moments of grace?

[magpiedee]

These first weeks are hard, but not without reward. What moments of grace keep you going as you care for your little one?

For me, there are two on my mind:
- When she's going to sleep and practicing making faces and hits that amazing, full-face, hugely grinning smile, and
- When she's just fallen asleep nursing and pulls off, smacking her lips with a little milk running down her chin.

Makes all the crying and fussiness worth it!

[peilover010202]

Oh, I totally know what you mean about that BIG smile all while sleeping peacefully. Elliot also giggles while making the face and it takes my mind off the fact that I am so beyond exhausted!

Another one is just his smell, it's so sweet and perfect - I love nuzzling my nose to his neck and just taking it all in.

[mrs rockstar]

When my toddler randomly kisses the new baby or lays quietly next to her, just holding her hand and looking at her. Makes the not sleeping and toddler adjustment period totally worth it.

[JenMidwife]

Originally Posted by magpiedee

- When she's just fallen asleep nursing and pulls off, smacking her lips with a little milk running down her chin.

OMG yes!!! DH & I kept joking that we need to get a photo of the "drunk" baby w/ breastmilk dripping down her face & make the caption "My name's Erin, I'm 2 weeks old, & I'm addicted to breast milk"

I second the smell thing too (even when she needs a bath she smells like a dream!)... I had a morbid thought one day, that if she died of SIDS or something, I think I'd die not being able to smell her once more :

[radiogirlgr]

oh i love this! spencer is extremely vocal-he grunts, groans, moans, whimpers, sighs, and mutters to himself constantly and i keep thinking i need to videotape a breastfeeding session just to catch those noises for posterity...

i also love when my 3yo will bring me a book and snuggle with me while i'm breastfeeing. it's kind of rare-he's so busy, but it makes me feel like we're bonding as a family when it happens...

i also am enjoying my 3yo's constantly growing vocabulary and conversational skills. the other day, dh was working late and ds1 met him on the curb, hands on hips, with a very loud, "where WERE you? dinner is ready! we are having ham and casserole!" dh absolutely cracked up, and i thought it was so cute.

[mamamilkers]

I have taken to calling DD#2 "Snorky Snorkerson" because she is, well, always making these snorty pig sounds and I think they are so adorable! She also smiles, which always melts my heart.

Her big sister loves on her, sometimes a bit too much and in the form of smacking her over the head, but it's sweet to watch the interaction between them. The first thing DD#1 asks about when she wakes up in the morning is where bayb sister is.

[phoebemommy]

Spike does a million things every day that just break my heart with cuteness, but he really got me yesterday. We were driving around showing my visiting mom the town, with her in the backseat with the baby. He was on and off fussy on the drive, and we decided to stop at a cafe so I could nurse for a while. When I got back there to take him out of the car seat, he looked SO HAPPY TO SEE ME. Like it made his day, just me coming back there to get him out of his carseat finally.

[2 in August]

I totally agree with the happy baby faces/noises. They melt my heart.

My other one is how much more grown up my dd is and how great she is with the baby. She always tells me how much they love me. If he cries it really bothers her and she tries so hard to make him happy. If nothing works she'll say "he just wants you mom. he loves you and you are the one who can make him happy." I just melt. (not saying she's always perfect like this, lol, but when she is, it just makes it all worthwhile.

[Katiemare]

Waiting for Haakon to make a face so I can see his dimple. Ever since Cabbage Patch Kids I've always wished I had a dimple.

The calm that comes over him when he hears the little click of the drop-cup nursing bra-- "Help is on the way!"

[rebeccalizzie]

I love the cute noises while nursing too, they are the best! Also he makes all kinds of noise in his sleep--which sucks at night (they keep me up!) but is adorable when he's napping.

He started crying the other day when he woke up and I was saying "mommy's coming, I'm on my way" and he stopped crying Like he trusted that mommy really was coming and was waiting for me :

[NewAtThis]

Awww...I love this thread. My moment is the look that comes over dd's face right before she latches on...like Oh Boy! Yippee! Wahoo! It's the look of happiness and I love that I can make her little tiny immature brain happy in this one little way.

[taradt]

Great thread

I have to go with the little grunting noises too, they are so adorable
and of course snuggling a peacefully sleeping baby, that is pure heaven

tara

[~PurityLake~]

A agree with orignial posters two reasons...
I'd like to add, for me,
My 16 month old look of pure love whenever she gazes upon her little sister. Abigail is amazingly, lovingly, devoted to her little sister. Her emotional intelligence, empathy, love and caring comletely amazes me. She is truly a most wonderful big sister. I would never have seen this beautiful side of her if I hadn't given her a little sister.

[ColoradoMama]

Originally Posted by JenMidwife

OMG yes!!! DH & I kept joking that we need to get a photo of the "drunk" baby w/ breastmilk dripping down her face & make the caption "My name's Erin, I'm 2 weeks old, & I'm addicted to breast milk"

A couple of years ago, I found a paper at a scrapbooking store that said, "Got milk?" I took a picture of dd2 all smiles right after nursing with milk all over her face and put it on that page!

I just love the way he feels. I don't know how people can NOT hold their little babies. My parents just left after being here a week. While I loved sharing him with them - if I didn't hold him for so long - I just had to do it. I have the physical need to hold him. I love the way his little warm body feels when I'm holding him - there's nothing better!