Six Months of Joy

A week from tomorrow my baby girl turns 6 months old. Jonathan and I looked down at her feet the other day and were shocked by how big they were! I remember when she was born, if there was a fluff between her toes I couldn't do anything about it, because even my pinky finger couldn't fit between her tiny toes. But now I can easily clean out the fluffs. That may be a weird way to notice that your baby is growing up, but it really struck me when I realized that. She's going to be half a year old! It's not fair. She's growing into a child and out of a baby!

Now, at 6 months old, she is definitely still a baby. Which I remind myself when she chooses not to sleep through the night. But I am so afraid that she is going to grow up and leave and I will be baby-less! I simultaneously love watching her grow and hit milestones and dread it. It is just happening too fast! I need time to process. And time to cuddle. And time to enjoy her babyhood. But time goes as fast as it ever did, and she is going to keep growing. And I guess that's a good thing! 

These past six months have been tricky. The first few weeks and months with a newborn were very challenging, and although it has gotten easier and better, parenting is hard! It's hard work. It's long hours. It's late nights. But I have never been happier. Because through the challenges, there is the joy. Every day. 

Our little girl introduced Jonathan and me to what we call "the morning joy." The morning joy is the smiles, coos, chattiness, and general adorableness that greets us every morning as we eat breakfast and get ready for the day. We may wake up tired and worn out from a long night of trying to get her to go to sleep and stay asleep, but when she looks at us with her sweet smiles and eyes that say, "Mommy! Daddy! I am so happy to see you!" our hearts just melt into useless puddles in our chests and we have no choice but to pour ourselves a cup of coffee and surrender to the joy. 

I love spending the days with my daughter. I savor every moment of feeding her, cuddling on the couch while she naps, reading to her, or watching her play. I love seeing how pleased she is with herself when she figures out how to roll over, or plays with a toy while sitting up, or does some other new trick. I love seeing the big smile on her face when her Daddy comes home during his lunch break for an hour. He may have only been gone for a few hours, but boy is she happy to see him! And I love seeing my husband's matching smile as he walks in the door and sees her beaming at him. 

And on the days when I have to go in to the office and work for a few hours, I love that I think of my family every second I am away, and I love when I get to go back. I know that when I get back I'll be busy, and I'll have to jump right back in to taking care of her, but I can think of nothing more wonderful than seeing and holding her when I get home. 

I loved driving up and getting out of my car the other day, and hearing the sound of baby laughter coming from the window of my living room. I peaked in the window and saw my husband and my daughter playing a silly game and laughing together, and my heart was warmed. And that moment when I walked in the front door and she beamed one of her beautiful joy-filled smiles at me, that moment was pure happiness. 

I rejoice that I bent my rules and gave my daughter some oatmeal and veggie purees before her 6 month birthday, because she absolutely loves food, and she was so ready for it! I love listening to her literally say, "Mmm! Mmm! Mmm!" as she eats sweet potatoes. It is so precious, and so fun to bring her that joy. 

We don't have a dishwasher, so every night Jonathan and I have to wash dishes by hand. We have now turned dish-washing time into a family event. I stand at the sink and wash dishes, Little Girl sits in her bouncy seat, and Jonathan alternates between drying the dishes and doing absolutely outlandish things in attempts to make our daughter laugh. Sometimes she does! I always laugh at him, and I think she laughs at him about 30% of the time. But those evenings as a family in the kitchen, those are priceless. I love how we've managed to turn something as obnoxious as not having a dishwasher into family time. 

I love that every time I see my daughter I have the urge to tell her how beautiful, clever, and sweet she is. I love watching my husband with her. I love everything about my little family. God has certainly blessed me. I look around me and I can't believe how blessed I am. After thinking back over the past six months and the moments that have brought me joy, it really is the little things. It really is the short, fleeting moments each day where she makes a face, smiles, yawns adorably, grabs my glasses... those moments are so precious, and so far I have been blessed with six months of them. I am going to do everything I can to take notice of those little moments going forward. They make the most precious memories.




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If you haven't yet, there is still time to enter this giveaway for a chance to win a beautiful charm bracelet. (Enter by Wednesday, April 16th!) As I wrote this post about the joys of motherhood, I was constantly thinking about how blessed I am to experience this, and how much I longed for and waited for my daughter. This giveaway is very near to my heart. If you are still waiting for your little one, I pray you experience peace and reassurance during what can be a very difficult time.