Elina: Six Months

Dear Elina,

Today you are six months old. Six months. Half a year. Each month is astonishing but this month is especially so because the scales are tipping in favor of toddlerhood. Each day passed today will bring you closer to being a toddler and farther from being a baby. The changes you've undergone these past six months will soon be overshadowed by the changes you'll undergo in the months to come. Not that those changes haven’t been amazing, they are, but from today on out you will be moving toward a time that will see you learn how speak real words, crawl, walk, give kisses; a time when you will truly be able to interact with us and where we can get to know each other better.

The past six months have been a beautiful, exhausting journey. You entered our lives and since February 17th have made us wonder how we ever lived without you. You fit perfectly into our family. Despite the demands inherent in being a baby you have proved to be the calming force that tempers Cati's intense force. Over the last month your personality has begun to bloom and you are such a happy and, most importantly, content child. Whereas Cati was frenetic with motion and emotion, you exude contentment and peacefulness. Every day you amaze me with this simple truth: at six months you already are your own person with your own likes, dislikes, and quirks. You have taught me there is no mold when it comes to children and my job is to love and accept you for who you are. The distinctions I make between you are your sister aren't comparisons, they are the ways I remind myself of your individuality.

In particular, this past month has seen two teeth break through, you learning how to sit unsupported, and you dropping down to two naps a day. The best milestone (at least for us!) is the knowledge that you recognize us as important people. You cry when new people hold you and you smile whenever you see us. Each day we strive to know you and this month you proved that the love and affection we have been pouring out is working to get you to know us. That smile of yours has been worth all the hard work and tears. I have gone through some lengths to see that smile and this past month the reward for all that heard work has been so evident: all I have to do is smile at you to get a smile in return.

I love you so much it overwhelms me. I want to hold you and never let go. I want to shower you with kisses and spend my days listening to you breathe, smelling your sweet baby sent, and watching you discover the world around you. For as much as I want to see you grow and see how your love for Cati deepens, I want to keep you as small as you are today. That right there is what makes motherhood so bittersweet: each wonderful moment must sadly and unfortunately end but that end is always followed by a new beginning that is even more wonderful.

Happy six months little one. Thank you for teaching me how to love differently each day.

Love,
Mami

Six month stats: 15lbs 1.5 oz, 25" length. Five-5oz bottles a day and pumping five times a day.

More on Elina: Birth Story, One Month, Two Months, Three Months, Four Months, Five Months