5 months ago....

5 months and 4 days ago, my life changed FOREVER. My beautiful boy came into the world, a precious gift from God. It was so surreal when the doctor handed this baby to me, who was writhing and gasping for air, having just been ejected from the safety of my womb. What a strange feeling, as I had known him for nine months, yet I didn't know his face or recognize his cries. I had planned what I wanted my first words to him to be: "Alex, I love you." And when they gave him to me, through the pain and all-consuming experience of labor, I remembered the words I wanted to say. As he lay there, on my chest, hands grasping at anything, legs kicking, I felt relieved and terrified at the same time. How sublime!

I remember taking him home from the hospital, and that first night at home, trying to change his diaper by myself for the first time. Waking up every hour, even if he wasn't crying, just to make sure he was still breathing. He seemed so fragile, a living, breathing, human fabrege egg.

Oh, how quickly the last five months have gone! And yet, it seems like life before him was long, long ago, almost nonexistent. Being Alex's mother is such a wonderful privilege. I have been there for his first breath, his first smile, his first laugh. I am so excited to see all of the firsts in his life, to be his number one cheerleader, just like my parents were (and still are) for me.

Now, changing diapers, feedings, holding him, bathtimes, are all second nature. But nothing is routine! Everyday is a new discovery, a new adventure, a new first. He can sit up all by himself for longer and longer every day. He notices new things, reaches for things that he wants and laughs more and more. The next time I turn around, he'll be crawling, taking his first steps, and the quiet days of holding my tiny baby, studying each other's faces, will be gone. Believe me, I am treasuring each day being Alex's mom, and enjoying each new adventure.