Declan is six months old today.

How did this happen? It was just yesterday that we were in the maternity ward at the hospital, wondering how long it would take us to figure this whole parenting thing out.

As it turns out, it’s less about figuring parenting out, and more about finding peace in being clueLiss for the rest of your life. We’re getting there.

It’s been amazing watching him grow. Since we see Declan every day, the changes are — generally speaking — hard to spot, since they’re so gradual. There are milestones that are easy to hang your hat on, of course: the first night in his own room, the first time sleeping through the night, the first time eating “solid” food, and so on.

What’s almost been more interesting, though, is seeing his growth through the eyes of my parents. They’ve been kind enough to come in once a week to watch Declan while Erin goes and runs errands or does… adult things. Hearing their recap of all the changes he’s made since the prior week is so much fun, since they see him through a very different lens than we do.

Lately he’s been responding to “Where is Mama?” by looking directly at Erin. It could be that he has no clue what he’s doing, but it sure seems like he does. He’s also been doing better with sitting up on his own, and has been pushing up on his arms when on his belly. It’s so amazing to watch these developments, and the pride I have for him is indescribable.

I know I’ll look back at these times hating myself for being anxious for the next development. For encouraging him to crawl, to stand, and to walk. For now, though, seeing each of these developments is the second most exciting part of my day. The only thing that beats it is coming home to Erin.