Happy 6 Months!

Today, E turned 6 months old. And in honor of this milestone, I wanted to blatantly rip off our friends Sarah and Rogèr again by posting a short letter to the lil'guy from us (similar to his 4 month birthday). And while I'll try to keep the sappiness at low-flow, I'm not making any promises.

So here it goes: 

Dear E,

Before you were born people would tell us, "Your life will never be the same." Often times, this was done in an exhausted tone and accompanied with a sigh. Well, they were right: our life would never be the same, but their tone and sigh were wrong.

First off, we know that we're *extremely* lucky because you're an easy baby and we have had very few issues that others face. Sure, there are challenges and there are sacrifices. But, as with a lot of life, these small bumps make the victories even sweeter. Our routines, priorities, and worries have been modified from our pre-Evan life, but they're just different than before, not worse. In fact, creating and adapting to these ever-changing schedules keeps your Mommy and me entertained as we lay in bed at night.

The joy (because that is really the only term) you bring to our entire family is flat-out astounding. A family that you already fit into perfectly. You're patient and easy-going just like the rest of our clan. You enjoy all the parties and the characters who come along with them. You're a baseball fan (a must with the Christensens), you enjoy walking the dogs (a must with the Ballous), and you love to eat (all of the above). Most importantly, you're just as loving and caring as these wonderful relatives and friends you've been born with.

We see friends with babies younger than you and just can't imagine you were ever that little. Except we've got (just a few) pictures to prove that you were. Still it's mind-blowing to think of how much and how quickly things progress. In the last half of a year, you've...

• Gained over ten pounds and grown at least eight inches. 
• Gone from sleeping no more than 3 hour chunks to all-night stretches. 
• Started laughing uncontrollably when Daddy pretends to "gobble" your ear. 
• Rolled back-to-front and (as of last night) front-to-back.
• Started to grab and - sort of - pet your "brother dogs." 
• Gone from indifference with who walked into the room to a giant grin when you see your Mommy after a long day's work. 

Now that you're six months old, people tell us - with the same exhaustion and sigh - that our lives will never be the same once you start rolling a lot, crawling, or even walking over the next half of a year. And we sure hope they're right again.

We love you, Evan,
Mommy & Daddy

Quick status update...On Friday, we went to E's six month check up and here's his digits: 

Weight: 17 lbs. 7 oz. 
Height: 26" (At his 4 month appointment, there was some confusion on if he was 25.5" or 26.5", at the time we gave him the extra inch. Turns out we were wrong. Or he shrunk). 
Head Circumference: 18"