All the Small Things

Dear Frankie,

There are lots of important baby milestones that I'm certain I won't soon forget. Like the first time I held you, your first big smile and how much I love to cuddle you while you sleep. But there are also these tiny little parts of you, parts that might be missed in photos and baby book entries, that I hope also find a forever home in my heart.

1. You like to hold your fist in the air. Just one fist and often for quite a long time. I like to think of this as your fight the power fist.

2. Sometimes you stretch just like the rest of us. Arms way up, back arched and head pushed to one side or the other. But once in a while you do a stretch that involves everything going down - arms pushed down by your sides as far as they will go, legs reaching for the floor and your little face squished down into your neck. It's super funny.

3. When you were first born you possessed the expressions of a seasoned stage actor. You did angry, confused, suspicious, bored, weary and doubtful. These weren't (as far as we can tell) attempts to convey emotion as much as they were attempts to master your facial muscles. The results were always pretty comical.

4. Sometimes when you wake up you start to cry. It's like you don't know what's going on. You don't know where you're coming from or going to in those few seconds between asleep and awake. Then you see someone you recognize and your pout instantly transforms into a big gummy baby grin.

5. Your always good for half of your diaper change. Put you on the change table - good. Undo diaper - good. Remove diaper - good. Set new diaper under you - good. Try to get new diaper in place around you and fastened - like trying to hold onto an oily duck. This is when you will either bring both legs up to your chest or thrust them straight down and hold them together making diapering impossible. You're never upset when you do this - its always with a smile on your face - so this must be (a) a very fun baby game or (b) you trying to tell us you want to be a nudist.

6. You like to put your hands in your mouth. Holy do you ever like to put you hands in your mouth! Your two feats here include: (1) wedging one entire fist in your mouth (and us worrying that it was going to get stuck in there) and (2) getting four fingers from each hand into your mouth at the same time as if you're just about to whistle and call everyone in for lunch.

So Much Love,

Your Mum