5 more facts

Written when Monroe was 8 months old.

If you read this blog often, you probably read my original 5 facts post several months ago. Well, here are a few more amazing unique things about Monroe.

6. She floats. Okay, this shouldn't be amazing and is certainly not unique given that many, many animals, plants, and substances float. But somehow it still amazes me. Partly I am amazed that she allows herself to float--Monroe is so driven, so persistent, so energetic that she is almost never still, even in her sleep. To see her relaxing in the tub with her daddy with her head and shoulders cradled in his hands or the crook of his hip and the rest of her body just placidly floating out there in the 6-8 inches of bathwater they're enjoying is to see a little daily miracle--my girl, still. Plus, there is the sheer anatomical wonder of her fatness, which is emphasized when she floats because you start seeing all these buoyant parts and thinking stuff like, "my goodness, her fat little knees float!"

7. She knows who we are. Of course she recognizes us, that began even before birth. But I didn't realize what meaning she attached to the terms "mommy" and "daddy" until my mom visited. She kept asking Monroe, "where's mommy?" and Monroe would immediately look directly at me. Then she'd say, "where's daddy?" and she'd whip around and look at Eben. It was amazing!

8. She is wicked strong. People alway comment on this when they let her get her deceptively cute paws on something, thinking they'll let her touch it for a moment and then get it away. HA! She is like a black hole--if something gets close enough, you may never see it again. She can actually lift my laptop computer (you don't want to know how I found this out. Wasn't pretty.)

9. Her laugh is one of the universe's most perfect sounds. It inspires a deep, soul-fulfilling sense of happiness and contentment. Making her laugh engenders a satisfaction that I imagine olympic atheletes have on the podium as they accept their medals or CEOs have on the eve of a great earnings report. But making her laugh is much less of a science than top athletic performance or shrewd business. It's completely trial-and-error, and what cracks her up one night may be looked upon with indifference the next. So we keep actin' goofy.

10. She still smells amazing. (Yes, this was also fact 4...) She smells less like that astonishingly pure, if a bit generic, new baby smell. Instead she smells like an individual, like Monroe. It is amazing to have another person (besides Eben) whose used blankets or worn clothes can trigger such an overwhelming sweep of emotion. This Monroe baby smell is a version of the smell her spouse will someday cherish and that her own children will recognize as mommy. I can't describe it but it's all her own.