Your Hands

Your hands are my past. They are living proof of the passion betwen your father and me. They are the visual reminders of the sweet flutters you drummed out in my tummy which I can still feel when I think of them. They are the fruit of my labor, literally. What seemed like an agony that would never end produced the most perfect little hands the world has ever seen. Your hands are my past.

Your hands are my present. They are smooth, as if you are wearing small satin gloves. Your hands grip the tips of my fingers and send shockwaves of love to my heart. Your hands are dimpled, chubby, strong, curious, expressive, and often slobbery. Your hands are everything that any pair of happy little hands should be. Your hands are my present.

Your hands are my future. They will write wonderful thoughts onto paper. They will build incredible ideas into tangible magnificence. They will praise God, lead others, move mountains. No matter what I will always be proud of your hands. Your hands are my future.

I Love...

I love your EYELASHES, how they lay on your cheeks like a blanket of gentle snowfall; they are BEAUTIFUL.

I love your HANDS, how they bat, clutch, and explore. I love that there are eight miniatures dimples atop each where finger meets hand; they are BEAUTIFUL.

I love your EARS, perfect and tiny, how each lobe and fold are symmetrical and how each groove and curve are just as they should be; they are BEAUTIFUL.

I love your BELLY, the rise and fall of each breath that you take and your perfectly formed belly button adorning it like a whimsical ornament; it is BEAUTIFUL.

I love your FEET, how each toe stretches and curls,how they make such soft swift kicks against my body when I hold you close; they are BEAUTIFUL.

I love your VOICE, faltering, fluttering, and unsure, you discover each day a wonderful new coo, shriek, grunt, or the occasional magical giggle that you are capable of; it is BEAUTIFUL.

I love your EYES, as they scan the room for familiar faces, lock deeply with mine, and the way that they fight to stay open when you are tired before they slam shut like heavy metal doors; they are BEAUTIFUL.

I love your SMILE, though elusively shying away from the commitment of a photograph, you share that lovely piece of sunshiny heaven each day, warming my heart and soul through and through; it is BEAUTIFUL.

Baby, you are BEAUTIFUL... and what I LOVE is YOU!

31,529,600 Seconds of You and Me Plus One Makes Three

One year, 52 weeks, 365 days, 8,760 hours, 525,600 minutes, 31,529,600 seconds. Over 31 million seconds of enjoying every minute with you. Day one, "What's your problem, I'm hot." Day two, "Hey, Hi - this is me, this is Mike. I was just calling to say hi, and, um, talk to you - and maybe even see you. I would love to see you today. Call me back." Day five, "I Love You." Day 89, "It's positive." Day 186, "It's a boy." Day 278, "I'm a College Graduate!!!!" Day 303, "Welcome Baby Gray." Day 365, "Happy Anniversary, Happy Moving Day." So Sweetheart, here's to you, here's to me, here's to being as happy as three can be - someday four or maybe more!

My Wonderful Baby

My days are filled with soft whimpers and wonderous cries, punctuated with bottle feeding and diaper changing, made irreplacible by new discoveries such as a reflection in a mirror. This is the most special time in my life. I am tired and slightly delirious, but really my delirium is caused by happiness and pure joy. What more could a mother ever ask for than a healthy, robust boy who wonders at her in amazement and she at him. Better still is to watch his father and him stare into each other's eyes and know they share a fierce love, a love that bound their hearts tightly to each other at first sight and will never fade or lessen. To share a love so big that tears form in the corners of my eyes just to think of it each and every day in the warm space of my own home is the blessing that none could compare to. I live a charmed life and I will never take these times for granted, becuase I can already see them slipping away and I try frantically to file every moment in my mind forever captured like snapshots of my life. I hope that I will always remember the way that he smells in the morning when he coos at me, straining to catch my eye through the bars of his bassinette next to my bed. I hope that I will always remember how fine his hair is and that when I hold him I brush my cheek against the top of his head becuase it feels like down feathers. I hope that I will alwasy remember the involuntary smiles that he shares so often with me that make my heart leap and I laugh out loud at how he's all gums. I hope I will always remember every moment as our love for each other gets stronger and stronger each day. A love that grows without end, an eternity of love that will never fail either one of us.

Child of mine…
To my beautiful child,
Beautiful child, being so small you inspire me big,
Beautiful child, so fragile, you make me so strong,
Beautiful child, so tender your touch your power is great,
Beautiful child, small is your heart, infinite is the love I feel for you;
Beautiful child, your hand I’m anxious to hold, to walk life’s road with you by my side.
Beautiful child, your light will show me the way,
Beautiful child, you came to my life to teach me a lesson that I shall never forget…
Nor riches, nor power can give us the best things of life…
The smile of a child…Is the best of all rewards…

Ale Duncan