Vivi's Half Birthday, 6 mo favorites, and a brief chat about PPD

I'm a big advocate of the half birthday. It's another reason to eat cake. 

And wear a sort-of party hat.

Here are some of Vivi's current favorite items 

• Pink Poodle- Vivi's Nana got her this pretty pink poodle, and she loves it. It gets a smile and a laugh every time she sees it.
• Little Learning Books- These books are awesome. They are tiny and baby-size, with only like 4 thick pages and big, simple words. No stories, just pictures and words. Obviously, Vivi isn't reading at 6 months old, but she loves holding these and gnawing on them. They come in a stack of 10, so you get plenty of them..definitely one for every room or area (or stick 7 in your purse for outings like I do). Bonus- they are made from 98% recycled material!
• Sophie the Giraffe- This is a staple that every baby should have. I would just be careful from buying it off of Amazon, because they notoriously sell fakes. Scoff, I know. I did, too. Until we received a fake. I didn't realize it at first, but then I compared it to our other Sophie, and the one from Amazon was noticeably different. She was slightly smaller, had lighter spots that rubbed off, didn't squeak as well, and carried a strong odor. So I would beware buying from Amazon. That's why I didn't link this item to them. Otherwise, Sophie is amazing, and a great teething toy for this age!
• Toy Winkel- Such a fun and stimulating toy for fat little fists to grab onto and manipulate. Vivi holds it over her head and twists it around in amazement.
• Sensory Zebra- This is a great toy to clip onto the top of a carseat for on-the-go entertainment. Viv loves looking in the little mirror, and she chews on the other hanging parts.
• Jumperoo- I don't know a 6 month old who doesn't love the Jumperoo. It's hours several minutes of entertainment for them so you can get a few things done. Or sit on the couch and watch TV. I don't judge.
• Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes- This is, hands down, both of my kids' favorite toy at this age. To be honest, Bobby still sometimes confiscates it. I don't know why its so addictive for little ones, but they are obsessed. It plays classical music and lights up. Great for on-the-go or just hanging around playing.
• Sassy Spin Rattle- Vivi loves gnawing on this rattle and shaking it. The black and white design is supposed to be very stimulating for babies, so I feel like she is getting smart, at least :)
• Vera Bradley Bib Set- Run, don't walk, over to this Vera link and get these bibs. Now. They have a very, very thin layer of plastic (?) between the two pieces of fabric, so baby's clothes don't get soaked. Vivi was a terrible drooler for months. We would go thru literally 8-10 bibs a day. She would house them as fast as we could get them on her. But these are, by far, the best bibs we have. That barrier keeps her from getting wet. Plus, they're pretty and bright. Plus, they're Vera. PLUS, they are on a major clearance for $6.99 right now!! It would be foolish to not pick up a set!
• Lamaze Musical Inch Worm- A great toy for those who aren't quite sitting up by themselves or who just enjoy lying on their backs. Vivi loves lying and holding this worm. It's long, too! And now that she can sit, she likes crinkling the crinkling areas (I guess you have to see it to know what I'm talking about). Anyhow, it's another winner!

 I'm having a hard time believing my little Vivien Louise is six months old. Her big brown eyes and gummy grin are heart melting. Her babbles make you want to bottle them up and sell them. She is growing so fast, and I wish time would stand still with her for a bit. I don't recall feeling this way with Bobby at 6 months. He's always been so busy, and I've always been ready to see what he is up to next. But now that I know what they can do next (ahem, see this post), I'd be fine to keep Vivi at this age and stage (errr...immobile) for as long as possible. 

Lest you think she is actually immobile, let me clear some things up. She can roll over. She can also sit up like a big girl for long periods of time. 

She can play with toys for real, and she's learning more and more every day. She can even do this:

Not cool.

She manipulates toys really well, and she is very alert, always watching her brother's shenanigans with a disapproving eye. The other day she was playing with a large fluffy caterpillar, and he took it away from her, and she got PISSED. She kind of barked at him and definitely aired her grievances. I died a little watching it go down.

Aside from that showdown, Vivi is the sweetest, happiest person I've ever met in my entire life. She wakes up happy and kicking, plays all day, smiles every time she sees a camera, loves eating, loves mama and daddy, and falls asleep peacefully. She doesn't have much of a set schedule (since you have to live toddler-life on the go), and she will fall asleep anywhere.

Literally anywhere.

She rarely cries or puts up any kind of a fuss (I deserve one incredibly tame child), and she LOVES her big brother.

I must admit that she is still in the Rock and Play in our bedroom. She still wakes up once at night to eat (and goes right back to sleep once you hand her a bottle, so it's no trouble for us). We transitioned Bobby to his crib much earlier than this, but things are different when you have two little ones. I have resisted switching her to her crib in her own bedroom because I am terrified of her waking Bobby up, leaving me with two screaming babies. So I've not been super eager to make that transition. I think that we will be switching her over to her own room this Sunday, though. Alex will be back, and I think she's ready for crib training. I just dread it a little.

Vivi is just beginning her foray into table foods (which, I am certain, will trigger a life-long love affair with cheese),

Carrots, not so much.

 but she still mostly drinks her bottles.

This new development is a HUGE help.

I breastfed Bobby a few months longer, and I told myself I would do it with Viv as long as I could reasonably handle it. Well, I ended up only nursing her for 6 weeks before eventually switching to formula. "A" for effort, though. It was incredibly difficult and exhausting to nurse a newborn while keeping up with a precocious toddler. You ladies who do it, more power to you! It's hard! I'm so glad I did it for the bonding experience and so she could get those important nutrients from mama, but it was a welcome switch to un-tether myself.

Vivi's favorite things include:

Doing crunches while watching soap operas

Screeching like a velociraptor exploring her vocal range

Thwarting the shenanigans of her big brother

Wallowing in poo

Fur. Anything fur.

And perfecting her favorite new party trick.

Least Favorites:

I got nothing. She's the happiest person I know.

6 MONTHS POSTPARTUM
As far as I go, I am now 6 months postpartum and doing fine. My delivery and recovery were much smoother the second time (which I attribute to being in America and choosing a doctor who was caring and well-informed of my situations), and I was feeling physically fine much sooner than I did after Bobby. Unfortunately, I could tell my mental state was unraveling about a week after I had Vivi. Not the normal baby blues that everybody gets. This was worse. I knew it wasn't normal. I don't normally cry 6 times a day over nothing or imagine that my husband hates me. I felt like I was sinking and couldn't find my arms and legs to swim. For anybody who knows me, you know that this is very unusual. I am usually a happy and lighthearted person. So this was a red flag. I could acknowledge that my thinking wasn't rational and was completely hormonal, but I couldn't change it. I'm sure that part of it was being overwhelmed with two babies, but I automatically knew that something else was at work. It wasn't simple stress. I suspected PPD, and I called my doctor right away. She gave me something, I took it, and all was right with the world again. Maybe it happened because I had two babies so quickly, and my body didn't know how to process the hormone changes. Or maybe it would have happened either way. Bottom line is that it happened, I recognized it, and I fixed it. Easily. Easy peasy. It makes me sad to think about other new mamas who feel this way for months because they either do not recognize the signs or feel too ashamed to talk to people about it. It's not uncommon AT ALL, but it's not normal, and it needs to be treated ASAP.

Now I feel great. I am happy and healthy (really, really using the word "healthy" in the loosest of terms). I get enough some sleep to function  some sleep, and I try my best to be active with my babies and take the chaos in stride. It isn't always easy, but I am happy. I genuinely love staying home and raising our family; I am so lucky to have this choice and this privilege. 

Of course, there are some days when I find eye shadow smeared all over my white velvet bedspread, and I want to ram my head thru a plate glass window. But that's neither here nor there. 

Now I just have to lose the last 10 pounds. I'm honestly just not beating myself up over it as much as I would have done before kids.  I wonder if it would all fall off if I would stop baking cakes and would follow Liz's exercise routines? Anyhow, I am excited about the cooler weather, as it takes away all my excuses to avoid outside. We have been going for lots of strolls in the breeze lately, and it's good for the bodies and souls of ALL of us.

It's been a wild and crazy six months, but I am so looking forward to the next six! 

Vivi, you are the light of our lives; you are the sweetest little peach. And even though you have terrible taste in TV and frequently smell like a cheesesteak, we love you to pieces.

Keep on Keeping on!

-Annette