Dear Damon...

Just last week, you celebrated your half-birthday. 6 months old already and I don't even know where the time went. I realize, with great regret, that there are so few pictures of you...

My brother, your tio Chato, always complained that there were so many more pictures of me than of him. He'd joke that since he was the second child, my mom didn't love him as much, or wasn't as excited over the little things he did as he grew older because she'd "seen it all" already with me. To which my mom would laugh and say how ridiculous that was.

Knowing that, I promised that I'd have the same amount of pictures for all my kiddies. And yet, here we are. Your first year of life is already half gone and I've already fallen behind. But now that I am a mother or 2, I know exactly why this is. It's not that I don't treasure your tiny fingers and toes, or that I don't think the faces you make when you eat something new aren't hilarious. It's simply that with two of you so young together, I don't have the time to run and grab the camera. Plus, to be completely honest, I'd rather just hang out with you and your brother than worry about the pictures. But, having said that. I'd like to, here and now, tell you how much I love you and how much you make my heart squeeze tight in my chest when I see you curled up in your crib asleep during the night.

And so, having said that, I'd like to take the time to tell you a little about yourself. :)

You currently weigh in at a whopping 19 pounds (about in the 68 percentile) and you're wearing 9-12 month clothing. And what this means is that you're a dang big boy, which also translates into a very sore back for me every day when I strap you into the Bjorn so we can chase after your brother. You sleep through the night and eat like a champ. You army crawl all over the place. You're so desperate to try and follow your big brother around that you slam down both of your hands, prop your toes against the floor and both push and pull until you've move forward an inch or so. You repeat this process with grunts and growls until you've finally reached your destination. Determined you are, my boy....

You are so very generous with your smiles. You offer them to any and everyone you pass by. I've seen you coax a smile out of the grumpiest people in the store with your own. And really, who wouldn't be touched over your wide mouthed, dimpled grin? You've got the best belly laugh I've ever heard on a baby. And you've been doing it since you were just a couple of months. You squeal and squeak and shriek and scream all the time; when you're happy, when you're bored, when you're upset, and just because. And it's so high-pitched, I have no idea how you haven't busted all the windows and mirrors in the house.

You have a thing for blankets on your face. There have been many of times when I've simply thrown a blanket over your head to help you calm down. And amazingly, it works. You also love tags. Any tags, really. Tags on clothes, toys, and of course, your blankets. I have no idea how you find the small square inch tag out of a yard or two of fabric, but find them, you do. And that is what you suck on to fall asleep at night.

When you're just hangin' out on the floor with your brother, you like to bang your feet against the floor. You also do this in your crib. So loudly, in fact, that your daddy and I can hear you over the TV. You love your brother. He often comes over to read you books, give you toys or offer you food you shouldn't be eating, and you just light up when he's around. You have such chubby legs that they get stuck in your Bumbo seat, you love to cuddle, and you sweetly rest your forehead against my cheek when I carry you. I love that. And every morning or every time you wake up from a nap, you reach your arms as far above your head as possible to stretch out your body, and it is randomly one of the things you do that I love the most.

And, of course, we've already mentioned your cool hair.

Your daddy adores you. Your brother always looks back to make sure he knows where you are. And I can't figure out what I did to deserve a second little boy as perfect as my first.

I hope you know how much we love you, lil' man. There may not be as many pictures of you, but I swear, this family wouldn't be complete without you...