**Cameron turned six months old yesterday.**

Half a year.  That’s how long you’ve been an outside baby, Mr. Pants.  That’s how long you’ve been in our world.  That’s how long I’ve been able to hold you in my arms.  Half of a glorious year.

The other night, you and I were snuggling in bed, and I was thinking about that night, six months ago, when you were born.  I was thinking specifically about my labour, because your six month day coincided perfectly with Labour Day this year.  It didn’t feel real.  What does feel real is being your Mommy and having you in my life.  Knowing that you rely on me and love me and need me is the realest feeling in the world.  But how you got here?  That just seems like a very distant memory.  It doesn’t feel like I went through that.  Although I have intrinsically become a mother by having you in my life, sometimes I feel like I am not old enough to be matronly.  I am not experienced enough to have given birth.

But I did.  And because I did, you have been experiencing this world for six months.

Six months is a big milestone.  It is your first un-birthday.  It is when you will stop exclusively breastfeeding and start eating big-people food.  But six months is also kind of arbitrary.  It is a date on the calendar.  You are already learning and growing and maturing so fast.  But this date reminds us to celebrate you; to celebrate the person you are and to reflect on how you have added to our family.

This weekend you lived through your first hurricane.  All in all our happy little family made out okay.  The worst we got hit with was a five hour power outage.  But despite loosing power and being cooped up inside, we had a lovely day.  You and me and Daddy spent most of the day snuggled together in bed watching the rain pour and listening to the wind rage through the bedroom window.  We were safe and warm (a little too warm) and cozy inside and it was lovely being all together.

I really hope that you learn to see the beauty in stormy days.  I hope you are able to find joy in whatever situation you are presented with.  Because even when the world is dark and stormy and windy and rainy, even when the electricity goes out, there is always light – always a reason to be joyful.  Sometimes you may have to look hard to find it, but I hope you always keep looking for the joy.

I love you so much, Cameron.  Your Daddy and I are so proud of all you have accomplished in these last six months (we can hardly believe that you are moving on your own now!).  You have brought so much joy to our family and we thank God for you every day.

Love, Love, Love You!
My heart just aches and trembles with all the love I have for you,

Your Mommy

• Keep head level with body when pulled to sitting: check
• Say “ah-goo” or similar vowel-consonant combinations: check (definitely something Cameron used to do.  He doesn’t anymore)

75% of babies will be able to do this:

• Bear some weight on legs when held upright: check
• Sit without support: check
• Turn in the direction of a voice: check
• Razz: check!

Roughly 50% of babies can do this:

• Stand holding on to someone or something: check
• Object if you try to take a toy away: check (my baby knows what he wants!)
• Work to get a toy out of reach: check
• Pass an object from one hand to other: check
  
• Look for dropped object: check
• Rake with fingers a tiny object and pick it up in fist: check
• Babbly, combining vowels and consonants such as ga-ga-ga, ba-ba-ba, ma-ma-ma, da-da-da: He has slowly began trying out consonants in the last few days.  It is almost as if Cameron is trying it out on his tongue.  He is sticking with the “b” consonant right now.

And only 25% of babies can do this:

• Creep or crawl: check (he is creeping and pulling himself forward with his arms.  Dan and I figure he’ll be crawling in a week or two).
• Pull up to standing position from sitting:  At this point we haven’t given Cameron the opportunity to do this.  He has pulled himself up in the upper part of his playpen, so we dropped that down right away, but he didn’t pull himself to standing).
• Get into a sitting position from stomach: nope
• Pick up tiny object with any part of thumb and finger:  I don’t know.  I’ll have to keep my eye open for this.
• Say “mama” or “dada” indiscriminately:  I wish!