Six Months

Before Christopher was born, I couldn't imagine loving anyone as much as I love Clare. Now, my heart just bursts every time I look at him. I can't get enough of him. When he smiles, when he blows raspberries, when he chatters away at me. He is so happy to see me, and the smile he gives me when I get him out of his crib in the morning makes my whole day.

He is a good sleeper, for now, at least until the next Wonder Week or tooth or growth spurt or who knows what disrupts things. But for now things are good. In the mornings, he is perfectly content to stay in his crib for an hour or more, looking in his mirror, chattering to himself, chewing on his toes. I love this. It makes the mornings so much easier, especially if we are trying to get out of the house at a certain time.

Christopher has become quite mobile - he rolls everywhere. He is trying so hard to crawl, but doesn't have the coordination. Instead, he lays on his stomach with his legs kicking ineffectually behind him, staring longingly at whatever he is trying to reach. If I threw him in the pool, he'd probably swim away. (Although he wasn't sure what he thought of the pool when we were actually in one a few weeks ago. Same goes for his baths. He doesn't cry, but he isn't exactly happy about things, either. His sister is a fish, but maybe he inherited his father's ambivalence to the water.) He can sit up on his own, but sometimes he forgets to balance and topples over, so I let him practice while keeping a close eye on him.

He is fascinated by the world around him, and when he sees something that amazes or excites him he moves his entire body with joy. I wish I could describe it better, but when I am holding him in my arms and he sees his reflection in the mirror, he flails his arms and torso and shrieks and grunts with happiness. He has the same reaction to running water. It is the little things, right?

He just loves Clare. If I can't get enough of him, well, he can't get enough of her. She is definitely his favorite person. Even when he is fussy, if Clare comes into the room he grins from ear to ear. If she starts laughing, he starts laughing. Clare, for her part, loves playing with her brother. This usually includes laying on top of him. He doesn't mind at all. In fact, I think he's only cried once during their rough and tumble play. (The fact that he only weighs about 10 pound less than her probably helps.)

He lights up when he sees people at our house or at our various activities, even people he's never seen before. He grins and laughs and tries to grab anyone's hair that he can get his hands on. Despite his need to show off, he is also getting better at independent play. Right now, he is laying under his floor gym grunting at one of the toys and occasionally stuffing his foot in his mouth. He is perfectly content.

Six months. An eternity, a second. I am trying to soak up as much of his babyhood as I can. I can't get enough.