Six Months

Dear Brooklen,

I can't believe that it has been six months since the day that I first held you in my arms. I am truly the luckiest mommy in the world to be entrusted with the opportunity to love and teach you all of the things that you need to know. You are growing up so fast. While I love to watch you learn new things, it sometimes makes me sad to see you grow so fast.

You weigh about 16 pounds and you are about 27 inches long. You love to eat solid food. Your current favorites are sweet potatoes, squash, rice cereal with fruit, cheerios, and peas. Oh, and, of course, you love ANYTHING off of Mommy and Daddy's plates. You still love to drink milk, and you have even started drinking from a sippy cup. You have 2 teeth cutting through your gums in the bottom of your mouth. You love to hear them hit against glass when you drink water out of Mom or Dad's cup.

You are so close to crawling. This makes mom both nervous and excited. It's time to "baby-proof" the house. You have mastered reaching, and you can turn in circles. If you see something that you really want, you will roll until you get to it. Your favorite thing to do, however, is stand. You are happy that Mommy and Daddy found you an exersaucer to play in because it helps you get your legs really strong. Mommy is sure that if your legs were strong enough now to support your head and your tummy, you would already be running around.

You are very mischievous, and you love to get your hands on anything that you aren't allowed to touch, especially the laptop, books, and paper. You are a very active baby, and you always have to be "on the move." If Mom or Dad are holding you, you want them to be moving too. You are an adventurous little boy; you like to take in as much as you possibly can.

You still love music. It is amazing how you can be in the middle of having a temper tantrum and as soon as you hear mommy singing one of your favorite songs, you completely cool off. Your current favorites are "Once There Was a Snowman," "The Itsy, Bitsy Spider," and "Doe, A Deer." You think that Mom sings these better than anyone else because she delivers them complete with a corny voice and exaggerated actions.

You have recently found your voice. Mommy and Daddy have to walk out of church meetings because you like to sing so loud that everyone in the meeting can't hear what the speaker is saying. You don't like competition; when Mommy and Daddy are watching TV or talking, you find it necessary to talk even louder so that they will pay attention to you.

You have been a good sleeper for a few months now. You go to bed at about 9:30pm, wake up to eat at about 6:00am, and then you sleep for a couple more hours. You also take a couple of short naps during the day. You definitely have a fiery temper. The debate is still out on whether you got that from your mom or from your dad . . .

I love you so much pumpkin. You have changed Mommy and Daddy's lives forever. We can't wait to watch you grow into a big, strong man.

Love,

Mommy