Pretty Close to Heaven

Ten Things I Love About Newborns:

1. The velvet soft feel of their skin and silky fine hair
2. All the strange snuffly grunting noises they make
3. The fun reflexes they're born with (like the Plantar reflex)
4. The way they smell, especially right after they're born
5. The way they move their bodies-- arching backwards when they stretch, tucking their feet up under them when they're on their tummy, waving their arms and extending their fingers
6. How they seem so fragile and yet so strong at the same time
7. Laying down with them curled up on your chest and having them fall asleep is sheer bliss
8. Those tiny toes and fingers and those fuzzy little ears!
9. They have the cutest clothes in the world
10. And my very favorite-- their eyes. When they're asleep, they seem so new and vulnerable. Then they open their eyes and suddenly you're looking at deep wisdom and profound agelessness and you know you're not looking at a blank slate but at a Child of God.

And that's probably why whenever I pick up my baby I get this euphoric, giddy, intoxicated feeling like what I felt when I had first met the Badger. I am so, so in love with this baby, and it's the most wonderful feeling in the world.