Six months.

Six months ago I had a baby.

Wow.

It still leaves me in awe to be able to type that. Sometimes I look at him, and I cannot believe he is real. We prayed so long and so hard. And though our struggles were no comparison to what others have gone through, we could only hold our breaths with each doctor’s appointment and sonogram wondering if this little bean would come to be.

He did! And we give all praise to God for this gift.

I did not write much about my pregnancy and really only mentioned it in passing on this blog. First, I was so sick and so tired and the bare minimum was about all I was able to do in my day-to-day life. But there’s been a lot of wrestling going on as well over the past year about what about my children I should and should not put online. I want to protect them and I know full well these babies grow up into 11-year-olds (ahem) that do not want their pictures online. And, I have to say, it’s been special to share about little Z in a limited way on social media with, for the most part, only my family and closest friends. It also motivates me to detail his life as best as I can offline.

At the same time, I’ve written so much about my older son in this space that I’d be remiss to not mention his little brother at all. And since I just post pictures and not too many details on Z’s life on Facebook and Instagram, here’s a fun little update on all our little man is up to.

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Z-man! You are six months old today! I look at you and cannot comprehend how you can encompass everything I have ever wanted and yet everything I did not know I needed. Here are some highlights from your first six months on earth:

• We get a different weight for you at the different offices we go to you, so that’s been frustrating for your mommy! But you’re about 13.5 pounds (tiny thing!) and roughly 26-27” in length. You’re just growing out of your 3-months clothes, but fit comfortably in your 3-6 months ones.
• Your eyes turned from gray to now a greenish-gray and it looks like you may have your daddy’s hazel eyes. You were born with a TON of hair. Black at first, but now a light brown with hints of blond and even red. It was mostly straight but now is starting to curl! You have your momma’s skin color. I fear the sunburns already!
• You are known for being HAPPY. There is not one person or doctor who has seen you who has not commented on how joyful you are. You are a friendly, smiley baby.
• At the same time, in every way possible, you are the complete opposite of your big brother. You can be needy and you cry a lot more than he did. But that’s okay. You like constant attention, people looking at you, or someone to hold you. Nothing wrong with that.
• You love the bath! You love to watch the water and now play in it.
• You love for your mommy to wear you. No matter what time of day as soon as I put you on me, you lay your head on my chest and fall fast asleep. At the same time, you love watching the world around you when you are awake.
• You are down to two good naps–one in the morning and one in the afternoon. You go to bed anywhere between 8:30-9:30 which I love because that means we sleep until late. You still wake to nurse at night, but it doesn’t even affect Mommy anymore as you go right back to sleep. You can give me a few hour stretches for which I am grateful.
• You have seem to be teething for months, but no teeth yet!
• You have been babbling for quite some time now. You know how to have a conversation in your own baby way.
• You roll from front to back and back to front with ease and can sit up all on your own.
• You went to your first Mets game on Sunday, May 17, 2015.
• You took your first class – a baby signing time class. I’m pretty sure you understand the milk sign and I’m convinced you do it, but Daddy and your brother will disagree. You simply had fun listening to the songs and putting all the toys in your mouth.
• You are a physical therapy graduate! Breastfeeding did not come easy for us, but it was something momma believed in and I want you to know how hard I worked to give you the very best possible. Through a visit with a lactation consultant we learned you had torticollis and a slight flattening of your head. We did physical therapy and you “graduated” way ahead of the normal prognosis. Your physical therapist was so proud of you! And it’s not just your mommy that thinks so–she said you are very advanced for your age. You have motor skills that are on level with a 7-to-9 month olds and other skills past that even. Unlike your brother who did things “later”, we think you will be our early bird.
• You are SO ready to eat! You have shown signs of readiness since you were four months old, grabbing our food any change you got and I’m so glad you finally get to dive in and enjoy the world of solids!
• I love how you recognize your family, especially your mommy. Your eyes will follow me all over a room and if you cry, mommy picking you up instantly helps. You are such a joy to us!

You are a joy in our lives and I can no longer picture our family without you.

Thank you, Lord, for the honor to experience having a baby again. It’s been so much fun doing a lot of things the same but also recognizing how I should have done things different with my older one. I am relishing and cherishing this baby, not knowing if he is my last. I’m so glad I’m able to relax. I don’t feel time passing too quickly, but I know it is. And I’m just soaking it all in as best as I can. I think I will remember every detail, but I know I won’t. But I love him so very much and that’s what I want him to know one day when he reads this.

I will not be posting baby’s picture on the blog, but know that he is the cutest, sweetest thing possible!

And now? I totally get to start planning his first birthday!

I love you Z-man.

~Mommy