Mothers of six-month-olds

Mothers of six-month-old babies are both the happiest and the most miserable people on earth. First, their babies are on the verge of developing about one hundred new skills at once, and every day brings new delights, new discoveries. Six-month-old babies also tend to smile and laugh a lot--at the sight of a butterfly, at the sound of a bell, at Mommy making an unusual face or suddenly popping the air out of her cheeks. What makes six-month-olds so happy? I don't know--just, the newness of everything, I suppose.

Mothers of six-month-olds are miserable--many of them--because they're still not getting enough sleep, and their babies still haven't reached the point where they are independent sleepers. I say "many of them" because I know some mothers have pulled that particular rabbit out of the hat--their young babies sleep through the night, and can even soothe themselves back to sleep if they wake up during the night. But I dare say that these mothers are not the majority.

Did I say I was a member of that elite club, the "Mothers of Self-Soothers" (MOSS for short)? I'm not saying whether I am or not. Let's just say that, as indicated in previous posts, I've faced "challenges" where sleep is concerned. Like ninety percent of the new mothers I've met.

Oh, and there's also the fact that six-month-old babies cannot yet sit up (in most cases), yet they are grabbing everything in sight and putting it in their mouths, so they need Mommy's attention every waking moment and can only be left alone in their cribs or playpens for three minutes at a time--maybe ten minutes on a good day.

Perhaps mothers of one-year-olds would tell me--"You just wait until your kid is running around and falling on thumbtacks, you'll long for the days when..." and the truth is--I will indeed long for these days when my son wakes up, smiles wonderingly at me and holds his little hands up to my face, waiting for me to deliver the world to him. I know how special this time is. I also know that it's hard to sustain the wonder when a good night's sleep is a distant memory.