Transformation: Three months of firsts

Picture Caption: "I'm so talented that I can do three things at once- wave (sort of), sit in a chair (sort of) and shove my entire hand in my mouth (mastered)!" -Grace Ann, 3 months

Firsts. I am amazed by how many firsts there are and Grace Ann is only three months old.

It's overwhelming, really, just how quickly she is developing and how vital we are to making it happen. What an awesome responsibility. Turn a helpless, smushy, tiny human being into a loving, purposeful person. No pressure.

The "firsts" started the second she was born. Her first breath. Her first cry. A first sip of "milk." Then, a first look at her mother and father and hopefully, her first feeling of being loved. 

The transformation from those early hours in the hospital to just three months old is astonishing. She is becoming a little person with character all her own. Some of my current favorites. She loves to babble. "Ah goo" could be the cutest phrase ever. I never get tired of hearing it. She mimics sticking out her tongue. A friend and colleague wisely warns that I might regret teaching her that one day. She has mastered drinking the bottle and learned that if you leave a little bit of milk in your mouth, it makes a fun gurgling sound. She taken her first "roll" onto her left side. Rolling over may take awhile (take a look at the size of her and you'll understand why!) She stands, bounces and has learned to sit up a little. She has also learned to sleep through the night. When that happened, I decided there really was a higher power who I am eternally grateful to.

Most importantly, she has proudly shown us her first real laughs and smiles... the ones that are not the result of gas bubbles. And in her laughter and smile, I can see her love. She looks at me like I am the most amazing person in the world. It is like no look I have seen before. I'm not sure how I got so luckly. She also thinks I'm funny. I keep telling her that I'm not. She doesn't care. I'm her mom and there will be a day when she will not giggle at me or gaze at me that way... so for now, I will savor the moments and rest assured that, on some level, she knows that she is deeply loved.

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