Harry Beau,
Today you are 6 months old. We are halfway through your first year of life and we also happen to be in the 6th month of a global pandemic; full of isolation, depression, civil unrest, an ugly election, racial tensions, and so much more. You have been such a bright spot in this weird and tumultuous year. Your smile lights up a room and your giggle reaches deep into my soul, reminding me of the great God we serve. The great God who timed your birth specifically and with purpose. You were made to be here, in this moment, in this season. You were designed for this time, and as each the world gets uglier outside our walls, I’m so thankful for you and for the way you have already shown you were perfectly designed for right now.
It is my prayer for you that you wouldn’t remember or understand all the ugly and crazy that has been surrounding your birth - that has taken over all the things that one would expect out of baby’s first year. Instead, I pray that you would know fully the glory of the God who made you and loves you, and you would grow to be on fire for His kingdom. I think often of Esther, as I watch you grow. Thinking about how she was so specifically made for such as time as this. I pray that as you become a man, in this topsy turvy world, that you would show the love of Jesus to all that you encounter; that you would speak the truth of Jesus’ great atoning love; that you would use the wonderful gift of your smile to shed light into the darkest crevices of humanity.
You are just about sitting up these days - though most of the times that you fall over it feels a lot more about laziness than it does about lack of strength. (I think I’ll pray that you outgrow that too haha) You have LOVED food but are still quite frustrated that it doesn’t just end up in your mouth by jedi force or the like. Watching your faces as you taste new things is for sure a highlight to each of our meals. You. Make. Great. Faces.
You adore your big sister, probably more than I could have ever imagined. You can hear her voice from what seems like a mile away and you instantly turn your head to find her. You reserve the biggest smiles and the deepest belly laughs for her antics. Watching you interact with her makes my heart jump for joy… and also break just a tiny bit, as I wish that your big brother could’ve been here to greet you and love on you. One day we will tell you all about him, for now, just know that in some small way, his legacy has shaped the way that we love you and has absolutely sculpted our parenting. We are trusting in the God who provides and sustains to get us through the messiness of human nature and navigating raising His children. We will probably fail you, but God never will. And if you learn nothing else from Daddy and me over the next few years, I pray that it is that.
As we close out September, and your 6th month outside of my womb, I’m already looking forward to what the next month will hold. Will you crawl? I suppose it will depend on that laziness thing… at any rate, we are ready to cheer you on as you experience this world. We love you bud, more than you can know.
Happy 6 Months, sweet Harry Beau,
Love,
Mama & Daddy
