Red: Seven Months

Sweet Red is seven (almost eight!) months old!  I know there are lots of people who will wax on nostalgically at how magical infancy is and how fast it goes, particularly with a third.  People who will bemoan this speeding of time, wishing fervently for it to slow down. 

I am not one of those people.

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not a baby person.  The older my kids get the more I realize that babies are not my jam.  And I’m ok with that, because really this stage doesn’t last too long.  And by the time you’re on your third- it flies.

What can I say about Red at seven months?  The first thing people notice about her is her hair.  All of my kids were blessed with full heads of hair from birth, all different shades.  Red is my only ginger and it’s a lovely shade at that.  Obviously I treasure it doubly as it reminds me of my dad.

She’s going to be an extrovert I think.  Her whole face lights up when someone looks her way and she does a full body shake.  She loves people.  I’ve never been greeted by such a happy kid first thing in the morning when I release her from her crib.  She loves us, her family.  Big smiles for everyone.

Perhaps because she’s got two older siblings, but all she wants in the world is to be in the mix.  And don’t you dare try to leave her alone in a room.  This used to make her holler and scream.  Now that she can army crawl she just determinedly follows us around wherever we go.  (Of course army crawling is a slow and laborious task and as soon as Red catches up to us we’re off to another room.  I have a feeling this kid will be one happy camper once she learns to walk.)

I'm not sure if I can blame the red hair, but she definitely has more of a temper at this age than my other two.  Until Red I’ve never really seen a baby get mad.  Sad, upset, discontent yes.  But full on angry, temper tantrum style.  Not so much.  I kind of love this feisty fire, though.  That, combined with her determined spirit will serve her well.

The thing I’m learning, perhaps my favorite truth of parenting, is that it just keeps getting better.  I keep loving my kids deeper and harder and madder each year.  Their personalities develop and emerge more and more each passing day.  The stuff they are into, the things they are able to do, it just gets better with time.  And so now that I know this truth I can’t wait.  I can’t wait to see Red grow, to understand who she’s been created to be, to watch her live into that self.  It’s so much fun isn’t it?

I have different prayers for each of my kids, prayers that started when they were growing in my belly, prayers that I’ve echoed in the days since.  My prayer for Red has centered on redemption.  I pray that Red will be sensitive to the work of God’s redemption, in her own life and the lives of others.  I pray she will be a warrior of this work, partnering with God to pull people out of the wells they’ve imprisoned themselves in and helping them redeem their stories.  It’s good work if you can get it.

 Sweet Red.  She fits so beautifully into our family.  Monster made us parents, Toots made us a family and Red- Red committed us to the work of being family.  There's no way around it now.  With three kids we're in the thick of it.  And I wouldn't have it any other way.

These beautiful photos are courtesy of my good friend Mary, who offered to take photos of Red, both as a newborn and again at six months.  And really, how could I possibly say no to such beautiful shots!  This kid is going to be my most and best photographed one!  Thanks Mary!