Dear Cora, 6 months

Dear Cora,

You are one-half year old today and I honestly can't believe it. Time has gone by so fast. Every night, when I give you your last bottle and rock with you and smile down at your sweet face, all I can think is that another day is done- and wonderful as they always are with you, and wonderful as I know the next will be, I can't help but be sad it's over. You are 17 lbs. 10 oz. of chubby-cheeked JOY Cora and if I could do all the days three times through I would.

Joy. You infuse the house with it. Before you were born your dad and I couldn't help but worry at how much having a baby again would affect our lives. We couldn't wait to meet you, but we had a good thing going with your big siblings and we wondered how you might change things. Well as it turns out, not much at all. As I joke to friends, you're just a jolly +1. You have fit so seamlessly into our daily routine and you bring smiles everywhere you go.

You aren't as cuddly as you indicated in the beginning. You're happy to be held, but you LOVE to just be in the room. In the jumperoo, in the lifeguard chair, on a blanket- put you anywhere in a room with us and you'll hang out happily for hours. Intermittently smiling our way, focusing on your toy or a particularly intriguing spot on the carpet with intense concentration, doing a few planks... you're very busy and perfectly content.

You adore your bed. You've slept 12 hours at night since you were about 7 weeks old and anytime you're away from it for long- because we've been at the lake house or dragging you all around town on a Saturday, I can put you in there, wide awake, when we get home and you literally sigh with happiness to be within its familiar confines again.

Last night you cried off and on from 2 a.m. to 5 a.m. We assumed you were teething and though I tried to cuddle you, you calmed fastest when I left you in your bed and just rubbed your back and hummed. This morning daddy took you to your check-up and it turns out you aren't a teething drama queen after all- no, you had a raging double ear infection and ruptured ear drum. Oh bunny, I felt terrible that we didn't know that. Not that it would have changed anything- you've conveniently gotten your only two ear infections the day before regularly scheduled check-ups, but that fits you too. You've made things as easy on us as possible since the day you were born.

Other favorite things of yours: Landon, Claire, squeaking things, crinkly things, eye-contact, LANDON, wearing dresses because you can shove your skirt into your mouth, bath time, shower time, and wrap you up in a hooded towel time.

After initially rejecting solid foods, you have now embraced them with your trademark exuberance. You dive into the spoon so hard I'm constantly afraid I'm going to stab the spoon down your throat. I now hold your forehead still with one hand while gently spoon-feeding you with the other. You find this hilarious.

You've found your toes, your voice, the family dog.

You crawl. You CRAWL Cora. That is ridiculous. The pediatrician was very impressed while she watched you zoom across the exam table and told dad that you might walk before 9 months. I think you're in a rush to catch up to your big brother and sister. But it's okay Cora, being a baby is pretty awesome and your big brother and sister think so too.

You seem to surprise and then delight yourself with your new-found mobility and I'm looking forward to your baby pen arriving on Thursday so I can corral you in its safe baby-proofed confines.

We love you CoraBunny, so very, VERY much. We've only known you 6 months but I can't imagine our family without you. As Claire still says almost every day, "Mom, I'm so glad we have our baby in our house." And Landon checks on you, cheers for you, and still asks to hold you every day. And for your part, you're along for the ride, part of the team, just happy to be here. Love suffuses your being and it is so much fun to be around you. I have to admit that I'm sad for our first 6 months to be over already, but I do look forward to all the ones to come.

Love, mama