Kristine Neeley » Middle Tennessee Lifestyle Portrait & Wedding Photographer

Baby girl, how can you possibly be five months (and a week, but who’s counting?) old already?

I am not sure why, exactly, this month transition affected me so much. I can only guess, maybe, that with each one, I am becoming more aware of how quickly these days are passing and how much is changing. I should just be prepared for that, now. Last week I sat on the floor of your nursery and cried tears of both happiness and sadness as I pulled out your six-month clothes. Just months ago, I remember thinking that if I could just make it to that day of opening the drawer of your armoire stuffed to the gills with 6-12 month clothes, I’d be okay.

The truth is, I am more than okay and have been for far longer than that day, last week, of opening the drawer. We have our tough days, sure. Those days when it seems no amount of cold toys or loud singing or endless cuddling could take away the pain of teething. Or the days where I wonder, again, at the perplexity of the dreaded catnap and your insistence upon being awake as much as possible during the day. But even managing all of that is getting… (dare I say it?)… easier. I have learned that our rhythm is found less in the time of our day, though that’s becoming a little more reliable, than the communication we’re sharing that develops daily. You yell when you want attention, squeal and gasp when something excites you, fuss when you’re hungry or tired, laugh when you are happy and cry when you’re in pain. And I? I tend to your needs and find relief in your ability to more acutely help me figure out what those needs are.

You are getting more and more fun by the day, sweet Virginia. Just yesterday you figured out how to burrow your head into the blanket, dig your toes into the ground, and get that cute bottom of yours up on the air. You tried again and again and again to get somewhere, scooting your head forward and alternating between “downward dog” and “child’s pose”. I’ve decided to call that move plowing. This new ability, mixed with the couple of weeks that you’ve been using your arms to bring yourself around in a circle, makes me think crawling may be closer on the horizon than we thought. But sitting? Ha! You practice very well but can hardly quit moving long enough to actually sit, let alone, still. A little while ago you discovered your feet, and we knew it’d only be a matter of time before they made it to your mouth. And last week, they did! You have a new jumperoo that you love with every bit of your wiggling, jumping being. It makes our day to watch you in it! Rolling has long since been old news, but you’re getting even better at barreling around and getting from your front to your back. Most times I go to get you out of your crib, you’re just hanging out on your belly, head propped in the air (on one arm no less… since we still have one in the swaddle – eep!).

While I nursed you this morning during your pre-dawn waking, I held your hand and just watched you. The dim light falling on your face accentuated your features so perfectly and I held my breath, letting that beauty and all of the quiet wash over me. In that moment, I thought again about how blessed I am to be your momma. Each and every moment with you – waking up to feed you at 5 o’clock in the morning, laughing with you over another game of peek-a-boo, holding you with one arm while I cook just to keep you happy, napping with you in the afternoon, rubbing your gums just to ease the pain, and countless more – is a gift. I love you, sugarpie.