six months of pure bliss

Today my baby boy is six months old and I just can't believe it.  Six months seems so long and yet so short; on the one hand I can't believe that my tiny newborn baby is now half a year old.  Then on the other hand, I feel like it can't only be six months that he has been with us, surely it's been longer than that!  I have a hard time remembering what life was like before he was born, I only know that it paled in comparison to life with him.  He is truly the best thing that ever happened to both Steve and I, and we love every single minute with him.

This last month has been so full of changes for him that I can barely recall all of them.  He had just started to sit up at five months, now he is doing it with ease.  He reaches and grabs at anything that might be near him and his big eyes carefully watch everything that is going on around him.  He pushes himself backwards all around the house, and doesn't really get bored or unhappy until he has backed himself into a corner (or under the couch).  He gets up on his hands and knees and violently rocks back and forth, willing himself to move.

At his six month well baby checkup, he weighed 18 lbs 12oz (one less ounce than at 5 months) which puts him in the 50-75% for weight.  He was 28.5 inches long, which is 95% for his age.  His head has grown too, and is now 45 centimeters, which puts him in the 75-90% for head circumference.  It is amazing how much he has grown...he's doubled his birth weight, grown 7 inches in length and his head has grown almost 10 centimeters.  No wonder babies eat and sleep so much, that is a lot of work!  His feet and hands have grown quite a bit too.  His little feet have grown almost an inch and a half since birth!

On Saturday his first little tooth came through the skin on the bottom, and other than sleeping a little more fitfully at night, teething has been kind to him thus far.  I can see the other little bottom tooth just under the skin, about to break through.  I can't believe my baby has teeth!  I feel very lucky that it has been so painless thus far, and hope that teething continues to go so smoothly.

We went outside to take some six month pictures, and as you can see, he is a little ham for the camera.  Probably since I've been taking so many pictures of him each and every day since birth.  He literally starts smiling as soon as I pick up my DSLR or my iPhone.  

Although he is quick to smile, he also makes lots of other silly faces, which I just love.  Since birth, he has had such an expressive face and it just keeps getting better.  I don't exaggerate or fib at all when I say it has truly been the best six months of our lives.  I love my days with Riggs, often spent doing my own thing while he does his, each of us looking over at the other every now and then to make eye contact and smile.  Other days we cuddle a lot more and spend nearly the entire day interacting with each other through play or reading or just sitting still together on the couch.  Steve misses him all day at work, and often goes straight to him when he gets home from work, wanting just to squeeze him and soak up that mellow, peaceful energy and bask in those wide, mostly gummy smiles.

They say that you will never know what it's like to actually have your baby, to hold them in your arms and to spend 24 hours a day 7 days a week with them.  They say that you no matter what you expect, it won't match reality.  And for us, I guess that's true.  I don't think either Steve or I anticipated how much we would truly love Riggs, and how much we would enjoying just spending the minutes and hours of our days with him.  Often we lay in bed at night together as a family, Riggs sleeping quietly, usually with his little hands clasped together over his chest, and Steve and I just smile and stare at him, wondering out loud to each other how we got so lucky to have him.  He is such a joy, and I thank God everyday for blessing us with his happy little presence in our lives.  We love you Riggy!

true love

I couldn't sleep this morning.  So I rolled out of bed as gracefully as possible, trying not to wake either Steve or Beau, both of whom were sleeping so peacefully next to me.  I closed the door quietly and went out to the living room, getting some water and a snack.  

Soon I heard the faintest little whine.  I stopped what I was doing and listened again, thinking I must have imagined it.  But no, it came again, just a sad, short little cry.  I smiled and walked back down the hall to quietly open my bedroom door.  Out came Beau with sleepy little eyes, trotting as fast as his little legs could carry him along side me to settle in on the couch next to me.  

Is it wrong that I absolutely love how much he loves me?  

Poor Steve all alone in bed - Beau's heart is all full of love for his mama...   

there whenever I need him

DAY TEN:  today I am very, very thankful for Steve.  He is my best friend and always there when I need him.  He works all day out in the cold, and comes home and takes care of me physically and emotionally (which if you know me can be quite a chore; I can be described as just a little emotional, and that's when I'm not pregnant ha).  He made my day today, and it's so, so nice to know that he is there for me every other day too, no matter what.  I truly thank God for him and at the same time pray for him everyday.  I couldn't have a better friend, and that makes him an amazing husband.

dust in the wind

I close my eyes, only for a moment and the moments gone. All my dreams, pass before eyes with curiosity. Dust in the wind, all we are is dust in the wind. Same old song, just a drop of water in an endless sea. All we do, crumbled to the ground though we refuse to see. Dust in the wind all we are is dust in the wind.

Now don't hang on, nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky. It slips away, and all your money won't another minute buy. Dust in the wind all we are is dust in the wind. Everything is dust in the wind.

The lyrics to this song have a lot of truth to them. When your life is over, what will you have to show for it? What have you lived for?

Isaiah 40 says:
6b All flesh is grass,
and all its beauty is like the flower of the field.
7 The grass withers, the flower fades
when the breath of the Lord blows on it;
surely the people are grass.
8 The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of our God will stand forever.

I'm glad my Gods word and love are everlasting!

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Love

These are my nephews, 4 and 2.  

Don't you wish we all could love each other like these little guys do?  

February!

Welcome February!
I cannot believe you are here. Valentines Day is coming up soon, maybe I should decorate. I never have before, but it could be fun (nevermind all the homework, that will get done after the decorating, just like at Christmas). There are lots of other bloggy people out there who do it, I can just get ideas from them.

You are an exciting month, February. January is over, March (springish) is coming, and there are only 28 days! Also, this is the month I met my husband and our first date was 6 years ago on Valentines Day :) The picture up top is from another early date, checking out the ice sculptures during Fur Rondy 2005. We look so so young! We were both 18 :)

So what will we do this year? I have no idea. We aren't really the big-elaborate-plan-put-the-whole-day people. In fact, we don't even usually get each other cards! This may sound really UN-romantic, but I think it us much more special when Steve randomly brings home chocolate, or my favorite magazine, or GASP! even the occasional flowers, rather than robotically going to the store on the one day a year he's "supposed" celebrate his love for me and getting a cheezy card. But still, having a lovey Valentines day can be really fun and satisfying, so I think we are going to this year. Now I just have to decide what to do :)

Anyone else have any to-die-for plans they want to share?

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I love him

I had a long day today.  I came home in a rush to get ready for my online class.  I barely paid any attention to Steve, except a quick hug and kiss when I came in the door.  I sat at the computer typing away and taking notes and setting up my microphone for my online webmeet/elluminate class, and suddenly this beautiful plate of goodness was put in front of me.  I love my husband!

My story...

It seems as though everytime I read a good book, or hear a song that makes my heart ache, or look into a beautiful painting, I think longingly, "If only my life was like one of those stories..." and then sigh wistfully. Why can my life not be so full of beauty and love that withstands even the greatest hardships?
Today God reminded me gently that my life is one of those stories! I life on a beautiful earth and everywhere I look God's power and majesty is displayed in nature as well as the people around me. My family loves me despite the mistakes I have made and the hurt I have sometimes caused them. My husband is my best friend and greatly surpasses all childhood dreams; he cherishes and provides for me selflessly and our love deepens and matures with time.
As the story of my life goes on, I know that the author is the best there ever was or will be and I have faith in him to mold me according to his perfect will. I am so blessed.

Philippians 1:6
Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath began a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.

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be happy to be yourself

Today while riding the bus from work to my parents house I observed a woman packing up her huge multi-day pack and another smaller lightweight backpack with all the gear she had acquired while in Alaska. The route I was on stops by the airport, which is predictably where she got off. I saw the tattered thermarest strapped onto her pack and multiple water bottles stuffed into its side pockets and realized I was feeling a twinge of jealousy. It would be so fun to be able to pack up what I needed to get by for a month or two and just leave on a trip. To go whereve I wanted to go and to do whatever I wanted to do.

But then I relaized that it would prbably get pretty lonely out there and I would probably end up wishing I had someone to share the adventure with. Which is why I'm actually not jealous afterall. I'm thankful to have the love and partnership I share with my husband, even if the logistics of having two jobs to get time off for and two people to pay for means we aren't really spontaneous, ever. But that's another reason I'm thankful to live in Alaska, where we can at least be spontaneous for the weekend and explore all of the amazing places that this state has to offer...