Starting to Smile

Marie's first two months have been a joy. Caring for her needs can be tiring, especially for Senia, who is uniquely suited to tend to some of Marie's needs, but a cute smile or gentle baby sounds while feeding more than make up for the downsides.

The other three children almost scramble over each other to get a chance to hold her. If she is sleeping in the room and makes the slightest sound, three sets of eyes look imploringly at us for a possibility to pick up the baby. Not that those chances are rare, but I think she sleeps too much for their liking. That is certainly a good problem to have.

The past couple weeks, she has started interacting with us much more. She will smile back at you. And if you look her in the eye and make some baby-sounding noises, she will "talk" with you. We have all thoroughly enjoyed this new interactive stage, full of smiles and coos.

As for the rest of us, the three older children are plugging away at school. We all enjoyed this Thanksgiving break—the kids discovered Yatzee—and look forward to a more extended break in just a few weeks. Senia has her hands full keeping the schooling going and preparing meals while using up so much physical energy feeding and taking care of the baby. All the rest of us are learning how we can help more.

We are quickly approaching Nativity celebrations and look forward to this wonderfully festive time of year. We all send our Christmas greetings and pray the Incarnation of God himself brings a source of joy to you all.

Marie's Baptism