The past six months have not been easy. Let me say that again. These last six months have not been easy. ;) But I have to say that they have been the happiest six months of my life. I cannot believe that it is half over. I have tried to pause whenever I am able and take mental pictures of how I am feeling when Zaiya snuggles his head into my shoulder to fall asleep, or when he stops nursing to look up and laugh at me for no apparent reason, or when he holds my face in his hands and stares at me like I am the center of his universe and I tell him, "I love you, too," or when I am holding him cheek to cheek as we dance around the room, enjoying the calm that comes over both of us. I pause as much as possible to take note of how it feels to hold my little boy in my arms at nearly every month mark we have conquered (and yes it has felt like a conquering every time!)
I am thankful to this stranger for sharing her experience with me. There are so many things I wish I had accomplished in the last 6 months (I haven't started Zaiya's scrapbook yet... and I am determined to get through at least months 1-6 before he turns 1 year old!) But I realize that the main reason I haven't done more is because I can't stop spending time with him. I am now determined to feel a little less guilty for not doing all the things I said I would do and instead to spend more time patting myself on the back for doing with my time just what I am meant to do for now: enjoy this first year of Zaiya's life. The scrapbook can wait. ;) I have loved nothing more in this life than being a mommy. It truly is the best thing that has ever happened to me and I am planning on soaking up every bit of joy that this first year has left to offer.
Now for a proper update:
Mr. Zaiya is roughly 16 pounds now. He is at the point where all he really needs to entertain him is interaction. Toys are great, but laying beside mommy or daddy is even better. He loves to laugh with us and explore our faces with his hands, show us how he can roll over onto his stomach and now back onto his back! And watch out, because if you aren't careful, he'll roll right off the changing table. (OY.) He can sit up, and giggles when he falls over. He's even had his first couple face plants and has proudly taken it "like a man!" You can see below that he has become much more interested in books lately... naturally we take that as a sign of his brilliance. :) He loves his newest toy, the jump jump. He is like a little King in this thing - it's amazing how much this kid loves to be on his feet already so his new favorite place to be is the jump jump!!! :)
We spent some time in the pool with him at my cousin Rebecca's wedding this past weekend, and he is definitely a water baby! He kicked and laughed and loved being thrown above the water! It was so much fun to have him in the water! We spent a lot of time at Auntie Kristen's house this month and it's really more like an amusement park for Zaiya - you can see him having a blast with his cousins and his Auntie below! I am so excited about this update because it has videos!! Please alert me if they do not work for you because they are both priceless and I would hate for you to miss them. This will be the first time most of you will have seen him live! :)
I am thankful to this stranger for sharing her experience with me. There are so many things I wish I had accomplished in the last 6 months (I haven't started Zaiya's scrapbook yet... and I am determined to get through at least months 1-6 before he turns 1 year old!) But I realize that the main reason I haven't done more is because I can't stop spending time with him. I am now determined to feel a little less guilty for not doing all the things I said I would do and instead to spend more time patting myself on the back for doing with my time just what I am meant to do for now: enjoy this first year of Zaiya's life. The scrapbook can wait. ;) I have loved nothing more in this life than being a mommy. It truly is the best thing that has ever happened to me and I am planning on soaking up every bit of joy that this first year has left to offer.
Now for a proper update:
Mr. Zaiya is roughly 16 pounds now. He is at the point where all he really needs to entertain him is interaction. Toys are great, but laying beside mommy or daddy is even better. He loves to laugh with us and explore our faces with his hands, show us how he can roll over onto his stomach and now back onto his back! And watch out, because if you aren't careful, he'll roll right off the changing table. (OY.) He can sit up, and giggles when he falls over. He's even had his first couple face plants and has proudly taken it "like a man!" You can see below that he has become much more interested in books lately... naturally we take that as a sign of his brilliance. :) He loves his newest toy, the jump jump. He is like a little King in this thing - it's amazing how much this kid loves to be on his feet already so his new favorite place to be is the jump jump!!! :)
We spent some time in the pool with him at my cousin Rebecca's wedding this past weekend, and he is definitely a water baby! He kicked and laughed and loved being thrown above the water! It was so much fun to have him in the water! We spent a lot of time at Auntie Kristen's house this month and it's really more like an amusement park for Zaiya - you can see him having a blast with his cousins and his Auntie below! I am so excited about this update because it has videos!! Please alert me if they do not work for you because they are both priceless and I would hate for you to miss them. This will be the first time most of you will have seen him live! :)
Am I cute or what? Seriously.
My son, future Harvard graduate:
Yet another one of mommy's brilliant photography ideas! "He'll fit in this basket!"
This kid is way too comfortable with a cell phone, already...
Another "Mr. T" shot!
Love that smile!
My first Jack-in-the-box!
The latest adventures of Connor and Zaiya!
Zaiya is learning to hold his own w/his big cousin... ;)
Keep in mind while watching this that Connor is only 3 months older than Zaiya!
This kid thinks he's gonna take my piano. Not MY piano... 
I finished my very first whole jar of baby food! Yummy Squash!
(I love his expression - what? no more?)
My favorites:
All together now: AWWWWW!!!!!
Finally, you can see how addicting this kid's laughter is!
I am so glad I caught this on my lil' camera! Zaiya LOVES his Auntie Kristen!
Hey, check out my new skills!!
Just gettin' a bath. And lookin' cute. Yep.
Just takin' it easy, man. Peace!
Being silly with daddy!
Mommy's happy place...
We love our little guy!
Best family pic so far!
HAPPY HALF YEAR, ZAIYA!!
It has gone by so very fast! I am constantly amazed at all he can do already. What a joy this first 6 months has been for those of us lucky enough to share in the experience of watching him grow. It really feels like just yesterday I was seeing and holding him for the first time on his very first day in this world. I will never forget those adorable lamb like sounds he made while he slept that night. Now to hear his laugh is just simply amazing! Here's hoping the next 6 slow down a little <3
ReplyDeleteI would just like to say "ditto" to Jenni's comment! Oh how I love the pictures and your words! Love you all! xo xo xo
ReplyDeleteHe is adorable Karen!!!
ReplyDeleteI love this post! It is adorable. It is so true that it flies by, but you are doing the right things in spending precious time with Zaiya. Scrapbooking can wait, that is for sure. "Cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow, for babies grow up, we've learned to our sorrow. So, quiet down cobwebs, dust go to sleep, I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep." My mantra. Lytm.
ReplyDelete