My baby <3

Samantha is 19 weeks old today, or 4 months and 10 days if you prefer. :) Watching her grow and learn and change has been an amazing journey thus far - difficult at times, but one I am grateful for every day of my life.

I've decided to start journaling the things I love about my daughter, one for every week she's born. Maybe someday she'll look back on these things. Maybe not. Either way, my heart is full and I want to record my feelings.



What I Love About Samantha Joy

1. The way she looks all swaddled up in her sleep sack, arms held down, feet hidden inside the blanket, all snuggly and cozy.

2. How I used to sleep at night with her in the chair in the living room, her little face on my chest, because she had such a hard time with her reflux in the early weeks.

3. How I had to cushion her coming home from the hospital in her car seat during every turn because she was so tiny she couldn't hold herself up.

4. The way she "tap dances" in her swing when she's ready to play . . . even though sometimes Mommy has put her in the swing to take a nap. :)

5. The way her whiny cry sounds like she's saying "Maaaaaaaaaaaa, Mommmmmm, Maaaaamaaaaa," etc.

6. How she looks when she sucks her fingers - no thumb for her, she wants as many fingers in there at one time as she can possibly stuff in. :)

7. The way she snuggles against me when she's sleepy and lets me hold her close and kiss the top of her head.

8. The way she smells - especially after she's had a bath.

9. The "Friar Tuck" bald stripe on the back of her head where she's rubbed off all her hair.

10. Her "talking." Oh goodness, the sounds she makes - clicking her tongue, squeaking, the beginning of kissy-noises, or just general vocalization as she feels comfortable and wants to be part of the conversation around her.

11. Her smiles - she has several. Her crooked half-smile, the joyous grin she gives me when I get her up after a nap, like "I'm rested and ready to play! Thanks for coming for me!", or the way she catches my eye and holds my gaze for several seconds while smiling at me sweetly. That one doesn't happen as often but when it does, I know she's truly at peace and feeling loved.

12. The way she's learned to start splashing in the bathtub, and the startled look she gets when she splashes too hard and gets her face wet.

13. The way she reaches for me sometimes when I walk by her or sit close to her.

14. The way she takes my finger in her hand so tightly, all on her own, and won't let go.

15. How she reaches for her toys, and the joy she gets when she's able to play with them more independently.

16. How she opens her mouth when I get close to it with a bottle or her pacifier, all expectant of nourishment or comfort.

17. The way she sticks her feet way up in the air - sometimes to grab with her hands, sometimes just because, and sometimes, I swear, just to be difficult when her mom is trying to change her diaper.

18. How she's currently drooling over EVERYTHING because she wants to experience it by putting it in her mouth - her toys, her carrier, my fingers, her clothes . . . it's endless.

19. The observant way she watches everyone and everything. She's not the noisiest baby in social settings (though she can be when she's alone with us), but she takes in EVERYTHING around her. You can tell she's sorting it all out.



God - thank you for my child. I know she's on loan, and I'll do my best to do as You would have me do for her.