Of Mirrors and Boobies
Being first time parents, when we brought the Duckling home from the hospital we spent countless hours watching this perfect little girl that we had created (despite some drinkie-poos on our honeymoon and medication for poison ivy and no-see-um bites…all before we knew about the pregnancy of course!). While she slept in those early days her face would reflect dozens of little emotions brought on, presumably, by dreams.
While we could figure out that the scrunched up forehead and pouty lip dream was likely a remembrance of being drawn into a bright delivery room from her nice, warm, cozy spot in my body we were more unsure about the occasional smiles we saw bloom across her face during sleep. How many “good” things had she experienced in those first few days of life? What did she know of things that are good like soft puppies, Ghiradelli chocolate and clearance sales at Target? We attributed the smiley dreams to the two positive things she had encountered…mirrors and boobies.
Her changing pad was on the dresser in our bedroom and she enjoyed looking at herself in the mirror while her diapers were being changed. As for the boobies, if you’ve ever seen a newborn root or blindly open and close their mouths looking for the elusive boob at feeding time, you know where the “boobie” part came in. The Duckling was nicknamed “Shark Attack” for the way she sought out the Food Source (Papa Duck’s nickname for me) in her early days.
One day I mentioned this to my friend Alicia, her husband, Jesse and Alicia’s mother as we sat at our kitchen table chatting. Alicia’s mom was holding the Duckling when a big smile came across her sleeping face.
“Yeah, we think when she smiles like that in her sleep she’s dreaming about mirrors and boobies, what else could an infant have encountered that make her smile like that?”
After a bit of thought, Jesse commented, “Duckling, I smile when I dream about mirrors and boobies too.”
We now see Peanut expressing the same facial contortions in her sleep. Frowning, pouting, smiling…
Ahhhh, mirrors and boobies, my little Peanut. Welcome to the Good Things of life.
While we could figure out that the scrunched up forehead and pouty lip dream was likely a remembrance of being drawn into a bright delivery room from her nice, warm, cozy spot in my body we were more unsure about the occasional smiles we saw bloom across her face during sleep. How many “good” things had she experienced in those first few days of life? What did she know of things that are good like soft puppies, Ghiradelli chocolate and clearance sales at Target? We attributed the smiley dreams to the two positive things she had encountered…mirrors and boobies.
Her changing pad was on the dresser in our bedroom and she enjoyed looking at herself in the mirror while her diapers were being changed. As for the boobies, if you’ve ever seen a newborn root or blindly open and close their mouths looking for the elusive boob at feeding time, you know where the “boobie” part came in. The Duckling was nicknamed “Shark Attack” for the way she sought out the Food Source (Papa Duck’s nickname for me) in her early days.
One day I mentioned this to my friend Alicia, her husband, Jesse and Alicia’s mother as we sat at our kitchen table chatting. Alicia’s mom was holding the Duckling when a big smile came across her sleeping face.
“Yeah, we think when she smiles like that in her sleep she’s dreaming about mirrors and boobies, what else could an infant have encountered that make her smile like that?”
After a bit of thought, Jesse commented, “Duckling, I smile when I dream about mirrors and boobies too.”
We now see Peanut expressing the same facial contortions in her sleep. Frowning, pouting, smiling…
Ahhhh, mirrors and boobies, my little Peanut. Welcome to the Good Things of life.
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