Five Months

Five months ago, I gave birth to Tobin. So much has changed in that short amount of time; it's really unbelievable!

First off, there's this incredible little guy living in our house now! Tobin has really turned into the classic smiling baby now, quick to grin when someone looks at him and talks to him. His skin is also better as he's gotten used to life outside the womb and as the hormones he gets from my milk have subsided; he doesn't have those big flaky patches of dry skin that he did for so long, and I'm thankful for that. He also has progressed to the stage of holding toys and playing with them. He has this cloth book that unfolds to a long caterpillar and each section makes noise or has a mirror in it or something. He really enjoys holding that; but at this stage, it never fails: after a few minutes, he starts to "talk" to it, which progresses to louder and louder "talking" until soon it sounds like he's crying. Or I'll give him a plastic ring to hold and he'll be happy, but then he'll try to put it in his mouth and won't be able to get it in the right place, and then he'll get frustrated. Or he'll be holding a toy in his hand and then "forget" how to let go of it so that he can suck his thumb when he gets tired. Or he'll sit in his bouncy seat and swat at the little animals hanging down from the toy bar, but then he tries to chew on the green elephant's trunk, and gets grumpy when it swings away from him. Or as he holds a toy in his hand, he'll accidentally bang his head with it. Ah, the hardships of infancy! It's tough to try to get those toys to do what you want them to do! :)

Second, besides the amazing changes in Tobin, I just feel so different. My energy level is so much higher, physically I feel so much better, this season of the year is such a fun one, my ability to dive enthusiastically into new projects is radically different than those early days after Tobin's birth when I just tried to survive day-to-day at times, taking care of three boys and even going out to various places with them seems so much more manageable than it did just a few months ago. I am so grateful for how God designed us to adapt to the changes in our environment and lifestyle and family size!

Last Sunday we took these pictures of the boys wearing their matching outfits from Uncle David and Aunt Lori. I love Tobin's smile in this picture...
... and Josiah's and David's grins in this one.
These past five months have been filled with precious memory-making moments, and I've realized again how much capacity for love the heart has. As more children are added to the family and as the children get older, the love grows...simply grows...and I don't think there's an end to it. When I first had Josiah, it was hard to believe that I could feel the depth and intensity of love for any other child like I did for him...and then along came David and I felt it all over again...and now here is Tobin, and I love him so completely and so fiercely and so tenderly and so... Well, it leaves me speechless.
I love you, my little Tobin bear. Thank you for being such a precious gift of God to me.