Sunday, May 11, 2014

Letters to Eli #5

Hello, puddle duck!

Wow! Really? It has been a whole half of a year already since you were born. Time truly is flying at a crazy fast pace. I am doing my best to soak in every single possible moment I can with you in all of your baby glory. And what a sweet, wonderful baby you are! I am amazed every day at how you are growing and learning. You are so good, and you have such a sweet little spirit about you. You only fuss if you don't feel good or are tired and/or hungry. Otherwise, for the most part, you are all smiles and giggles. You make the most precious little faces, and you steal my heart every minute.



Here are some things you do now: sit up on your own, you scoot around on the floor in circles or backwards, and you are getting very close to crawling. You get up on all fours and rock back and forth by yourself. You have even plopped forward a few times. It is bittersweet knowing you are about to achieve this milestone. On the one hand, it is wonderful watching you develop and grow. I love the idea of you being able to go to what you want and make your way around to explore. At the same time, it opens up a whole new realm of possibilities for you to get into something you shouldn't or to get hurt. I guess this is just the first of many endeavors you will dabble in that will cause me this type of worry. You also love to babble now, and you really look like you are trying to talk when you do it. You love to splash and play in your bath, and the running water in the tub fascinates you. You bounce up and down, you give tiny, gentle high fives, and you shake your head no a lot. You are getting close to learning to wave, and I think you are the most precious little thing I have ever laid eyes on. Truly, you bring my heart such joy and wonder...I am one blessed mommy!

Photograph by TJMohr Photography

Yesterday, we went to your 6 month check up, and the doctor says you are doing great! You weighed 19 lbs 3 oz and were 27.5 inches long. You are a big boy! We get to start working towards getting you even more into baby food. So far, you like sweet potatoes, squash, and hummus. You don't like green beans, apples, or pears. Your Nonnie says you don't like fruit because mommy had gestational diabetes, so you weren't used to sweets. I have a feeling you will come around! :)

Photograph by TJMohr Photography

You are still a very good sleeper, although you still tend to wake up once in the night, either early on (around 11) or in the early morning (around 4:30) to get a dry diaper and eat. I am thinking that once we start giving you more solid foods, that nightly feeding will be cut out. The idea of no longer nursing is also bittersweet. While I look forward to the freedoms that not nursing brings, I am certainly going to miss the bonding that it facilitates. I feel like it is such a part of our relationship, and it even feels like part of my identity now. No matter...we will strive on. I hope that you adjust ok to it as I am sure it will be a bit hard on my heart. No phase in your life, no matter how sweet it may seem, is meant to last forever. These years, days, even moments are all so fleeting. I try to enjoy them while I can, and I try to avoid questioning and beating myself up over every little thing I could be doing differently. You are a wonderful baby, and I couldn't ask for anything more.

Photograph by TJMohr Photography

I love you so, son, and my prayers for you continue to be the same. The greatest of them all is that you are one day, sooner rather than later in life, called on by God to belong to Him. I cherish you; I treasure you; and I adore you with every fiber of my being.

Photograph by TJMohr Photography
In Christ Alone,
Mommy