6 month baby

My darling boy
Today you are 6 months old! Your dad and I think you are the smartest, cutest, most amazing thing we've ever seen. We love watching you grow, even as we hold you tight knowing precious moments are slipping away forever. This month you really learned how to babble, and hearing you talk in your crib in the morning puts a smile on both of our faces. You love to lay on the floor and yell, trying out all of your newly learned vocal ranges. You study your toys very, very intently, and you teethe like nobody's business. No teeth visible yet, but they're comin! You love rattles, crinkly textures, and your soft teethers like sophie the giraffe and the orange teether ball. You also love to chew on knit textures, like the blanket Jane made for you. You are 29 inches long and weigh close to 15 pounds. You wake up around 7 every morning, and you need naps every 2 hours. When you need a nap, we snuggle in a chair with a blanket and your pacifier, and you fall asleep almost instantly. You love to be swaddled but we are weaning you off of that during the day. You can roll very deliberately from your tummy to your back, and you are so close to rolling back to front we can almost taste it! It's a joy to watch you as you rapidly develop and grow. You love to stand up; you plant your feet proudly and grin big! You are constantly drooling. This month we have been practicing sitting up and you get better every day. You like to be upright these days so you can see the world, and especially, see the dogs! They make you grin when they run by. You've become very attached to me and you cry or yell when I leave the room. That has made it a lot harder lately to get things done around the house! You eat cereal twice a day; usually in the morning before naptime and late afternoon. You gobble it down and are disappointed when its gone, but we've learned we can't give you all you'd eat because it makes your tummy hurt later. Your daddy works hard and puts in a lot of overtime at his job, so when he gets to see you in the morning or at night his face lights up sooo big- so does yours. You think he's so funny. Weekend mornings when you get to snuggle next to him for a long time are a highlight of our week.

I have not slept a full 8 hour night for over 6 months, and in some ways I'm more tired then I've ever been. I have never worked so hard in all my life. There are no days off, and weekends have gone away. But every day, at some point, I am overwhelmed with a fierce, deep, love. I wrap my arms around you tight and I breathe you in. I close my eyes and let my love for you wash over me; I love my job. I am so lucky to be your mommy!