What I Love About You

I love how you stretch your arms high above your head, arch your back and purse your lips.

I love how you stare at me so intently with your dark brown eyes as though trying to place me as though we've met before.

I love how those same eyes look as though they're laughing at some secret joke that only you are privy to.

I love how sweetness and calm emanate from you making me breathe deeply and pause for just a moment.

Each developmental milestone is the same for each baby and being through all of them once before made me question whether they'd still hold their magic. I catch one of your smiles and I know that they do. I love your smiles and am filled with a spark of joy each time I see one.

I love how you tolerate your older brother and his high energy and noise. You never flinch when he runs by, yelling and screaming. You have started to smile when he kicks open your door and shouts "Hi Mayli!!!!" when you wake in the morning.

I especially love your facial expressions like the one where you crease your eyebrows when I'm trying to make you smile. It's like your saying, "is that all you've got?" or "that's not funny" or "are you crazy lady?".

I love that you sleep. What more can I say?

I love it when you latch on when we're lying in bed and you're so close and so noisy with your gulping and sucking. I stroke your soft, velvet head and close my eyes.

You have shown me that having a newborn can be sweet and lovely and peaceful. That, I love.

I love how you're reforming me. Pulling me closer to God with a desire to read His word so I can better teach you. Pulling me closer to myself and what it means to be a woman, strong and free from the traps of guilt and self loathing. Really believing that I'm a daughter of God and that alone makes me good enough to be loved, to be heard, to be seen.

I love that you chose to come to earth and I love that you were sent to me.

And that is what I love about you.