Half a Year

Mac is six months old today!

I could say that time has flown by, because it absolutely has, but in a way these six months have been the longest of my life. They've been filled to the brim with the most meaning, emotion and experience I've ever known. (A touch less sleep than usual, but I'd say we're rectifying that quickly these days!)

I feel like we've had Mac our entire lives, so perhaps that lends a bit more weight to these last 26 weeks than any before them. It's hard to remember how things were before he arrived.

Six months ago there were only two people in this house, and those people might barely recognize who we are today. From top to bottom, this half of a year has altered every corner of our lives. And we're tremendously thankful!

The morning of October 5 my doctor told us we didn't need to go home after our weekly appointment; we'd just head across the street to the hospital to check in. After ages of counting days, counting my blessings during bed rest and counting down to the very moment I'd go into labor, I felt suddenly, woefully unprepared - and fairly sure I couldn't do "this."

Well, I did. With the help of a cheerful stork, a patient husband and an army of nurses, voila! McNeal Smith arrived at 8:06 p.m., crying and pink and perfect. To us, he looked like he was carved out of butter, the most flawless and beautiful baby ever to grace this Earth. Surely he had fallen out of heaven straight into that stork's mouth. (Spoiler alert: You'll feel this way about your baby, too. It's a universal truth.)

Here was our Macky at last! I couldn't stop staring at or squeezing or touching him.

Then he grew - but I still couldn't keep my hands off of our tiny boy. Each month I doubted that he could get bigger, cuter, smarter, sweeter or more fun. But he did...

One Month Old - curled up & ready for a fight

Two Months Old - loving on his tiger

Three Months Old - fighting a cold & not a photo-taking fan

Four Months Old - bundled up & rosy cheeked

Five Months Old - ready to get his bare feet outside

Six months old - ready to explore the world beyond that window

I am incredibly privileged to be Mac's mom, to learn more each day about his sweet personality and the boy he is becoming. What's more, God is using motherhood to teach me about my relationship with Him; the parallels between us as God's children and our babies are endless.

Six months into things, I'm amazed at how quickly the game changes. I'll never figure it all out. But I'm enjoying every minute of it.

Happy half birthday to our Mac! We love you, little man. You won't get any cupcakes this time, but maybe some green beans or sweet potatoes will do the trick for now.