The First Smile

Last week my son gave me his very first social smile! He smiled at me after his mid-morning feeding over and over, giving me four huge open-mouthed grins. My morning was made right then. He smiled at me several times the next morning too. Of course, he also made me doubt that these smiles were truly genuine for the next several days. Instead of looking into my eyes and smiling, he gave me sleepy smiles as his eyes closed and he drifted off. However, I realize they were real because every other day or so he does what he did that first morning--his eyes light up as he looks me in the eyes and opens his gummy mouth in a goofy grin.

He isn't smiling all the time now, but that makes it all the more special. The first was worth waiting for as is each successive one because each time he makes eye contact with me and smiles I know he means it. He's not throwing smiles around for just anyone. I know that that smile is meant for me at just that moment. There is no pretense or manipulation behind it. It's a sincere smile, full of appreciation and love as he understands it. I want all my smiles to be just like each of his are now.