Let Me Count The Ways

Look at this boy!! Just look at how adorable this little grin is and how cute his eyes look when they squint together, pushed up by the chubbiness of his cheeks!

Just for the fun of it, here are the top 10 reasons I love my son. We're going David Letterman style on this one, so counting down from ten:

10: He's starting that droning/singing himself to sleep thing that both cracks me up and makes me want to eat his cheeks.

9: He can muster a smile for me, even when he's downright pissed off at everyone else in the world. It's good to be the mama!

8: His experimentation with a whole new set of vocal sounds--ranging from high-pitched raptor squeal to a surprisingly low laugh--fills my day with GREAT entertainment.

7: I love my son because he doesn't judge my horrible dancing skills. In fact, he loves me even more when I dance with him. He thinks I'm cool (for at least another 11 to 12 years).

6: He lets me kiss his cheeks, even when I have monster morning breath. Is it obvious yet that I am addicted to his cheeks? They are my drug of choice.

5: He's given me a whole new appreciation for 3am. Well....I still don't know if I can really say that I appreciate 3am, but it certainly isn't as vile an hour when I'm with him.

4: He's given me the courage to face my fears--my fear of saliva, boogers, and poo explosions. 

3: He's given me the freedom to live in the present for the first time since my own child hood. I've spent so much of my life looking forward to what the future holds, and now I am content to let time pass as slowly as possible so as to cherish every little second.

2: I have a whole new appreciation for my own parents because of him.

1: He made me a mommy.

The following pictures are just a smattering of photos taken over the past 6 months. They are in random order, but most of them are from the first month he was home from the hospital.