Our Sweet Sam is half a year old.
There were a few moments during these past six months that felt like we were in pure survival mode but the vast majority has been nothing short of great. I worried quite a bit about how hard it would be to manage three kids, especially in the early months, but thankfully it was nowhere near as difficult as I had feared. Challenging? Yes. Busy? Of course. Perfect? Absolutely not. But all things considered, pretty damn great.
Sam giggles like crazy, is obsessed with his tongue and learned to roll over this month. We let him try solid foods on his 6month birthday and got a hilarious reaction (not a fan) but if he's anything like the rest of us he'll learn to love food soon enough. His sleep has been dreadful and exhausting (up every hour or more) but I know it is just a phase. Coffee helps. Maybe I'm just imagining things, but I think he's getting more hair too. Will it be straight like his oldest brother's or curly like our middle boy? Time will tell. Its always fun watching new little bits of him emerging every month. What will be revealed to us next?
Sam had his first plane ride this month and handled it like a champ. I wasn't concerned about him one bit (unlike the stress I put myself through the first time I ever flew with a baby) and it proved to be a pretty uneventful flight. We visited Toronto, the birthplace of our biggest boy, and it was fun to go re-visit the old stomping grounds. Funny, now that we are well-entrenched in the lifestyles of suburbia, I found it hard to believe that we lived in the heart of downtown with so much hustle and bustle... and a newborn. A big contrast for sure but both equally great.
While in Toronto we took in a Blue Jays game (where we apparently made it onto the big screen just as I was trying to latch Sam, lol) made a trip up the CN Tower (where I glamorously nursed him on the dirty floor next to a vending machine) and explored the Royal Ontario Museum (where I fed him next to some prehistoric dinosaur bones, ha). As you can see, Sam's pretty happy to go anywhere as long as he is fed. We also spent time at the Ontario Science Centre, perused some malls and dined with some extended family who we haven't seen in ages. We spent a couple nights at Niagara on the Lake and took obligatory touristy photos at Niagara Falls before loading our soaking wet selves back onto the plane.
Back at home it has been pretty routine day-to-day stuff, which is fine. We've battled a lot of colds and are pretty much into the season of boots, mitts, coats, toques and blankets. Halloween is just around the corner and then into my most favourite time of year. No complaints, especially with this smiley little boy as a side-kick.
We love you Sam!