12 Adorable Things You Will Miss About Your Newborn

I have recently been reminiscing about when Jade was a newborn...especially now that we just celebrated her 3rd Birthday!

Phew! Time flies so fast, doesn't it?

I have in the past written a similar blog post regarding newborns (you can read it HERE), but this one has a different angle, as well as new insights...Hope you enjoy the read as much as I enjoyed taking a trip down memory lane!

Here is my sweet, sleepy little girl right after she was born...

1. They are kind of furry!

Often when babies are born, they have exaggerated peach fuzz on their backs, heads, around their faces, and some, just all over their body. This fine, fur-like hair is called lanugo, and it will eventually fall off (at around 4 months, give or take). Jade had the most adorable tufts of hair along the outer edge of her ears when she was born, making her look like she had elf-blood in her.

2. They hold your hand.

They will instinctively grab your hand if you touch their palms. Even if this is just an involuntary reaction, it is nonetheless endearing.

3. Their arms will sometimes fly out to the sides when they are startled.

This may have been an evolutionary carry over from an instinct to protect themselves if they should fall. Whatever the reason, its highly amusing and won't last forever.

4. Their eyes are a deep, crystal blue when they are born.

This doesn't mean that they are going to stay that way. They might, but most likely, their eyes will eventually change to their permanent color after several months. This sometimes holds true for their hair as well...Jade's hair was stick-straight when she was a newborn. As time went by, her hair got curlier and curlier. I have a friend whose daughter had dark hair when born, but then it started to turn a very light blond instead!

5. They will make faces at you!

They're muscle movements are kind of out of control. They will appear as if they are drunk. As they practice their movements, and try to mimic you, they will contort their faces, as well as their hands, into strange gestures and expressions. You should take a video...it will last longer!

6. You will always remember the first time they smiled at you!

Doctors say that newborns cannot express a true smile. I disagree! my little girl would give the most coy, bashful little smile, it could instantly melt your heart! We don't know what goes on in the mind of a baby, because they will forget it by the time they are capable of communicating it to you. I distinctly remember the first time she smiled at me, and I like to believe that it was a genuine smile, and not just her "having gas".

7. Their cooing is so worth waiting for them to talk!

Whether they are gurgling, whimpering, purring or babbling, a baby's earliest form of speech is too adorable for words!!! And sometimes, you will swear they said some amazing things! (They say that parents will imagine their infants saying things that they clearly aren't; for example, a mother might hear her baby "talking", but to a bystander, they are muttering incoherent gibberish...That being said, I kept a journal for some time with words I heard her say, fully documented with time, date, and the circumstances surrounding these proud, noteworthy little events! Even when they are crying, their squeaky little noises are precious!

8. They are kind of like dolls.

Before they roll over, crawl, and start getting themselves into all sorts of mischief, they just sit their idly and watch the world around them. They are quite serene! They sleep a lot, so pretty low maintenance! Even when my daughter was a bit older, she was still statuesque in her demeanor, to the point that we went out to a restaurant and the waiter commented that he at first thought she was a doll, and was slightly alarmed that I was "one of those weirdos that hauls a fake person around with them everywhere." (No offense if you are one of those people...to each their own!)

9. They will try to put everything in their mouths.

Whether they are trying to eat your keys, a toy, or suck on your thumb, its kind of adorable. They are little machines, with faces like vacuums, hands like shovels. Despite the serious safety issue this poses, as you constantly try to remove all choking hazards from their reach, it can lead to some highly amusing situations!

10. Their little faces are so smooshy and squishy!

Oftentimes, a baby's head will be a little squished from going through the birth canal. In addition, their skulls are soft and the plates in their head or moving into position when they are young. They still have that soft spot on the top of their head called the fontanel. Their faces will sometimes look drastically different than when they are a bit older. Jade's brow was smushed down significantly when she was born. It took some time before it started to look the way it does now. Even though she looked a bit goofy because of it, I still miss that endearing little smoosh-face! In addition to these adorable distortions, many babies have chubby, pinch-able cheeks. These little cheekies are absolutely irresistible! You will find yourself often compulsively grabbing, squishing, kissing, and occasionally even nomming them ad nauseam. For that matter, its not just their faces...Jade had such plump arms and legs, she looked like she was related to the Michelin Man!

11. Their little hands and feet are so teeny tiny, you will swear that their fingernails and toenails could not be any smaller and still exist!

Try to get a photo of the juxtaposition between their hands and yours, or other family members....You're welcome!

12. They sometimes seem to be fearless.

Maybe this is not true with all babies...but oftentimes, babies will not cringe at things you would expect them to. For instance, we had a swing fastened to the ceiling of our covered porch. It hung pretty high up. Despite this, Jade loved swinging in it for as long as we would be willing to put up with it. She would sit back in a relaxed posture, hands behind her head, as she was flinging rapidly, several feet above the ground. It wasn't until she got older that she gained a fear of heights, at which point, it was impossible to get her into it without her freaking out – so we eventually just took it down! Another example of her fearlessness was that, when she was first born, and this may hold true with all babies...they don't care if you hand them over to a complete stranger. They will just lay there, contentedly - just happy they are getting attention. It wasn't until months, or maybe even a year after Jade was born, that she finally started getting picky about who was holding her, and would start crying inconsolably if she didn't recognize the person interacting with her.

One thing for sure, throughout EVERY age of your child's life, you will be prone to enjoying simple pleasures, whether it's watching your baby take her first steps, or "Hooray-ing" when she sings the alphabet, or the day you realize she is able to read you the book you used to read to her.

Cherish them, always, and never rush mother nature running her course in her own, sweet time.