Angela is now a little over five months old. Thankfully, she is evolving out of "baby blob" mode. I love my children and have loved them at each level of development. However, I have to confess that I am one of those freaky moms that doesn't really LOVE the newborn stage. Sure they are adorable and I love building a bond with this tiny little creature tugging at my breast. But, let's face it, the cycle of eat, sleep, poop, repeat gets kind of old really quickly. Personally, I start to have fun with my little ones when they reach the 3-4 month marker and now that Angela has entered the five month realm things are really taking off for her and me. She laughs and smiles. She recognizes us. She prattles excitedly when she accomplishes something new or when her sister enters the room. For instance, the other day, she gave a good left hook to the blue elephant dangling above her. The laughs and smiles that followed made my day.
I love spending time just watching her facial expressions as she takes in the world: the look of "What the hell is that?" when she saw a cow for the first time; the expression of love and happiness when her sister enters the room; the coy grin with which she dazzles my fellow walkers with as we take our respective morning constitutionals. Most of all I love her looks as she discovers something new about herself- be it about her body or her abilities. Finding her toes fulfilled both of these criteria. I don't think I will ever forget the moment she first really noticed them. She was sitting in her Bumbo chair chewing on her hands and watching her toes move. She was mesmerised by them. You could see by the expression on her face that she was thinking, "Hmmmm...what are those things? They look kinda interesting. Mom just ran her fingers on them. Wooo...that makes me laugh." A few jerky arm movements later, Anglea managed to capture her elusive prey. A squeal of delight erupted from the little one (much more palatable than the usual eruptions that emanate from her I have to add). A look of triumph such as I have seen on Olympic athletes as they win the gold came upon her face. She had scored victory over those wiggly things.
Now, more often than not, you will see Angela happily holding her feet. Since she is teething, she is also experiencing her first dilemma. Where should she put her hands? Crammed in her mouth to relieve pressure on her gums or should they be wrapped around her feet? I am happy to see that she has found a compromise that works for her- one in each place. Although it has been several weeks since her toe finding, I am still struck by the sheer joy she experiences from them. They have become her ten new best friends. The first time I put socks on her, she was so despondent. Thankfully, it was easy to make her happy again. I took off the socks. I wish it could always be that easy to please my kids. Watching Angela with her feet made me realize that kids have the right ideas about living- take joy in the body you have, always maintain a sense of wonder in it and the world around you, and sometimes your friends are closer to you than you think.
Makes you want to run around barefoot, doesn't it?
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