Four Months

It's hard to believe that Zoe turned four months old yesterday! When people say, "they grow up fast" they really mean it. Zoe is no longer the fragile little 6lb infant we took home from the hospital in January. She's 13lbs and 9 ounces of joy, strength and energy! These days her favorite activities include hanging out on her play gym, sticking her hands and just about anything else in her mouth, making high pitched squeaky noises, occasionally giggling, and smiling all the time. She also loves her little baby einstein octopus friend and is very entertained by him! Typically she gives us about 7-9 hours of sleep at night and naps pretty well during the day. She is a joy to be around and we have pretty much settled into a routine of sorts, for which I am extremely thankful. I feel more like myself and life feels a lot more normal than it did a few months ago. I remember the constant refrain, "things will get better" being communicated to me by every single mother I spoke to during the first few weeks and months after Zoe's birth. As a new mom, exhausted and overwhelmed, all I could do was trust that they were right, even if I could barely see the light at the end of the tunnel. When you are that desperate, you seriously need hope that things will turn around and that life will once again feel "normal," albeit a different kind of normal. Well, they were right after all, and I now vow to hold out that same hope to all the new moms I come across in the future! It doesn't matter how many people say it, you still need to hear it enough so that you actually believe it and are able to hold on just one more day when things are rough. So, thanks to those of you who have encouraged me to persevere and hang in there! I can say with gladness that I am really enjoying being Zoe's mom and that I wouldn't trade my life for anything else right now. Praise God for his goodness!