Lotta Joy

Wednesday morning was a rush of frenzied activity as our alarms did not awaken us.  Ellie was crying because her legs were inexplicably hurting and she did not want to go to school.  Ben was being great at being 5, which we have discovered is characterized by being extremely loud.  Pretty much total chaos.  I looked over to where Lotta was propped on a chair and she had the biggest smile on her face.  It was as if she were enjoying an amusing morning show.

Last time I was at Saver's Thrift Store, a woman saw me and said, "Oh what a cute baby!"  To which I responded, "Thank you!"  The woman looked at me rather strangely and I realized she had actually said "Oh what a tiny baby!"  To which I could have responded with the age of my baby.  I decided I liked better what I actually heard from the first comment, so in my mind that is what I was going to stick with.  The first comment just felt better to me than the second. 

Lotta smells like freshly baked bread.  When I cover her up in Burt's Bees Lotion, she smells like freshly baked bread slathered with honey.  Yummy.  Her skin feels like silk.  When she sleeps, I feel like I should call up Anne Geddes to come do a photo shoot.  She looks exactly like all those baby photos she used to take.  Sometimes when Lotta starts to nurse, she lets out a contented sigh.  And I feel empowered to be a part of that sigh.  Lotta will look at you so intently when you talk to her you feel as if you were really heard, as if you just completed an hour of therapy or life coaching.  When she is awake, everyone but everyone scurries around trying to get her attention, make her smile, tell her a thing or two. And now to mske matters even better, she has begun to coo. 

Ben has already decided that when she is bigger, he and Lotta will be best friends.  When we walk around the neighborhood, anyone who does not comment on our baby is vehemently told by Ben, "HERE is a CUTE baby!!"  Something he is quite sure no passer by-er will want to miss.  Honestly it is hard to imagine that someone could possibly miss the cute right in front of them when we walk by.  Is there anything more delicious than a newborn, so full of hope and possibilty?  If there is, don't tell me because I probably won't believe you!