VANESSA RIVERA: 6 Months

Dominic is now 6 months old, and it is crazy to think that he is this big already. He has been growing so fast and I want him to slow down. I see other little babies and I am scared of them now because I am so used to the tank that is my son.

So there are few things I wanted to make sure that I talked about because I don't want to forget anything.
The clinics here for vaccinations book up so stinking quick it is insane! Back home you get your vaccinations at your family doctors but here you get them from the public health nurses so you have to book them quick. I was lucky that with the first set of shots there was a cancellation and we got in 2 weeks after he turned 2 months. So at the end of the appointment we booked our 4 month shots... they didn't have anything available until about 2 weeks before he turned 6 months!!! They book up quick.
Anyway.... we went to get his shots and of course he was getting 3 again and they wanted myself and Dey to get a shot too. Now for those who know me really well know about my irrational fear of needles. Yes I understand that it is crazy to be this scared of them, especially after having a baby and a C-section, but I just cant seem to get over it. Yes I also know its all in my head but again, I just cant get passed it... Sooooo I told the nurse that I better go first because I will have the hardest time with it and I know Dominic will cry and I would like to be done with mine when he gets his to calm him down. So they start getting the needles ready and the heavy breathing starts. Because I am waiting for the needle I tense us and once I have the needle I am able to calm myself back down. This time for some reason my arm hurt really badly right away and the nurse said its because I had my tetanus shot 2 years ago but now they include the whooping cough in it so that's why I needed it again. So my Dominic also got his very first fever that day. It wasn't super bad but it was enough of one that he was more fussy than normal and I had to give him his Tempra.

A couple days later we went to the zoo (I think I blogged about it already but there is something I wanted to add) and when we stopped to have lunch I needed to change his diaper and honestly, no word of a lie, about 7 women stopped and surrounded us and just oogeled over Dominic and said how cute he was. One girl even said that it was cute babies like this that make her want to have kids. It makes me feel special that people think he's cute. Dey and I were both so sure that we would have an ugly baby so this makes me feel good knowing that it's not just me who thinks he's cute.

Dominic has been panting and whimpering like a dog when he gets excited or mildly upset about something and I cant help but laugh because I don't remember giving birth to a canine baby.

He is also sitting up on his own so well that the doctor at our checkup said she doesn't normally see babies sitting this well without support until 9 months. We were also told he is 17.8lbs and 26". I cant get over how big he is. Our doctor also said we can start giving him pureed meat and egg yokes. He's turning into a big boy already.

He rolls over so much that he's now rolling in his sleep and sleeps on his stomach until he realizes that hes on his stomach and wakes up because hes so mad about being like that.

His bottom tooth has been playing hide and seek FOREVER now. It will bump up to the surface and be so hard one day then the next its back to hiding with a very little bump. It needs to come out asap because its not only driving Dominic crazy but it's driving me crazy too because he eats everything and his cranky a lot.

A few other things that he has been doing is pulling his soother out and putting it back in and eating the sides of it. He sits in public high chairs quite well now and doesn't scream to get out. He loves hearing Spanish and laughs when Dey and his mom speaks it because it sounds different to him so he thinks its just babble right now. Sometimes when you say hi he will wave his hand at you... other than that he will just wave it forever at a time some days. Also when you say hi to him sometimes he does a semi high pitch noise as if he is saying hi back to you after you have been gone for a little bit.

He also loves sucking his lips and spending time with his Abuelita (little grandmother in Spanish). She is here for another 2 weeks so that's good for them to spend time together and also it has helped me have some time alone... I still haven't tackled my mounds of laundry yet but when I was sick and didn't go to church yesterday she and Dey took him and I was able to nap. I've also been able to make him more baby food to freeze.

He as also been blowing bubbles/his lips all day everyday it seems and he loves it... I however do not because I get covered in spit. Hes been trying to crawl by sticking his bum in the air and his face is down and he tried to move forward which he does a bit some time and some times he moves backwards as well. This means that he is not far from doing it. It makes me happy yet sad at the same time. Looks like we will be getting baby gates and a new car seat pretty soon because he sits up straight in his seat all the time and its not good for him to do that.

Dey was gone for a couple of days and I had Dominic in the bed with me at night and had him on Deys side and he would roll over and cuddle up to my back in the middle of the night. He is a true mamas boy and I secretly love it!

I had to pack away his play mat, bumbo chair (legs got too fat and he would get stuck and be upset) and his vibrating chair. He wants to be on the go all the time and doesn't like to sit still, and now that he is sitting on his own he doesn't wan to lay down and play with his toys. I hate packing things away but I guess that comes with parenthood. We also need to get him new clothes because we don't have enough for 6 months+ or fall/winter clothes. I like shopping so this should be fun. What bugs me is that baby clothes are just as expensive as adults for a third of the material and to be warn for like 1% of their life. At least clothes can be reused when I have another baby... lets face it, even though I desperately want a girl, I will probably get all boys.

I love this kid so much it is crazy and it's hard to believe that he is as big as he is. I feel truly blessed to have him in my life and am so grateful that he made me a mom. This is by far the most taxing yet positively rewarding job I have ever had. He is my everything and I could never imagine my life without him. We were destined to be together!