Every week there is something new about Jacob that fascinates me.  At one point it was his feet: they’re sturdy and strong, but with such tiny toes!  Recently it was the thicker crop of hair that’s finally filling in the space that was bald for a while.  He has the softest, yummy-smelling-est locks I’ve ever experienced, and like John says, there’s something about a baby’s head that is just so kissable!

 

This past week, though, it’s been his fingers and his hands.  After the all-important thumb discovery, the little guy figured out that there’s more than just a thumb at the end of each arm.  There’s a whole hand.  With fingers.  That can feel stuff.  Alleluia!

 

Watching his little hands reach for toys hanging above him or for the back of the chair when I’m holding him on my lap is like watching a caveman discover fire.  His eyes focus intently on whatever they’re touching and each movement is incredibly deliberate.  I love it.

 

I’m just about as awestruck as he is.  His movements are ones that I take for granted, even now, as I type.  What beauty there is in simple motion, the many connections that must be made for a fine motor skill to be performed successfully.  The mental and physical capacities of a human being are staggering, if you only take a moment to think about them.

 

Yet I find myself wondering whether I will be as enraptured when, God willing, I see these discoveries made by another child of mine—or even by a friend’s baby (and we are expecting plenty of those this year!).  Pretty much everything about Jacob amazes me.  Is it because he’s a baby, or because he’s our little Jacob?  Probably some of both.  When I share these things with veteran mothers and aunts, sometimes they can absolutely relate, and other times what I describe is brand new to them, too.

 

I’m exploring Jacob’s new life almost as much as he is right now, in part because right now, Jacob is the youngest baby I know.  But that’s about to change over the next few weeks, so I guess time will tell.

 

In the meantime, please join me in praying for expectant mothers, their little ones, and the fathers who can’t wait to meet them!  And thank God for motherhood!