My sweet little babies:

Today you are five months old.  It hardly seems like days, much less months, have gone by since I walked (slowly) down that hallway to the operating room.  I cannot believe that, by this time, five months ago, I was waiting alone in the recovery room while your Daddy and the nurses took you both to the nursery so your grandparents could see you.  You were so tiny and wrinkly and healthy and perfect.  And already, at only hours old, you were already displaying the personalities we’ve come to love so much.

Alex, my big guy, our Mister Buddy, you are such a jolly little guy.  Your smile just lights up a room and you love to laugh.  At anything!  In fact, if Mommy or Daddy laughs at something, you laugh right along with us.  You have started to roll over now, though you still don’t do it very often.  I guess it’s just easier to let Mommy flip you over when you start getting cranky…easier for you, anyway!  But you love to be on your tummy and you are super-strong.  You love to reach for the rattles and try to chew on them (or anything else you have handy), and you drool and blow bubbles all the time.  I’m hoping we aren’t heading for teeth too soon, but it might be in the near future.  You love your evening bowl of oatmeal, especially if Daddy feeds it to you, and while you’re still waking up some at night, we’re finally doing much better than we were!  But above all of what you do, I want you to know that you just fill up my heart, little man.  I love your first-thing-in-the-morning smile.  I love your little voice and infectious laugh.  I love to see you try something new and finally succeed.  And I am so very glad you joined our family at 7:52 in the morning, five months ago.

And of course, my little Erin, my Lady Baby, Daddy’s Sweet Nugglin, you are not less loved.  You have the biggest blue eyes and the cutest round cheeks.  In fact, five months ago, your cheeks were the most noticeable thing about you!  Now they are just one of the wonderful parts of you!  You are shyer than your brother is, but not less friendly.  You just like things a little quieter, a little calmer.  You talk a lot, especially to your toys and Mommy’s hand.  But when people talk to you, you get very focused, trying to mimic what we do with our mouths so that you can do it, too.  And when you get tired, you get louder.  A lot louder!  You have not rolled over yet, but you are very accomplished with your fingers.  You can grab anything and pull it towards yourself.  And you just love to pull the ring on the frog on your bouncy seat…we’ve heard the song he plays a thousand times already, I’m sure!  You just started cereal this week, so we’re just learning how to use the spoon together.  But I’m so glad I get to be the one to teach you such important lessons.  I’ll do my best to keep you up on all the lessons you need to grow up to be a lovely young woman.  Yes, little Erin, I love you more than I can say.  You are sweet and snuggly, and I love watching you be so different from your brother (and so alike at the same time!).  I love your facial expressions and your focus when you want to figure something out.  And I’m very glad that you joined our family exactly 72 seconds after your brother, five months ago today!

Yes, dear babies, Mommy and Daddy love you.  Having you has been wonderful and difficult and crazy and enjoyable and full of challenges and marvelous moments of grace.  We are committed to teaching you to love God and to be independent, capable human beings someday.  But for today, for just this moment, I think I’m just going to squeeze you, pray over you, love you, laugh with you, and be thankful that you are still small enough to be my babies.

Love, Mommy