the right mood, or surrounded by the wrong people, you don’t get much out of him. You appreciate people approaching you warmly and slowly.

You are incredibly cute. You have the yummiest little face. I love your cheeks and your smiles. You aren’t a big talker… but you aren’t shy either. You are a strong observer. Once in awhile, if we get you going, you vocalize your happiness to us and we love it. When it’s just you and me, I can get you in a baby conversation and you tell me all about your world.

You love the bath, being naked, sitting on laps, reaching, touching, putting things in your mouth, and watching your sister. She is loud and busy. You mostly find her entertaining. It took you awhile to grow accustomed to her energy. At times she continues to overwhelm you but the ratios are turning, and you currently like her more than you dislike her. You don’t like when she handles your body too firmly or when she (or anyone) gets too big in your personal space.

You are a good sleeper! We got through a tough sleep regression at 3 ½ months that I thought was going to kill me. It lasted 4-5 weeks. You were up every 2-3 hours all night. Fortunately I am not working so I rode it out, drank coffee, cut way back on our schedule, and pushed through. Just when I was about to call the gentle sleep consultant, you transitioned back into longer stretches and now go about 5-7 hours in your first leg. After that you are up about every 3 but you always go right back to sleep. We are currently playing musical beds. One adult is sleeping with one child, or all of us pile in together… it’s how we like it. We like to be close and snuggly. I can’t imagine having you or your sister sleeping alone across the hall. We stick together. It’s really the only time your sister is quiet so why wouldn’t we want her in our arms all night long?! And you are just too much squishy cuteness to leave alone. So a sleeping family we will stay!

You are a little guy. At your 5 month check up, you dropped from the 6th percentile to the 1st percentile. The pediatrician recommended that we try and boost my milk supply, which we did, but you still weren’t interested in drinking more milk. You know just how much you want and leave it at that. At your 6th month check up, you were considered underweight so we started to introduce solid food. You love pizza crust and all chewy breads. You hold them in your hand and gnaw away. You also like sweet potato mixed with ghee and olive oil. The jury is still out on avocado, banana, and eggs. I am trying to have faith in your genetics, we don’t have big people in our family, but at the same time, it wouldn’t hurt if you got a few rolls so I didn’t have concern in the back of my mind.

I love being your mother. I get a little overwhelmed when everyone needs something from me right at the same time, but generally, I am the happiest I have ever been. It’s a great privilege to dedicate my days to caring for you and our family. One that I am not taking for granted.

Thank you for helping me stay calm and focused on what really matters in life. You are the boost of confidence I needed after 4 years of figuring out who I am as a mother. I love you Cedar Bear!