Typing one-handed while I nurse...

So I'm going to try to get to bed at a reasonable hour tonight, which means I'll be making this brief.

Here is what I want to say: I never knew it was like this--even though everyone always talks about it. I guess you just have to experience it yourself. I've never loved anyone/thing like this. Even though this new job of mine can be challenging, I've never felt so much joy. I've never experienced a day where my heart soared so often, as it does now. Every moment of this journey has been amazing, but these last days have been especially poignant. My bond with Ms. Maize grows exponentially with each new day. It's overwhelming and cathartic. She is smiling, and not like before, in the last 48 hours her smiles went from occasional to provokable (is that a word??). It's the cutest thing ever. Then she'll smile and coo at the same time and it's like the beginnings of laughter. She is realizing that she can reach for and touch the things she sees, which delights her to no end. Her hair is growing back in and it's spiky and adorable. She is finally in her cloth diapers and they give her this big, pear-shaped butt that is literally the cutest thing I've ever seen. Oh yeah, I'm sure she is over the 9lb mark by now.

So, I'm going to share 2 things since now I'm waiting for baby to be asleep enough to come out of the moby and go into the sleep sack. First, I want to share some of my favorite poems/thoughts from my favorite poet/thoughtist artist Brian Andreas. They've taken on new meaning since Maizey it there aren't many people who can express these mushy emotions quite like him. Then, I'm going to share some pictures.

The Wonder of it All:
Sitting there in your pajamas & all the time in the world & if I could keep any moment it would be this: watching you & holding my breath with the wonder of it all.

Almost Beyond:
She laid on my chest & her breathing filled me almost to beyond what I could hold.

Laughter and Noise:
There are lives I can imagine without children but none of them have the same laughter & noise.

Photos:

This was at Children's for her ultrasound today.Grandma trying to get a burp out of Maizey in the doctor's office.Here she is in the middle of rolling over tonight.This is Maizey realizing that she can reach for things and feel them.This is a little smile from my beautiful baby.'Nuff said.Um, these are water shoes from Grammy--for all those long walks on the beach this summer?????Perfect and asleep.This series of pictures is from 6/12 and taken by Auntie Erika.

OOH. I'll try to post a video from tonight of me feeding Maizey her toys. Um, all the experts say it's the best way for little babies to learn since their mouths are so crucial in their exploration (and yes that is the best way I could word that sentence--I tried many other alternatives).