Happy Half Birthday Peyton!

My sweet little girl is 6 months old today. I'm not even sure how to wrap my mind around this fact. It seems like such a short time ago that I wondered if we would ever get pregnant, and being pregnant....seems like it was just yesterday. I remember wondering every second of every day what she would look like, how she would act, and how I would ever be able to tell what she needed. 6 months later, I now know that she is more beautiful than I could have even imagined, that she has more personality than I ever expected, and somehow, I am able to tell what she needs....most times :) One day, I hope she is able to pull these words out as she holds her own sweet baby.

Dearest Peyton Anne,

You have brought a love to mine and your daddy's life that I never knew existed. You came into this world more anticipated and loved than you will ever understand (until you are a parent yourself.) In the early months, your slightest grin or yawn made us get the others' attention and while I thought that would have disappeared by now, I still find myself whispering..."look, Andrew" at your smallest accomplishments. We have watched you learn to smile, roll over, push yourself up, try new foods, sit up by yourself, squeal, and my favorite by far, laugh. There are no words to describe the feeling I get when I walk into your room in the mornings and you kick your feet and smile in delight. How can a day be bad when it starts that way?

We've had our share of hard times...I'm not one to sugar-coat things and the early months weren't easy. You hardly ever slept longer than 20 minutes during the day and no more than 3 hours at night. You were fussy after almost every feeding and breastfeeding was HARD. I felt so inadequate as your mother and always answered other people's suggestions with .."I don't know...maybe?" You cried a lot, I cried some, and Daddy tried to keep us both happy. But, slowly, we got the hang of it. Switching bottles made all the difference with your colic/gas issues and letting you cry a bit at bedtime quickly flipped on the "sleep switch." Breastfeeding turned into exclusive pumping and made a happier mother and baby.

Through all the hard times, I would stumble out of bed muttering to myself something about needing more sleep, pick you up and you instantly calmed down and after eating would smile and coo at me. I would head back to bed smiling knowing it was all worth it...until the next time you woke of course :) I believe that God allows babies to smile so early because sometimes it is all that get us mothers through those nights.

Staying home with you has made me the happiest person in the world. Again, not every day is perfect, but overall I would trade nothing for the precious time to spend with you. You start my day off with a smile and end it snuggled on my chest. There are nights where I feel like I could hold you all night and not get tired of looking at the content look on your face.

Your daddy and I love you so very much and your arrival has brought us closer than ever. Each new stage you go through leaves us wondering in amazement at the miracle God has allowed us to raise. I pray that we will have the wisdom, strength, and knowledge to raise you as He would desire. We love you so very much and look forward to watching you grow into a sweet little girl, a beautiful young lady, and a confident woman.

Love,
Mama