happy 7 months, milo!

Happy day, Milo! You are seven months old today!

Your seventh month was a BIG one! You started eating solid foods & are now eating sweet potatoes, butternut squash, carrots, avocado, apples, bananas, & pears. (Mama tries to feed you peas but you shake your head "no.")

You hardly ever sit in your exersaucer because you prefer to play on your playmat on the floor. You can push up, scoot yourself backwards, turn yourself around, & roll over. It won't be long before Mama will be chasing you all over the house!

The best thing about your seventh month is that you really PLAY now. Your favorite game is to shake your head "no" & then wait for us to copy you. You have started saying "dadadada" but we don't think you're really saying "dada" yet. (Personally, I think "mama" should be your first word...)

You LOVE to read books & help us turn the pages. You love your puppies. You love to ride in the car. You love to swing at the park. You love to touch faces. (And pull on ears!) And you are old enough to sit in your highchair at the dinner table with us & hold our hands when we say a prayer before dinner.

AND YOU HAVE STARTED SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT!!! OMG, Mama thought this day would NEVER come, but you have been sleeping 10-12 hours at night for THREE weeks now! Milo, you have NO idea how happy this makes your mama...

Milo, today you are seven months old. And today I'm remembering that, almost a year ago, we found out you were a boy. I was sad, Milo. I'm so sorry to tell you that, but it's true. I wanted a baby girl. I wanted to have a daughter. I wanted the pink.

But, Milo, I didn't know. I didn't know how wonderful a son would be. I didn't know you. And, Milo, you are the best, best, BEST thing that has ever happened to me. And I am so honored to be your mama. And so, today, on your seven month birthday, I'm so filled with gratitude & love for YOU, my wonderfully amazing & sweet son.

I love you!

Love,

Mama

milo's seventh month

everyday miracles

We took these two videos yesterday. Watching these videos, I was reminded of another Sara Groves song. (Thank you, Lauren, for introducing me to such a talented singer/songwriter/theologian!)

"And I know You move in greater ways,

But this is great enough for me.

What you do with my everyday,

is simply amazing."

Yes, I know You move in greater ways, but this is great enough for me.

big guy & little guy

I love this big guy & this little guy.

But, what do I love

even more?

How much

this little guy

loves

this big guy

& how much

this big guy

loves

this

little guy.

blessed are the troublemakers

Dear Milo,

I took this picture of you the other day.

You look adorable. But I started to think. If peace signs are "cool," cool enough to put on baby onesies & baby hats, then I'm not sure we're teaching you the right things. Because, Milo, being a peacemaker is so much more than wearing a peace sign.

A few weeks ago I went to church without you & the sermon was about the Beatitudes. You're too little right now, but some day Mama will teach you about the Beatitudes. Because they might be one of my favorite parts of the Bible.

The sermon was good, but something that was said during the children's moment has really bothered me. I'm not trying to pick on the person who did the children's moment. After all, talking about things in the Bible in a way that kids can understand them is really, really hard to do.

The thing that bothered me is that, when explaining the beatitude "blessed are the peacemakers," the kids were told that this means God likes it when we don't cause trouble.

And it got me thinking.

I started thinking about peacemakers. The ones I've read about & the ones I know personally. And, Milo, I think almost every single peacemaker who came to mind has been arrested. Maybe not all of them, but most of them. Not because they are bad people, but because they were, indeed, causing trouble.

You see, Milo, there are lots & lots of things in our world that aren't right. There are lots of things that are unfair. And sometimes, in order to make things fair, in order to make things right, you have to cause a little trouble. And the reason the Beatitudes are so ridiculous is because Jesus is saying the very opposite of what the storyteller during the children's moment was saying. Jesus says "blessed are the peacemakers," but he really means, "blessed are the people who get in trouble trying to make things fair."

Before you were born, Mama & two of her friends went to the Sea of Galilee & climbed up Mt. Beatitude. Here is Mama on Mt. Beatitude:

It was really special to be at the Sea of Galilee & to be in the place where Jesus said, "blessed are the peacemakers." But, Milo, being there was scary. We went there to be with people who get in lots & lots of trouble because they are trying to make things more fair. We even got into some trouble ourselves. It is hard, hard work to be a peacemaker, Milo.

In a few weeks, you will be baptized. Mama & Daddy will stand up with you at the front of the church & present you for baptism. Your grandparents will be there, too. And then the pastor will baptize you with water that Mama collected from the Sea of Galilee.

I still remember taking off my shoes & socks, wading out into the chilly water, leaning over & collecting water from the Sea in an empty water bottle. I didn't have you yet, but I was hoping for you.

And I still hope for you, Milo. I hope that, on the day of your baptism, you will know that you are loved. I hope you will grow up confident in your identity as a child of God. And, I hope you will always remember the water that baptized you. The water that holds the whispers of a promise...

Blessed are the troublemakers, for they shall be called the children of God...

Love,

Mama

love

I have to admit, I'm LOVING this phase in infant-dom. Yes, I miss the teeny tiny baby, but this guy is so much fun.

One of my favorite things about him now? He sleeps on his belly & when I go get him after his naps, he pops his head over the side of the crib & smiles at me.

Today, I was able to catch it on video.

Sigh.

I love this face.

i feel the need to babyproof. very, very soon.