Six Months

April 04, 2012

Seth,

If this month is any indication, things are just going to get more fun with you. You’re not quite where we left you anymore, as you can sit up on your own (almost stable) and when you fall over, you roll to get what you want. When your mommy and I make sounds and faces, it’s amazing to watch you try and mimic us, up to and even motorboat sounds with your lips (that, of course, happened on the changing table, where so many firsts seem to happen). We never swaddled your arms down even when you were a newborn, since you really seemed to like them up by your face. That’s still the case,and now you go ahead and rub both fists in your eyes when you’re tired, and then fall asleep with your hands by your head. You sleep mostly on your side, and it’s easier to put you down that way. We love to watch you drift off on your side in the crib, with your little hands and feet crossed. Can’t think of anything in the world more cute than you when you’re sleeping, except maybe your mommy.

Of course, you’re just as much fun awake, too. You said “daddy” this month to start your vocabulary, and quickly followed that up with “hungry”. Just do you know what you like, I guess. You got to put on shorts since it was warm this month, and play with your first balloon At cousin Miles’ second birthday party. Sitting up means rides in the swing at the park, and rides in the cart at the store. You’re even eating food (sorta). Not so much a fan of the avocado, though.

We took you out to Indiana and Michigan this month, for Shane and Sarah’s wedding and great-Grandpa Witmer’s 90th birthday. You won’t remember, but you’ve gotten to meet all of your great-grandparents on daddy’s side. We’re praying that you get to remember them, too. We had the whole Witmer family together, including all the grandsons and great-grand kids. Sitting together in that room with the whole family really showed the legacy from which you come, Seth. My Grandpa raised your Grandpa, and he raised me. Now, I get to raise you, and I have such a strong line of men to emulate in doing that. I don’t fully know how much of a blessing their strong legacy of manhood really is. It’s now my responsibility to pass that on to you. I can’t do that by myself, but with God’s grace and strength, you will grow up in a home where you’ll learn to be a man after God’s heart, before all else, and to learn true manhood.

Unfortunately, the trip resulted in one more first. If you’re like your daddy, you’ll be taking many trips to urgent care, but we had hoped to make it longer than six months before you had to go the first time. We fed you just a tiny bit of ice cream, and you broke out all over. Quite the reaction, but a little bit of Benadryl fixed the problem. Turns out you’re rather hyper when you’re having a reaction. Not such a big fan of steroids, though, and that made for a long night. I told everyone that you have to get used to it if you’re going to play professional sports.

Finally, you went to cousin Grace’s dedication, and Pastor Eric at Rocky Mountain Calvary dedicated you to the Lord on March 11. We can’t tell you what to believe when you grow up, but we hope and pray that you fall in love with Christ. We pray that the example we model for you will draw you to Him. We can’t make your choices for you, but we can show you what a true faith looks like. We pray that you will follow in our footsteps, and in the footsteps of your Grandpa and great-Grandpa in faith. All we can do is dedicate you to Christ now, pledge to raise you in a Christian home (we did that when we got married), pray for you, teach you, and set the example for you. Now that I write it all out, we get to do quite a bit. Just as we dedicate you to the Lord, we also dedicate ourselves to be Godly parents, raising you in love, faith, and grace.

We love you so very much, Seth, and you’re the greatest blessing we could have hoped for.

Daddy and Mommy