A long overdue 6-month post for Little Bitty

Dear Seth,

This post is long overdue, but on May 12 you turned 6 months old. A whole half a year, and time is just flying by. Don't make me break out the cliches, mister, about time and how quickly it passes. I've loved every minute of it, even those tough couple of days in the NICU. Oh, how I worried and cried and prayed for you. We never expected anything less than a perfectly healthy newborn, and then you arrived, with your traumatic birth and breathing tubes and feeding tubes, and it was almost too much. We are so, so blessed at your healings, and I thank God every single day for you, for the baby that almost wasn't. It has allowed me to truly treasure every moment, even the middle of the night moments, to memorize every crease and fold of your chubby little body, to sniff your neck constantly, soaking up your little baby smell. I really do feel like you are our miracle baby. You've certainly restored parts of me that I thought long gone.

The last few months have really been new ground for me, since you're the first baby I've been able to stay home with. With the others, I was back to work at 12 weeks, and then they became little time-shares, spending the days with Miss Leanna and the evenings at home. But you, you are completely mine, and I love to be selfish with you. I spend hours on the floor at home, laying or sitting beside you while you play, trying to teach you things, enjoying every noise and facial expression that you make. I didn't have a chance to do this with the others, so I am soaking it up with you.

At six months, you are:

• 18 pounds, 14 ounces and 28 inches long.
• wearing 6 - 12 month clothing and size 3 diapers.
• drinking approximately 30 ounces of formula each day.
• not eating solids really at all, except for the occasional table food bits (mashed potatoes, bread).
• cutting 3 teeth - all three on the bottom, and all three in different stages of coming in.
• napping twice a day, once around 10 AM and once around 2 PM, for a total of about 4 hours.
• going to bed at 8:30 PM and sleeping until around 8 AM (with one or two night wakings in between).
• sitting up really well, although I still keep crash pillows around, just in case.
• so over the Laugh & Learn, much too mature for that silly baby toy now. Now we play sitting up, with real toys.
• enjoying the Jumparoo, and you get so excited and jump and laugh like crazy.
• working on your grasp - it takes you a couple of tries to pick up something small, but eventually you get it. Your grasp is still stronger with your left arm, and you definitely prefer your left hand, but that right arm is looking really good.
• still in a cradle, still in our closet. We'll have to break out the crib eventually, but not just yet.
• starting to give kisses, at least, your version of a kiss - leaning in with an open mouth. It is the cutest thing in the world.
• shaking your head NO. This is brand new, and it's really cute, too.
• still have blue eyes (not bright blue like Owen, but more gray-blue) and blondish-reddish hair.
• enjoying your brothers, most of the time. You are much more relaxed with Owen than with Ari, but Ari's quite a lot rougher when he plays with you. Eva and you co-exist, but rarely does she pay you any attention. So for now, it's all about the brothers.

We just took you to Branson this past weekend, your first real trip away from home, and you did so well. We hardly noticed you were there! You played nicely at the condo, slept just fine in the pack-n-play, smiled and entertained yourself at dinner (along with eating lots of Daddy's sweet potato), and spent the day at Silver Dollar City almost entirely with a pleasant attitude. You snoozed, ate, spent some time being carried, but all in all you were such an awesome baby to have along. I was definitely worried about taking you out of your element, but you showed me again how mellow and sweet-natured you are. No problem.

Thank you, sweet Seth, little Bitty, for all the happiness you've brought me and the rest of the family. I love you more than I have words for.

Mama