SIX months already?????

Dear Caden,

Today you turned six months old!!! I can hardly believe that you are half a year old! How is it possible that time has gone by this quickly? Just six months ago I hadn't even met you yet....hadn't even kissed your perfect face, gazed into your beautiful eyes or touched your perfect skin. I didn't know what to expect....my life was about to change more than I ever could have imagined. I just didn't know how wonderful it really would be! I can't even begin to tell you how much I have enjoyed every second I have spent with you.....every kiss, every cuddle, every smile that illuminates from your perfect little face. If I ever thought I knew what love was, I was wrong. You have made that more than evident to me. You have my heart wrapped around your little finger, and there it will always be.

I feel as if we've time traveled these last six months, and watching you evolve more into a little boy has made me laugh out loud on a surprising number of occasions. You are so funny....I love celebrating the millions of small steps you take everyday toward larger milestones, with millions of kisses and hugs! You find everything fascinating: a button on a shirt; an earring in my ear; one of my hairs caught in your hand instantly becomes something that interests me too, and really, when is the last time that I cared that much about anyone else, that I’d sit quietly alongside them, just waiting for a smile or a round-eyed curious look? Never.

You make friends for us everywhere we go.... People gather around telling me how gorgeous you are, admiring your curly hair and your long eyelashes. They always say that you belong on a magazine cover or in commercials. You are a beautiful baby.

Your days go pretty much like this.... You wake up a few minutes before 7 in the morning, and I know you are awake by the babbling that comes from your room. You always wake up sooooo happy and when I come into your room you are ecstatic to see my face. You will even squeal or laugh and flail your arms when you see me. I love that moment. You make waking up so pleasant. I bring you to bed with me to feed you while I wake up a little more and you just slurp away, happy to watch the fan spinning above us..... We then get up, get you dressed and play for an hour or so and then I take you downstairs for your "other" breakfast! I usually mix up some oatmeal and bananas and you chow down! You love your breakfast time!! By 9:30 you are ready to crash again and you typically sleep an hour and a half while mommy gets to do some work or some cleaning.

You typically take a bottle every 3 hours or so and take about 2 other one hour naps throughout the day. We do a whole lot of playing and learning during your awake time....singing, reading, talking, tummy time, touching new surfaces, and lots of cuddles and kisses!! You love jumping in your little Johnny Jumper, and spend about an hour a day jumping to your heart's content. I'm trying to force you to do some more "tummy time" which is something you have always hated, but is so important, especially now. Most of the time, the living room floor carpet is covered by a big blanket and that is covered by your toys. Your toys as of now consist of your puppy "Orrie" (named after Oregon where we went to visit your aunt and uncle), your monkey "George," your little frog, your rattles, your little cloth book and your chain of linkies.

Around 6pm I feed you some veggies....whether it be sweet potatoes, mixed vegetables, carrots or squash. Sometime around 6:30 I draw the water and we take our evening bath together. Boy do you love that! I think it's your favorite time of the day. I then lotion you up, put your jammies on and it is nighty nighty time!!! I put you in your crib and you go fast asleep.....never ever do you cry. It's amazing. I love you so much....

We took you to your pediatrician today.....I was so anxious to see how big you have gotten. You weigh 18 pounds and 13 ounces, and you are 27 inches tall!! You are tall for your age, in the 75th percentile, but your weight matches right up, so you are perfect! She gave you 100% on everything!!! At the end of our visit, you got three shots, and you cried as if your heart were breaking. When you got the second shot, you cried so hard that you made no sound, and when you finally did make a sound, it was so loud and full of pain that it tore at my heart, too. I was holding your arms so you couldn't get in the way of the needles, and I leaned over you and kissed your head and told you, over and over, that I loved you, and that it would be ok. As soon as I picked you up you were ok...thank God....up onto your hands and knees. You do little stomach crunches when you are lying on

You are healthy and strong and happy. You sit up by yourself for long periods of time. You roll over from your back onto your tummy, and you push yourself up on your hands. You are always trying to do stomach crunches when you are on your back - you are straining to sit up to see what's going on. You grab at everything - nothing that is within two feet of you that isn't nailed down is safe - and you put everything that you successfully grab into your mouth. You only have a triangular section of hair left on the top of your head, and it is curly....probably the thing you get the most attention for! You still have no teeth, but I think they are coming soon!

You laugh and you squeal and you make gurguling sounds with your throat. You are trying out new noises all the time now - the last few days you have been working on "bbbbbb." You love the sound of your own voice......

You are starting to become ticklish under your armpits and all over your belly. You didn't used to be....but it is apparant now that you find it quite humorous!! :)

I tell you this every day a million times, but I will tell you again now.... I love you, I love you, I love you. I will always love you. You are six months old and that is how it is and this is how I feel.....Your smile will always make me happy beyond words and you are beautiful, wonderful, amazing and perfect.

One last thing....you tap my back too, as you look behind us, around my arm or over my shoulder when I hold or wear you. It feels like home to have you wrapped up close to me, comfortable and content, tapping away absently as you observe all that passes by, whipping your head this way and that as you pull yourself up a bit in excitement, by digging your fingers in my face or grasping my collarbone. I hope that you carry those feelings of being wrapped in love and protection with you always, that enable you to confidently observe everything with unblinking curiosity. As the world continues to happen around you quickly as it does, I hope you keep your childish curiosity and the abilitly to appreciate and consider everything that touches you, even the simple and commonly overlooked things in life; they may lead you to hidden treasures. When you embark on those journeys of discovery, I’ll be walking right along side you in spirit, loving you all the way. Happy six month birthday!!! I love you....

Love, Mommy