Josie begins her seventh week today. That's forty nine days on this earth, or at least forty nine days outside the womb, forty nine days of breathing air and crying out loud. It's a short amount of time really, a mere fraction of a life. And yet, she has grown and changed so much in that span of time one would think months had passed.
I read somewhere that a baby's favorite thing to do is to look into your face. They encouraged parents to make faces at your child, and noted that when a child gets older she will begin to mimic you. Since reading this little nugget of parenting wisdom, I have spent most of my free time making goofy faces at the bean, changing expression from happy to sad to pensive to ecstatic. She stares up at me in wonder. Sometimes she laughs, sometimes she furrows her brow with a strong look of concern that seems to convey, "Daddy, I am quite concerned about your facial ticks and contortions, and I would like it very much if you stopped." Lately, on occasion, she will make little squeals of delight when I make certain faces. This will start me laughing out loud, and inevitable bring about the baby's stern face of concern again. I attempt to return the stern look, but it seems the bean has already mastered her father in this little game, so I quickly return to rotating through a array of goofy faces until she smiles or laughs again.
