6 MONTHS OLD. MY BABY IS 6 MONTHS OLD!!!!! Half a freaking year! How did we even get here?!
It was not long once Wayne and I started dating that we learned we were pregnant. Unplanned and without plans we were confounded. Our whole lives changed in the blink of an eye…well a slow progressive 9 month blink of an eye really. As if we were set off sailing on this beautiful unknown sea, that was often clouded with the harshest storms and nauseating bouts of sea sickness, but also came those moments when the sea would become still and silent, and there we were left gazing upon its crystal blue sheets and warm embracing sunrise. And as soon as this little angel was born, everything made sense. Its as if our lives did a 180 and suddenly we had direction, meaning and purpose.
A friend asked me what the meaning of life was about 2 months ago, this was my response;
WHAT DOES LIFE MEAN TO ME?
Simple! My little baby girls smile!
I know to some, that may sound like the typical cheesy mother response, but that’s the complete truth! Before Olive came into my world, I think I would have said life meant experience and adventure, that it meant exploring and seeing what was out there, discovering the different and the new. But now, after giving birth to Olive, I live for the moment she opens her eyes up wide, her grin starts to stretch across her whole face and those dimples pop out in sheer happiness. I wake up every single day just to see her smile, I go to sleep happily knowing that when I wake up I get to see her smile again. I feed Olive just to see her satisfied and smiling, I play with Olive just to see her smile, I take Olive on walks to see her smile at everything new, I do everything with Olive just to see her smile!
Olive’s smile is what makes me work harder, it’s what drives me to be a better person, it’s what makes me be selfless and most importantly it’s what makes ME smile and purely happy!
Olive’s smile means that she’s ok, healthy and happy, and that’s all I live for!
I went through a checklist of what a 6 month baby should be doing right now and I am very happy to report that she ticks all those boxes. I have read that kids develop differently, some slower than others which is perfectly fine and does not mean that later on in life there will be anything wrong but I was secretly really hoping that she did everything she’s supposed to be doing.
Checklist apart, I am seeing changes in her daily, she is growing so quickly, she has her own personality and I definitely see some of both Wayne’s and my character in her, she is LOUD – definitely a Karanja gene there lol, she is inquisitive& adventurous, she loves animals & nature, she’s smart like her daddy, she loves to laugh and smile, she gets along with everyone, she gets annoyed when she’s ignored, she’s sassy and she’s sweet, she’s just generally an amazing human being! – Feeling super proud to have made this special girl!
To my beautiful baby girl, you were welcomed with the whole of my heart and being. The happiest surprise of my life! I love you! Happy 6 months 
Mama Olive 