Sep
18
2018
A Dog And A Baby
Posted in Family Life 2 Comments
How I love the times I am able to feed my precious granddaughter.
Cuddling with her in my arms, looking at her sweet face, brings me back.
It brings me back to when her mommy was a baby.
The resemblance is uncanny.
I love when she grabs my finger as she takes her bottle.
Her grip is strong.
She will hold one of my fingers with one hand and touch her bottle with the other.
Soon, those little hands will hold the bottle all by herself.
That feeding time is so sweet.
It is time to talk softly as my granddaughter looks into my eyes.
It is the time to sing a quiet song that I used to sing to her mommy as well.
It is time to bond.
The thing I like least about feeding in the early months is having to stop so she can burp.
There is the back rub to make sure a burp will come.
There is the gentle pat on the upper back to coax it a bit.
That all allusive burp takes its own sweet time.
Every time I am with my granddaughter, there is something new to see.
I love the fact that she now recognizes our faces.
When we look at her, a smile begins at one ear and spreads to the other.
I know God designed babies smiles just this way to encourage tired mothers.
There is tummy time, which allows her to pull herself up and look around.
There is scooting around in the crib so she is facing a different direction after nap time.
There is cuddle time on a willing lap so that she can hear some of her favorite books.
There is definitely not a lack of arms or laps in our family; she is well loved.
The newest thing that we are all enjoying is her laugh.
It is a little giggle, really.
She seems almost unsure about this new sound that is coming out of her mouth.
We take laughing for granted, but once upon a time, we had a first laugh, too.
When my son and his wife come home, they bring their dog.
They have a Springer Spaniel who is well trained.
My son is very careful to watch the dog around his little niece.
We were all curious as to whether the dog would be protective of the baby.
The dog was so sweet around my granddaughter.
She laid beside her.
She seemed instinctively protective of her.
She gave her little licks, as we made a big fuss about all those kisses.
My youngest daughter captured some of these moments on video.
My daughter held her sweet little girl, leaning her towards the dog.
Give another kiss, she said sweetly, bringing dog and baby together.
My precious little granddaughter leaned over to kiss the dog.
The dog kissed her first.
The wonderful laugh that came out of my granddaughter’s mouth was music to our ears.
She could not get enough kisses from this lovable dog in front of her.
It was a love affair from the start.
The all allusive burp inevitably comes.
The all allusive laugh suddenly happens.
It cannot be manufactured.
It happens spontaneously.
When the laugh came, it affected everyone around her.
All the adults in the room became a child again.
There is something about a baby’s laugh that feeds the soul.
A baby’s laugh is contagious.
The laugh was not allusive any longer.
It came as the result of a dog.
It came as a result of kisses from this furry friend.
As the night went on, the dog and the baby were never far apart.
A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. (Proverbs 17:22)
If I had a prescription tablet, I would write a prescription for good health.
One good belly laugh daily, it would say.
The old adage says: an apple a day keeps the doctor away.
That may be true, but a good belly laugh is the best medicine.
I had never really thought about my first laugh.
However, there was a first laugh when I was a baby.
We chronicle first steps and first words.
We take note of height and weight measurements, perhaps marking them on doorposts.
A first laugh is an occasion.
A first laugh is an event.
We never see it coming.
All it once it is upon us and we are laughing along with it.
A first laugh is so innocent.
A first laugh is pure joy.
A first laugh is contagious.
A first laugh is simply the beginning of many others.
Go ahead, laugh.
Really laugh.
Belly laugh until someone catches it.
There’s a first time for everything.
Love this – how precious! Thanks for sharing
Diane,
It was a sweet time.
I was so grateful that so many of us were there to see it.
Gina