The Minivan Diaries: The Past Six Months

Dear Jude,
Today you are six months old! That might not seem like a big deal, what's six months? Well, because babies change so quickly we like to think about how long you've been alive first in days, then eventually that gets tiresome to keep up with so we switch to weeks, and then by about 15 or 16 weeks we switch to months. Every single day, week, and month holds it's own milestones. You are SUCH a different baby than you were six months ago!

So here is a little list of what you are like now.

- You have A LOT of energy, you are always talking and moving.

- You love getting out of the house and going new places, especially if you get to see a lot of interesting people.

- Patterned fabric is interesting to you and you like to watch it move, like curtains or my skirts

- You are absolutely desparate to start crawling! You get up on your hands and knees and rock back and forth, and then shoot forward as far as you can go. Somehow you still end up going backwards.

- You like to nurse, perhaps even love to nurse, but only in the middle of the night. During the day you prefer bottles. Those nighttime feedings are a very sweet time for us :)

- You prefer drinking your bottles in a quiet, dark place. You rarely drink much while we're in public, there's way too much to see!

- You are very strong, hold your weight well, can sit up (if I get you there, you can't quite get yourself into that position yet), love your johnny-jump-up, and you are heavy. You're probably not heavier than the average baby, but your favorite place to be is in my arms or in a baby carrier so I feel your weight all day long!

- You have two purple pacifiers that you must have to go to sleep. They were Evangeline's, she broke them in for you :) I keep praying that we don't lose them.

- You absolutely adore your sisters. When they're around you look at their faces and give them the cutest, most flirtatious smiles (even if they're not looking at you).

- Your favorite place to be, hands down, is in your daddy's arms. You love him so much and are almost always calm and content when he's carrying you. You watch him whenever he's around, and smile at him constantly. I might be the teensiest bit jealous :)

After having twins the first time around I was confused as to how anyone could actually enjoy the baby stage, since for us it was endless amounts of work and very little sleep. Everything we did took planning and was a full-scale production! But with you, I am loving every minute. Well, not every minute, but you know what I mean :) I just carry you around, share my day with you, watch you grow, watch you get to know your sisters, your dog, your daddy, and your world. There are fussy times (WHEN ARE YOUR TEETH FINALLY GOING TO COME IN???), but we are all just enjoying you so much. These past six months have taught me so much! But the most important thing that I've learned is to slow down. You are (hopefully, fingers crossed) my last baby. So if the only thing I get done all day is play "baby tigers" with your sisters and hold you in my lap, that's ok. If I spend twenty minutes just rocking you in the chair and smelling your sweet baby smell (just wait, you non-parents. you will do this), then I haven't lost time that I could have been doing something else- I've gained a moment that we both, in our own ways, can cherish.

You are very loved, sweet boy. By all of us.
We value you.
We think that you are incredibly important.
We respect you.
We rejoice over you.
We delight in you.
There is nothing, absolutely nothing, that will ever change any of that. Ever.

Now, it's time for pictures!