Wow. 6 Months!

I really can't believe it's already been six months since Lorelei came into our lives. It seems so much shorter, and at the same time, longer than that! Somedays our routine feels so ingrained, like we've been doing it forever. Other times, she does something new, reaches a new milestone, and we think "wasn't she born, like, yesterday?"


After spending the last week reflecting on the past six months, I can honestly say that it's easier than I thought it would be. I'm not saying we're the greatest parents ever or that Lorelei is the perfect baby (although, we think she's pretty awesome!). I just think that we were repeatedly told how difficult it was going to be. We were warned about how we'll never sleep again. We were told epic horror stories about spit up, dirty diapers, crying at all hours of the night, breastfeeding woes, fussy eaters, eczema, cradle cap, colic.


To prepare for this, I read book after book after book. How to swaddle, how to nurse, how to burp, how to sleep train, how to tell if your baby has diaper rash, a fever, an ear infection, a tummy ache, is teething... All of this I read about to prepare for what helpful friends, family and the media at large was warning me about.

And well, it was never so bad as all of that. Sure, I had times of extreme exhaustion. I remember one night during our first week when Lorelei just WOULD NOT SLEEP. She was hungry and gassy and tired. I spent hours trying to nurse her. I pored over the La Leche League website, looking for clues. That last two nights. I, mercifully, haven't experienced that since.

I will say that everything seemed more difficult during those first months. I second guessed everything I did. Co-sleep, bedshare, bassinet? Was she eating enough? Sleeping enough? Should she be napping in the swing, the bassinet, the crib?

She's had acid reflux, cradle cap and some wicked cases of diaper rash. She also smiles the biggest, best smile at me every morning when I pick her up out of her crib every morning. She has the best belly laugh ever and is absolutely fascinated with the dogs.

In the end though, I think it comes down to perspective. Babies cry. Babies poop and pee and spit up. They make a mess. That's the way it is. It's no big deal.


I really think it's just so amazing to see how much she has changed in a mere 26 weeks...

Some of our favorite pictures of Miss Lorelei over the last 6 months

Happy 6 months, baby girl!