Catching Up

I had big plans for my blog after Caleb was born. I was going to write about all the new things he did, all the things that Jonathan and I thought were so newsworthy and the rest of the world would probably find borderline mundane. Then life took over, I blinked, and seven months went by with nary an update. I really wanted to begin with Caleb's birth story and have all my posts in chronological order. However, I never "found the time" to write out his birth story, and everything following was put therefore put on hold. Consequently, I have no written record of his development over the past seven months. I've resolved to throw my original plan out the window and begin writing as I have time, about whatever I can remember. Maybe someday I'll organize it into a journal. If not, at least I'll have something.

So, seven months. I can hardly believe I have a seven-month-old baby. That sounds so much older to me than six! I think that's because he's now into the second half of his first year. A friend of mine has a boy who's three days older than Caleb. She wrote on her blog that he's now closer to being a one-year-old than a newborn. That's exactly it.

I can't tell you how often I sit back and think, 'I can't believe this is my baby.' I've held other people's babies, and I've handed them back. I didn't know what was best for them. I wasn't their primary caretaker. I couldn't decipher their different cries, didn't know what time they went down for naps, didn't know the tricks for making them smile or laugh. But, this one is mine. I know his schedule. I designed it with him. I know what his different cries mean. I know his tickle spots, the noises that make him smile and squeal with delight. I know what his favorite toys are, how he prefers to be held, the difference between yelling because he wants something and yelling just to hear his own voice. When I hold him, I don't have to give him back.

There have been some challenging moments over the last seven months, but none of them compare to the fun ones, the exciting ones, the melt-me-into-a-puddle ones. The next several posts will highlight some of those moments and hopefully catch you up on who our son is and what life has been like for us. His Daddy and I count ourselves the luckiest people on earth that God has chosen us to parent this little man. It's an awesome responsibility.