Love

This baby girl has won my heart.

I'm enamored with her. Besotted. Smitten. I'm totally twitterpated.

I love nursing her during the night/early morning. She is drowsy but very hungry, and after about a half hour of eating she has fallen back into a deep sleep. I lift her swaddled body up to my chest, her head on my shoulder, to try and burp her before putting her back to bed. This is really the only time she lets me hold her this way now that she is older. If she is facing the right way I can feel her breath on my neck while I rock her and pat her back. Even though I'm tired, I usually sit for a few extra minutes because I'm not ready to let go of her.

I love waking up to the sound of her voice and peeking over the side of her bassinet to find her playing happily. When her eyes meet mine, she squeals with delight and, first thing in the morning, before I even get out of bed, it makes my day. I unwrap her and her spring-loaded arms immediately stretch out above her head. After a good stretch, her hands go directly in her mouth. Some mornings I scoop her up and put her next to me in my bed so we can snuggle for a few minutes. She reaches out and touches my face while I talk to her and my heart overflows.

I love taking her into her room for the first diaper change of the day. The sun is particularly bright in there, and it takes her a minute to adjust her eyes to the light streaming in through the window above her changing table. I talk to her about the day: what the weather is like; what we might be doing that day. Sometimes I change her clothes, but some days we stay in our pajamas all day.

I love how she looks toward the door when she hears the sound of her daddy coming home for lunch. Ever since she first learned to smile, her face lights up when she sees him. This baby girl loves her daddy. I love the sounds of laughter coming from her room while he changes her diaper. I love sitting at the table, all three of us, for lunch and dinner. Lily is usually up on the table in her Bumbo seat or sitting in Daddy's lap while we eat. She enjoys watching us put food in our mouths and I wonder what kinds of foods she will like or dislike one day. In a matter of weeks she will try rice cereal for the first time, and fruits and vegetables won't be far behind. I can't believe how quickly she is growing up.

I love our quiet times during the day when it's time for her to eat. We get settled in the big, roomy chair in the living room and she nurses while I read a book or watch TV. My favorite part is her hands, which are never still. She rubs them on my arm, grasps my fingers, tugs at my shirt. They are chubby and dimpled and oh-so-sweet.

I love discovering her ticklish spots. Sometimes when I gently run my finger along the bottom of her chin or lightly touch anywhere around her neck, it cracks her up. She usually hates having her nose cleaned, but it occasionally makes her giggle. Lately her sides and tummy have become ticklish as well. I love blowing raspberries on her soft skin and watching her eyelids flutter. Her laughter is music to my ears.

I love kissing her plump cheeks and her drooly chin. I absolutely adore the smell of her breath. The other day I compared it to a fresh bag of candy corn. It smells like pure sugar, and I can't get enough of it!

I love getting her ready for bed. She has always adored bath time. I let the soapy water out of her tub and fill it up again with clean, warm water just so she can play for a few extra minutes. I love the smell of her nighttime lotion and the way that her hair is all fuzzy after it's been towel-dried. I love wrapping her up and rocking her to sleep at bedtime. I love the way she gazes up at me while I tell her a story and sing songs. I get completely lost in her big, dark eyes that are not quite brown and not quite green.

And I love watching her drift off to sleep, knowing that in about ten hours we'll do it all over again.