Six Months Old

You are six months old.

SIX.

How is this even possible?  I can't handle it at all.  

You are growing so quickly.  I can't believe it was just six short months ago that I was first holding you in the hospital.  Taking those first few glimpses into your beautiful blue eyes.  Holding your tiny fingers in my hand and memorizing every inch of your face.

SIX MONTHS.

Since your five month birthday...

You met your Uncle Wesley and Aunt Dervon!

They flew into Dothan for a party that GiGi and I held in honor of their wedding back in January.  We had fun hanging out with them.

You got to meet a lot more of your family...

...including Your Bubba's brothers.  We don't get to see them nearly enough, so it is so precious when we do get to spend time with them.

Missi took some cute pictures of us at the 

party, too!

Almost right after we got back from Dothan, you had your first ear infection.  It broke Your Momma's heart, but after ten days of antibiotics and lots of snuggling, you got over it!

You went to your first football game - Troy vs. UAB.

And then you watched your first Bama game!

Kind of.

On Labor Day, we spent the day lazing around the house.  We so enjoyed just being together.

You do not like sweet potatoes.

But you love peaches, squash, peas, and carrots.

We went out for pizza with Dollie, and you wore your first pair of tennis shoes.  

Daddy can't get enough of those pink hightops, and dresses you in them for every possible occasion. 

We finally got you a high chair!  You love to sit it in to eat...

and to play with your toys.  You can talk to this dog for hours, and you figured out how to squeeze his foot to make him talk back.  It comes in handy when Mommy is busy!

We went to 2nd and Charles, which is a second hand bookseller here in town.  We loaded up on books for you...

And found Mommy's favorite book ever!!!!!  We've read it several times since.

We did lots of unsuccessful sitting practice.

Until the night before your six month birthday, when you finally did it!  It was only for a few seconds, but you did it!

You talk...a lot.  

And then you turned six months old.

At your six month appointment with Dr. Stone, the day after your six month birthday, you weighed 17.5 pounds (75th percentile) and 28 inches tall (above 95th percentile).  You ears were all clear of infection, and he says you are progressing wonderfully!  You had to get some shots, which are always awful for you and me.  But you recovered so well after a long nap at Mrs. Maegan's.  

You love to laugh and talk.  You make so much noise.  Especially in restaurants.  You will make noise for whoever will listen.

I can't imagine where you get that from...

Daddy loves to hear you laugh and tries to make you laugh all the time.  You love to watch him and look for him in the room.  I love the way you love each other.  So special.

You and I sing...a lot.  If anyone can pick up the frequency of our baby monitor, they are in for Gaither Gospel Hour: Parrish Style.  Every morning when I go get you from your crib (YES you moved to your room), I sing "This Is The Day That The Lord Has Made" to you while we change your diaper.  Every time you get a bit fussy, "When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder" will always make you giggle.  And when you cry, I cheer you up with "Smile."  Just recently, you have taken to "Great Is Thy Faithfulness," which was Your Bubba's favorite hymn.  He would have loved to sing it with us.

You love Chloe Belle and Lily.  They are your big buddies.  We are so blessed to have Mrs. Maegan keep you three days a week.  You love to be there, and they love to have you.

On Fridays, you and Daddy come have lunch with me.

You found Charlotte and you think she's hilarious.

You have many many nicknames: Bug, Buggy, Little Bug, Widdle Buggy, Beetle Bug, BA...You are starting to respond to us calling you, so we probably need to start calling you by your given name.  :)

And yes, you moved to your crib a few weeks ago.  We knew it was time when you woke up twice in one night just from small noises that we were making in our room.  You are sleeping beautifully in there and waking up much happier.  I think Your Daddy got hit the hardest with the transition...

You are so unbelievably beautiful.

 I am so in love with you, Brooke Allen.  I am honored to be your mother and to watch and help you grow.  There is no one else I'd rather be than Brooke Allen's Mommy.

To Remember When You're Older

It dawned on me today that I haven’t given you any life advice so far.  I’ve given you promises and mommy advice, but never any life advice.

I’m only 25.  I’ll be 26 next month.  I have experienced a lot in life, and I’m not even close to experiencing it all.  However, Your GiGi tells me all the time that I am wise beyond my years.  I mean that not in a bragging way, but that a lot of experiences in my life have led me to understand a lot.

So here’s my advice to you, Baby Girl:

 Ask questions.  There’s no way to learn without asking questions.  Why IS the sky blue?  How DOES Santa get all those presents to all those children in one night?  Is there REALLY a dog Heaven?  I’m going to do my best to entertain these questions because I know that you really do need to know the answers.

 To have a friend, you must be a friend.  I hope you learn early to not be afraid of people.  You can learn so much from people – especially people different than you.  Never be afraid of skin color or religion or multiple piercings.  That person may need a friend just as badly as you do.

Dance.  Wherever you are.  Dance.  And whenever you can, try to convince Your Daddy to dance with you.

 Life is very very very short.  Time will pass you by before you have a chance to act.  Act quickly, but with good judgment.  Never leave a regret.

The chances of you marrying your high school boyfriend are very slim.  Date a few frogs.  You will meet your prince one day.  But never ever ever date a boy who won’t come to the front door to pick you up for a date.  And never date someone you meet in a bar.  And by all means, don’t kiss the boys in the bar.

 Always use correct grammar when speaking and writing.  It makes you look intelligent. 

Find your niche.  It may be with the artsy kids at the lunch table, or the popular kids.  Find a group of friends who you don’t have to compete with.  A group that understands you where you can totally be yourself and feel no guilt for it.  The best friends are ones who know you’re crazy and love you anyways.

  If the popular girls don’t like you, don’t stress.  Rise above it.  They’ll end up being trophy wives anyways.  You are going to be more than that.

Never start a fight, but always finish it. 

Life sucks, and it’s not fair.  Whining about it doesn’t help.  Get out there and change what you don’t like.

Stand up for the weaker person.  It’s usually the right thing.

It’s always easier to complete your to do list first, before enjoying the day.

 Compliment strangers.  When you’re old enough to talk to strangers, that is.

Have FUN.  Stay up all night playing board games with your friends.  Jump in mud puddles.  Blow bubbles in your milk.  Climb trees.  Make blanket tents in the living room.  Do all these things over the age of 25, too.

 Make your own choices.  Don’t follow the crowd if following the crowd isn’t what you want to do.  Be your own person.  If people choose to not like you because you didn’t follow the norm, it’s their loss.

Be comfortable in your own skin.  You are perfect just the way God made you.  I will always tell you that you are beautiful.  And I mean it.  Don’t ever compare yourself to the covers of magazines.  Those women aren’t real.  YOU are – and you’re perfect.

Make waves, and not just in the bathtub.

 Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you’re too young, you’re too small, you’re too this or that.  You are important and you can do things as big as you want.

Don’t do drugs.  Just don’t.  No good will come from it.

Choose a career that’s right for you.  Hairdresser. Engineer.  President.  Garbage Truck Woman.  Whatever it is that makes you happy and fulfilled.  Because you being happy and fulfilled makes me proud.  Unless it’s a drug dealer.  Of course, if you never do drugs, you won’t have that problem. 

 Follow trends, but remember Modest is Hottest.  Dress how you want to be treated.  This goes for the dating world and the working world.  Girls in short shorts don’t get promotions unless they work at Hooter’s.  You should wear the same thing on a date that you would wear to meet his mother.

Remember that the sun is always going to come up tomorrow.  What happens today should not dictate what happens tomorrow.  Get out there and shine, no matter what the circumstances.

 Always remember who you are, and whose you are.  Your Gigi used to tell me this.  You are an exceptional human being with the power of the Almighty on your side.  Let that guide your choices.

Remember you can always come back home. 



What does your Daddy do?

Today is September 11^th.

To your generation, this day will be just another date in your history book, like the day the Constitution was ratified, or Pearl Harbor, or the assassination of JFK. 

But to my generation, it was a day that we lived.  And one we will never forget.

At that very moment that the first plane was hijacked and sent crashing into the first World Trade Center tower, I was a sophomore, sitting in Ms. Saunders’ history class.  Ms. Strickland came running into her room and turned on the tv to the Today Show.  Was this an accident?  Was this staged?  We sat in disbelief as we watched the second tower was hit by another passenger plane.  Then another plane crashed into the Pentagon, and another in a Pennsylvania field.  It was then that we knew this was not an accident.  It was real.  Evil had touched down on our American soil.

Your Gigi must have heard my heart crying all the way in Fort Rucker where she works, because she called the school.  Mrs. Bedsole came down to my classroom to let me know that Mom was on lockdown at Fort Rucker because the Department of Defense was unsure if the attacks were over, and they were protecting as many people as possible.  Gigi could not tell me what time she would be home that night.

Our teachers turned the televisions off and we tried to go back to normal life, but it was impossible.  The thoughts and prayers for the thousands of innocent people who lost their lives overwhelmed me.  The sight of the burning buildings, watching people jump from the towers above the flames, and seeing those towers fall are images that are branded into my memory. 

It was on September 11^th that the words “Taliban,” “Terrorism,” “Homeland Security,” and “Osama bin Laden” became household names and dinner discussions.  Who were these people?  Why did they hate America so much? 

Over the next few days, we watched story after story of loved ones lost, and the heroes who saved so many.  We saw walls in New York City lined with posters of people still missing.  We watched the footage of President Bush being told in a Florida classroom about the attacks and the look of sheer horror on his face, as he tried not to react to scare the children.  We were given the now famous pictures of the thousands in walking evacuation over the Brooklyn Bridge, a police officer carrying an injured citizen, and firefighters raising the American Flag above the rubble.

The true heroes of that day were the police officers, firefighters, and common people who gave up the safety of their own lives to help just one more.

After Your Daddy and I became a couple, we talked often of this day.  Your Daddy was also in his history class at his high school when it happened.  He told me that he had a pull on his heart to help.  To be a servant.  To be a first responder. 

On more than one occasion in your life, you will be asked, “What does your Daddy do?”

I hope on that day, you will stand proudly and tell them that Your Daddy is a police officer.

Your Daddy has chosen to follow his heart to be a first responder.  He has chosen to answer that call that requires him to put his life in danger every day.  To help those who need it.  To punish those who hurt others.  To patrol the streets and prevent crime.  To carry his gun to protect others and himself.  To not be a hero, but a servant.  A servant with a badge.

No, he’s not in the military.  He’ll never be deployed to fight halfway around the world.  He won’t be recognized with a Purple Heart or a Medal of Honor. He’s not a firefighter who will rush into a burning building while others are running out.  He won’t combat flames with an axe and a high powered water hose. He won’t cure cancer, and he won’t solve the energy crisis.  He won’t ever aspire to be President or even Mayor.

But what he does MATTERS.  And it was proven on September 11^th.

If there is one thing I ever learned from your Great Granddaddy, it was to be a patriot.  To love your country, pray for its leaders, and respect the flag of the United States of America.  Your Great Granddaddy fought for that flag and the freedom it represents.  He made sure his entire family was aware of what the stars and stripes mean and the lives he had witnessed that were lost just for those colors.  That we are all, men and women, created equal under our Constitution regardless of race, color, religion, or political views.  That, in times of crisis, we should cling to our flag and help our fellow man.  We should never speak ill of our country that we love so much, and always treat her with the respect that she deserves.  We should remove our hats, hold our hands over our hearts, and stand in silence when her colors are raised.

And when those colors are raised, we are to remember those who fought for that freedom, and those who perished innocently on days like September 11^th.

I hope that Your Daddy and I will be able to teach you that whenever you see a man or woman in uniform, whether it be military, law enforcement, or fire department, you should remember to thank them for their service.  Their service is a gift that can never be repaid.