We are now in the phase where EVERYTHING is interesting to Raven.  She is trying to grab my laptop and use it as we speak.  It's great because she has an abundance of toys that can entertain her but she also gets bored after awhile and needs a change of scenery.  I find stroller walks tend to really help when boredom hits.  I'm dreading the winter when we can't go on as many walks.  Sometimes we go for drives since Raven loves being in the car (thank goodness, I know some babies hate it).  Raven also loves to sing when I play music (usually more of a happy yell/scream, so punk rock singing might be in her future).   I love how curious she is but I know once she can crawl and/or walk, she will need a VERY close eye.  I might have to invest in a baby cage to soothe my paranoid thoughts of her getting into electrical chords or tipping the tv over.  Ok, I was kidding on the cage but our living room might become covered in foam padding very shortly.  It still seems like yesterday she was just a little lump that only wanted milk or sleep!

                                         "Hey ma, check out these sunglasses I got my hands on!"

Here is the scoop on poop.  If you're going to have a baby, you're going to be dealing with A LOT of it.  You will be amazed how much waste a baby can produce, you will be even more amazed at how it can somehow sometimes travel up the back or stomach.  Baby poop also changes day to day.  Most times, it's nothing to worry about, but other times there might be an issue like illness, lactose intolerance, or food intolerance (if you've started solids).  Teething can cause diarrhea which is a whole other monster to deal with.  During Raven's worst blow out diapers, she has always seemed the happiest as if my gagging sounds or looks of horror are amusing.  Also, don't be surprised if your child starts to urinate everywhere and/or spit up just as you think you're done cleaning up down there.  You might even hear a little giggle come out of your baby after they've destroyed the changing table; it is most likely their revenge for that 'cute' outfit you forced them to wear for family pictures.

As a parent, I think you get used to constantly cleaning up body waste like it's no big deal, we really don't have a choice anyway!  Just remember, someone was cleaning your bum at one time too...and be sure to thank them because it's not the glamorous part of parenthood.

This post is about sleep, oh sweet slumber.  I used to hate to go to bed early and wake up early when I worked full time before I got pregnant, and now that seems like the stupidest complaint.  The weekends before her went like this:  Stay up til 2 am, sleep in til 10:30ish, go get some Taco Bell, and watch WE TV until I actually felt like doing something.   When Raven was born, I didn't sleep.  It was a mixture of her waking every 2 hours to eat and my anxiety as a new mom.  If I got an hour of sleep in, that was a miracle.  There was no day or night.  It was just light or dark out with some little naps in there.  I've always had issues with insomnia so it was hard to sleep on demand, even taking Benedryl.  Around 3.5-4 months, she began to sleep through the night: 8 pm-6 or 7 am.  Now we are in the dreaded 6 month sleep regression where she wakes up 2-3 times a night wanting a bottle or comfort...but she's still wide awake and ready to conquer the day by 6:30 am!  Now, we are very lucky because my Mother In Law loves to have an overnight with Raven once a week to give us a date night or just to unwind.  Still, I wake up several times a night and rise early because my body is used to it!  Weekends don't feel like weekends except JD is home.  It's true that being a mom is a full time job.  Raven is thriving so the sleep sacrifices are worth it.  I still wish I could sleep on demand, though.

                                                 Slap happy from sleep deprivation, hooray!  

Hello World Wide Web!  As many of you know, I'm a mom to a beautiful 6 month old girl named Raven Hendrix King (Raven was named after the old Celtic name, my husband JD is Scottish/Irish aka Skyrish.) Also the bird has important symbolism in many Native American tribes (JD also has some Native American blood in him).  As for me, I always thought it was a pretty name regardless of its meaning or those who voiced their distaste of the name to me (yes, some people feel the need to voice their opinions when not necessary).  It beats Hashtag or Gertrude!  Raven's middle name is a pretty simple explanation, JD and I LOVE Jimi Hendrix and wanted Raven to have something musically inspired in her middle name.  This is Raven:

We are very lucky that our chunkster of a babe is healthy and is now smiling a majority of the day versus when she had colic and reflux during the early months.  Her toothy smile is better than having no lines at Starbucks, or a double rainbow.  Yup, that's how awesome her happiness is.

However, I still have days where I am like "WHAT THE **** AM I DOING?!  WHO ALLOWED ME TO BE RESPONSIBLE TO CARE FOR A COMPLETELY DEPENDENT HUMAN?!"  I have been known to neglect house plants or craft projects, so this is still so crazy for me even after 6 months.  Until you are a mom, I don't think you realize HOW MUCH your priorities change and how little annoyances don't annoy you anymore because you don't have time to even care.  As long as baby is happy, then good.  If baby is asleep, then HALLELUJAH! (not that I don't like her awake, but sometimes some peace and quiet is a beautiful thing)

Anyway, I don't want to be one of those moms that gushes about how their kid is better than anyone else's, I just wanted to make a blog to share experiences from a real mom's perspective.  She is changing everyday and this blog will bring me back to those milestones.  Or, if I get in some weird accident where I have severe amnesia, JD can show me this blog to remind me that yes I am a mom.  Oh God, I almost made a comparison to 50 First Dates, but that movie is so bad that I am embarrassed that my brain even thought of that movie.

One last pic of Raven and me, yes she has a big head.  Until next time!