Simply Sunday: The first smile

This week my baby finally began smiling, real smiles, the ones that come along with a look of recognition and are not quickly followed by the passing of gas. He turned 3 months old on Friday and is growing so quickly. He was born early and had a few struggles that kept in the NICU for a few weeks, but he is healthy now. I am not sure if it is because he is likely our last child or because of all the drama in the beginning, but his "milestones" seem so much bigger than they did with the first three. Well, maybe the first baby's milestones were just as big. I don't know, but when he looked at me for the first time and I saw his eyes light up and that big, wet, gummy smile, I just melted. The sleepless nights, the spit up, the dirty diapers, the sleepless nights, the colic, the NICU, the difficult pregnancy and birth, and did I mention, the sleepless nights, all seemed so much more worth it. I have always enjoyed my babies and I do know what a blessing they are, it's just sometimes you need that little smile to remind you of what you are holding.