These Are a Few of Our Favorite Things

(Note from Amy: The fabulous and talented Drew has been writing all of our journal entries so far. Though full of wonder and enthusiasm about Gia, I haven’t had the wherewithal to write until now. I look forward to writing and sharing more with you as the weeks pass.)

Gia is an amazing, intelligent, substantial being with a big spirit in a tiny, adorable, delicious little body. The past 12 weeks with her (outside my body) have been full of surprises, joy, incompetence (mine), learning, familiarity, complete unfamiliarity, smiles, tears (hers and ours), spit up (hers) and of course, our obsession with her bodily functions. We’ve never felt such need and fervent desire to keep someone safe, happy and healthy, often at the expense of our own sleep. Nor such appreciation for our own parents and the sacrifices they made, and love they gave … and continue to give.

So, of course we, like all new parents, are a bit low on sleep. But oh, to wake up and see her contagious, happy smile in the morning when we “finally” wake up and look at her, is to feel instant sunshine in our hearts. Since you don’t get to wake up with her and spend every waking moment watching her grow and witnessing her blossom, here’s a list of some of the things we love about Gia these days, so you can feel like you’re here, too!

1. Her amazingly expressive, impossibly cute face
2. Her fresh, smooth, soft yummy baby skin
3. Her super-stretchy body upon waking up
4. Her enthusiastic hair at any moment of the day
5. Her light-the-world smile
6. Her beautiful pink lips
7. Her lusty appetite
8. The way her tiny perfect ears move rhythmically up and back, forward and down as she nurses
9. The way she embraces her food source
10. Her adorable vowel sounds
11. The way she’s just started really “singing” back to us
12. How cute she looks in pink
13. Her clear communication: We really know when all is right in her world and when she’s not happy (even if we don’t know exactly why)
14. The way she likes riding on a shoulder, head held high like royalty
15. The way she sucks sometimes thoughtfully, sometimes frantically on her pacifier
16. The mesmerizing way her hands move as if through water, conducting an invisible orchestra
17. Her consistent need to have her hands out, and ability to Houdini them out of the swaddle, Moby wrap, out from under the blanket, etc.
18. The ways she tries so ardently to fit her whole fist into her mouth
19. The warning signs before a meltdown: Holding her breath, her face turning red, the lower lip getting thin and wide, then sticking out and then quivering …
20. Her soft, round belly
21. Her chubby little thighs
22. Her little zori toes (the gap between her big toe and its neighbor)
23. Her quiet alertness during her nightly bath
24. The way she watches Drew and wants to know where he is
25. The way she falls asleep and naps cozily in the Moby wrap
26. Her little fringe of brown eyelashes resting on her round, kissable cheek when she sleeps
27. Her warm little swaddled body consistently migrates toward Amy all night long
    
28. She teaches us to surrender, to learn and to play every day
    
29. She inspires love and adoration wherever she goes (even in cyberspace)
30. She reminds us every day, that every human being is actually a miracle

These, of course, are just a few of the highlights! Thanks for tuning in to the latest installment … there will be more to share with you soon!