6 Months - Mommy Edition

From July 2012 on, last year every week I would take a bump picture and answer these same questions.  Since I am now six months post partum, I thought it might be fun to revisit them one last time.  But first, a few comparison photos...

How far along: minus 6 months and 3 days

Best moment this week: Saturday morning family snuggle time.  Who doesn't love Saturday mornings?  Since we both work full time and weekday mornings come early and are busy, lazy Saturday mornings with our baby in her cozy footie pajamas curled up between us are extra special and sweet.

What's new with baby: Katherine weighs 15 pounds and 6 ounces (6.97 kg) and is 26 inches (66.04 cm) long.  This puts her weight in the 40th percentile and her length in the 60th percentile, basically a nice average sized human.  The big news this weekend though.... was baby's first TOOTH!  Her lower front tooth has broken through (and she's not too happy about it) and the one next to it is visible under the gum expected to appear any day as well.  She is experimenting with foods (bananas, avocado, and sweet potato so far), and all have been greeted with enthusiasm.  By "enthusiasm" I mean happily smeared all over her face, hair and body.  I also think she ate some of each.  She can sit up on her own now and hold it for much longer periods of time.  Her crawl continues to be more of a scoot, but it gets her to where she wants to go.

Mom is feeling:  Great!  I sleep eight hours a night, my new parent insecurities are long gone, and Kate can (and often does) kick me in the tummy where my incision was and it doesn't hurt a bit.  I'd say I've completely recovered from being pregnant and have a whole new level of appreciation and amazement of my body.  I grew a human, what did you do last year?

Weight:  I have lost 42 pounds since January 12th.  Towards the end of my pregnancy I had gained 40 pounds.  I did very little in terms of exercise to lose the weight, I really think breastfeeding around the clock and all the calories that burned is to thank for the pounds shedding off rather effortlessly.  However, even though I now weigh less than when this whole thing started... I do have one complaint, as you will see in the next answer.

What's my secret?  Surgery and sleep deprivation!

Wardrobe:  The numbers on the scale might be back down, but my size and shape will never be the same.  I've been out of my maternity pants since Kate was ten weeks old, but my pre-pregnancy pants still don't come even close to zipping up.  I reluctantly bought new khakis and work appropriate pants but have yet to buy a new pair of jeans, still holding out hope that the ones in my closet might fit again.  It might be time to give it up and buy the pants that say "curvy" or "wide hip" or "Mom butt" in the title.

Cravings:  I still eat a Luna Bar every morning, mainly because it became a habit during my pregnancy and they are delicious.  Nursing makes me thirsty and I think I am finally drinking as much water as I probably always should have been.

Missing:  I do not miss anything about being pregnant.  I would categorize my pregnancy as easy, if you read along each week you know the worst I ever had to complain about was leg cramps and swelling towards the end.  Even though it was problem free, I was not one of those women who loved being pregnant.  I never felt like I got a glow or those rumored bursts of energy.  I don't even miss those sweet little hiccups and jabs I used to feel inside because watching my daughter squirm and hiccup on the outside is infinitely better.

Name News:  We named our daughter Katherine Elizabeth.  Matt suggested the name on the day we found out she was a girl as we were leaving the doctor's office.  I really liked it and in the coming weeks we kept going back to it.  It fit our requirements of gender specific and timeless.  It had a nickname option that we love and use most of the time just like our names.  But most importantly, we thought it was just beautiful.

Scared about:  I think as a parent you open up a whole new box of fears, terrible things you never thought about when it was just you that you had to worry about.  Is she safe?  Is she healthy?  What if something happens to me?  Pregnancy, birth, and now parenting have all been experiences that have brought me closer to God as I've learned from each how little control I have and that my best option is always to trust Him.

Excited about:  Every. single. day.  I had no idea this would be so much fun, that even the smallest little thing (She made a fist!  She likes the avocado!  She laughed at my silly song!) would bring such joy and excitement to our home.

I'm glad I documented my entire pregnancy journey, I've forgotten so much about it already.  I'm also really glad it's over and that Baby Kate has been here for the last six wonderful and crazy months!