It feels like the first 4-5 months with him were Mommy Bootcamp. They were hard, and they were strenuous, and they took just about everything that I had. And then, I apparently not only passed but graduated, and I've been rewarded with this happy, smiley, giggly joy of a child, who even seems to be sleeping through the night except my brain won't even really acknowledge or recognize that fact b/c part of me still fears that if I celebrate it, it will stop.
Today Cristina and I went into town to meet up with the other Geneva housewives at the Cafe des Bastions. Donovan smiled and flirted with other bus passengers the entire way in on the bus. He did get a bit fussy while we sat at the cafe, as it was nearing naptime, but other than that he did quite well and he had a grand ole time trying to eat my water bottle (he first tried to go after Cristina's Coke Light, but we told him he wasn't allowed to have any till he's older). That was actually the first time he'd reached to grab and mouth something that we were holding and eating/drinking out of, which I'm taking as confirmation that he may be getting ready for solid foods. =P
We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the Rive area, then down by the water and checking out some of the lakeside festivities in the Jardin Anglais. We tried getting crepes but apparently we were just too early for the stands to serve any, but we did snag some illegal candy (they're not allowed to open and sell before a certain time, but then one of the guys in charge walked away from the stand and so the women let us buy our bagful anyway). The entire time D was happy as could be. You wouldn't even have known we had an infant with us, had it not been for the loud BLABLABLABLABLABLA coming from his stroller. Then we'd look at him and laugh at the racket he was making, and he'd take a break from his babbling and trying to get his foot into his mouth to flash that irresistible smile and dimple at us. When we finally got on the bus to come back home he smiled at us for a bit, then drifted off to sleep, not waking till we reached the front door.
Do you see what I mean about my super amazing wonderchild?
Zach came home a bit after we got here, and then we all went up the road a bit for the Fete des Pompiers in our village. D didn't last too long, though, as it was rapidly approaching his bedtime. So I brought him back home, and he started fussing a bit as I laid him on his changing table to get him ready for bed, but then I smacked my lips at him, an immitation of this funny thing he's started doing lately, and that just cracked him up and he smiled, giggled, and babbled through most of the bedtime routine after that. I read him a bedtime poem, gave him just a bit to eat, and then laid him down on his bed and laid down beside him to sing him a lullaby. He looked over at me and smiled this joyful smile as I sang to him, a smile that melts my heart every time because it is so directly a response to me, and he watched my face and reached out to touch my mouth, and I think this is one of the favorite parts of my day because of how engaged and enthralled he is by me. It's one of those moments that truly makes you feel like a Mother. And then I pulled the string on his musical giraffe toy, turned off the lights, and from down here a few minutes later I hear nothing. My guess is that when I go up there in a minute to check on him, he'll be turned over on his tummy, thumb in his mouth, possibly with one arm over his giraffe, sleeping soundly. I will look down on him, his sweet little body, and wonder to myself how I ever got to be so lucky.
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