Half A Year

Dear Eden,

You are half a year old today. For six whole months you've been blessing our lives, and I can't remember what life was like before you started doing it. You are really such a joy.

You've grown so much over the past six months! You're sitting up now, and you're happy to entertain yourself in the middle of the living room. You can reach for your toys, and they pretty much always end up in your mouth, covered in drool. You're starting to lean forward and we can tell you're trying to figure out how to move forward. We're starting to face reality that our house will need to be babyproofed soon! You can already roll over and over to get where you want to go. It's weird when we sit you up on the rug and turn away for a second and you're five feet away!

You're eating vegetables now. You love sweet potatoes and carrots, you tolerate squash and peas, and you still make funny faces with green beans. You get so excited when it's time to eat solids. We put you in your Bumbo seat, and you start squealing with delight and flapping your arms up and down, banging your hands on the tray! Next stop: fruits. We can't wait!!

Perhaps the best development over the last month is your interactivity. You respond so well when we try to make you laugh. Your giggle is quite possibly the most perfect sound in the entire world. You make a very particular "happy noise" when you get excited - you squeal on the inhale - and give us that beautiful gummy smile! You babble all the time now. Sometimes your babbles almost sound like words, but we're pretty sure it's accidental. Your kisses are amazing - you grab onto our faces, pull us in forcefully and open-mouth our cheeks, our noses, whatever is closest. And I love it. Even when you lick my makeup off and I am covered in drool, I love it.

I should note that last week you kissed a boy for the first time. You and baby Zek were talking to each other at church, squealing and smiling, and then you both reached for each other's arms and you both went in, for the kiss, open mouth and drool and all. It was so adorable. I wish I'd caught it on video...

Another thing I love is that lately, more than ever, you know your Mommy and Daddy. You recognize us across the room, you know our voices. You are starting to get a little more shy around strangers, especially strange men - last weekend you cried when a new man held you, and then he couldn't look at you without upsetting you! It makes me feel so good that you find comfort in me, that you reach for me, that you reserve some smiles just for when you catch my eye across the room.

It's still really hard leaving you every day, my precious one. I wish I could just put you in my pocket and take you out periodically to hug and kiss. But you and your Daddy are great friends. He loves his time with you, and you love him too. Honestly, I am a little jealous of the time Daddy gets with you, but I also love seeing you two together. It melts my heart when you grab his beard with both hands and pull him in for a big sloppy kiss, or when you turn to look at him and give him a secret smile. I love that my two favorite people love each other so much.

Well, sweet baby, all I can say is keep being awesome. Like I tell you every night, you're precious. Every day I'm amazed by you, and every day I know you and love you more. I can't wait to see what is next.

Love,

Mommy