Laughing with Sarah

Five months - April 22, 2014 There's so much personality in this picture. I love it! It describes the sweet, silly side of Sam's personality that continues to emerge. I think that his charm is probably his biggest defining characteristic at five months old. He loves smiling at people, and wrinkling up his nose, and kicking his legs when he's excited. He doesn't mind being held by anybody and everybody, and flashes huge smiles at people that he recognizes. We are definitely in a new stretch when it comes to recognition. He definitely knows who certain people are - Matt, me, the office staff at church - and reacts distinctly and happily to them. In the last few days, he has also started figuring out how to reach out to someone who he wants to go to. He doesn't yet reach out to be picked up from his crib or the floor or car seat. But if he is in your arms and sees someone else that he'd rather be held by, he'll lean in their direction with his arms out...

Two different families in the congregations have had babies this week. It's exciting! I consider every new baby these days a potential bff for Sam, and like to imagine all of these little ones growing up together, playing together, and going to school together. Yesterday, I was doing hospital visits and walked by the maternity ward. There was a brand new little baby girl hanging out in the nursery. So sweet. And I ran into one of the couples from church as they were on their way out after a weight check for their little one. My heart flashed back to Sam's birth and the first weeks of his life. The craziness of having this tiny little person in your care. Muddling through on little sleep and lots of nursing time. The excitement over all of the tiniest "firsts" of his existence. As I type, I have my almost five month old little man sitting in my lap, trying to eat my hand and getting drool all over EVERYTHING. He is absolutely content with life today, happy to be ...