Cathal is now five months old and he is all go. Laughing, gurgling, grabbing his feet, rolling every which way and wanting to stand all the time, he’s certainly keeping us entertained.
He’s now onto solids as well; avocados and bananas being a big hit for now.
Life has been pretty hectic this past month, especially as I’ve been juggling work alongside the most important role of all, being a mammy.
Early in December we held his naming ceremony at my family home in Spiddal. It was magic. I’m so glad we went with what felt right for us as a family and it turned out better than I could’ve ever imagined.
My Mom’s best friend performed the ceremony; it was a mix of Irish and English and while it was laid back, it still had the reverence I was hoping for.
We had an amazing weekend with family who travelled far and wide to be part of it. There were walks on the beach, great food and drink and even the obligatory sing song was had!
So if you’re unsure whether you want to go for a christening or a naming ceremony, simply do what is right for you as a couple. Forget pleasing others: those who love you will respect your decision… and even if they don’t, it’s your child so you get to decide what you feel is best for him or her. Do what your gut is telling you (whatever that is!) – it won’t let you down.
Christmas and the build up to it was busy. I did manage to post cards though, even if I forgot a few people in the process and I got all my shopping done in the nick of time.
Becoming a Momma in 2017 has easily been my greatest achievement & greatest challenge.
Feeling so incredibly lucky to have a healthy baby to love & nurture, even if I feel like I've aged another 10 years in the process!
But the smiles and snuggles are worth every wrinkle 💜 pic.twitter.com/eaUhaMMO4q— Síle Seoige (@SileSeoige) January 1, 2018
I did a lot of it online and having to deal with delays getting into overflowing car parks and crammed shopping centres to get those last few bits and bobs meant I’ll definitely be doing it ALL online next year. Life is busy and stressful enough than to be dealing with that!
We split our time during the festive season between Galway and Cork to be with our families and friends. It was wonderful and filled with so many magic moments which included spending time with my 98 year old Granny (Cathal’s great-grandmother!).
It was really special as despite her age, she is still flying it which made it all the more memorable.
But Christmas certainly brought with it moments of stress too. Being out of his routine, alongside all the extra stimulation he got, resulted in Cathal being a bit unsettled.
That, coupled with the fact that (we’re pretty sure) he was starting to go through another growth spurt alongside another leap! So our house has been the craic these past few weeks: broken sleep and a cranky baba has resulted in the usual struggle to brush one’s hair or even get dressed some days.
But thankfully he’s settled down again and Damien described it well when he said ‘ he’s just like a phone or laptop that got updated!’ Once we got through those few days, he was back to himself, smiling and happy.
I’m also very grateful for apps and websites that help you to understand and appreciate what’s going on with your little one.
This latest leap is Number Five according to the Wonder Weeks app. Reading up on the signs and abilities he is certainly in the middle of it right now and it’s amazing to witness the changes and developments in him.
So life is busy but I’m guessing once he starts crawling it’s going to get a whole lot busier.
Here’s to a brilliant year ahead for us all!
Grá mór,
Síle xxx
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