These Hands

Baby feet (and in particular, baby toes) get a lot of attention. They are so little, so sweet, and so soft. Endless and countless games of This Little Piggy happen because baby feet are wonderful.

I am not arguing this notion at all. I too am a big fan of Little Piggies and all the joys that accompany them. But here is what I really love....

That would be Miss Raegan's hand. And let me tell you, baby hands are also the best thing in the whole world.

A friend once called them starfish hands, and while I would not want actual starfish stuck to me in any way, shape, or form, I do love having the so little, so sweet, and so soft fingers of a little one glommed onto me. And that is exactly what Raegan's been doing lately. Did you notice? Those little fingers are holding my very own thumb.

Here is another view:

Although Raegan did take her first steps a week or so ago (Yay! and WOW!), she is not walking. She has also entered that 9-12 month clingy stage, so she really wants to be right there with me a lot. That means that, like many mamas in the world, I swing my baby girl up on my hip when we move from room to room or place to place. And this thumb grabbing has been her response. It is like my finger is a handle for her to grasp and every time I notice her doing it, I have to smile.

Yes, the thumb handle is great. Much better than the armpit pinching she does every time we sit down to nurse. Apparently Little Miss thinks I'm going to drop her when I'm shifting her around on the Boppy before we settle in to nurse, because whichever hand is closest to my arm inevitably ends up grabbing on (a.k.a pinching!) for dear life. And while I have never dropped her, I guess I can understand her concern in these moments and can't really blame her for hanging on (and for getting my attention each and every time with the pinch to say, "Hey, Lady! Don't drop me!").

Truth is, she's always finding ways to express herself. Much like her brother (and my brother), Raegan has very expressive eyebrows. She wiggles and waggles and raises them, telling us all kinds of stories with her face. But her hands are also wonderful, expressive tools. She claps all the time and loves to point (mostly to herself in mirrors when I am carrying her around the house). Her latest and most favorite trick, though, is waving.

In the last few weeks, Raegan has begun waving all the time. She clearly already knows what "hello" and "goodbye" mean because she starts opening and closing her fingers and/or moving her wrist back and forth whenever she hears someone extend one of these greetings. When Daddy leaves for school each morning and says, "Goodbye!" from the door, she waves. When I come in from the next room to find her playing and say, "Hi!" to her, she waves. But the best is her greeting her adoring public each time I open the door to go outside. 80% of the time we don't actually see any other people, but she leaves the house smiling and waving almost every time. Such a Love, this girl!

Yes, these hands are precious and full of life. They are also feisty and quick and have already learned how to get into all sorts of mischief (can we say, "Hello, Too Tall with the Stretching and Reaching?!" She attacked the toilet paper roll in the bathroom yesterday!). But they are so, so dear. And because I know those little fingers (and toes) are just going to keep growing and growing, I'm taking a minute to appreciate them exactly as they are right now.