7-31-05 Happyface, originally uploaded by Artbandito
She smiled at me!
Of course Ashely had a few baby gas moments that would curl the ends of her lips in a pseudo-grin while her eyes stared vacantly into space. Those were cute, but very brief and random. Then, one day when she was around 3 1/2 weeks old, she started actually smiling at us. For reals. I'm talking eye contact, open mouthed, reactive smiles.
This is something new. Interacting with a newborn isn't very rewarding socially, unless you love the sound of your own voice. Now we're entering the 2-way street of communication.
I'm always happy to see my family after a long day at the office, of course. But now I can come home from work, smile at my daughter, and she smiles back. And that makes all the difference in the world.