smiles

When Samuel was born, he was perfect.  He weighed 7 lbs. 9 oz.  dark hair, rosy cheeks, adorable!  We were all in love the moment we met him!  He was doing good, just had reflux and was very irritable.  He gave out very limited smiles.

 I thought, he must just have a serious kind of personality.  Gracie and Annaleigh smiled all of the time, Gracie was even nicknamed "smiley", by a friend.  Whenever I wanted a picture of Samuel smiling I would work so hard to get it!  It might take an hour and 200 pictures, but I was determined!

 Well, I did not always get my smiling picture.  When he was almost 6 months old we realized there was more going on with his little body.  He could not control his movements, so it was hard for him to even smile.

(finally a quick grin!!!!)

(I remember this day, he got smiley when Tim came home and played with him and I took about 50 pictures)

(I usually just save the good one, but here is an example...I took about 200 literally)

This was so hard!  All I wanted, needed and desired from my sweet baby was a smile.  I guess that would let me know he was ok, not hurting, content.  

We would get nothing for days....but then it would come!  Oh, what rejoicing we had.  It was like the world would stop and we would soak it in.  It was like rain in the desert.  I would grab my camera and start snapping.  Sometime I would catch it, but mostly not.  Tim bought me a camera that I could hold down the button and it would just start snapping.  I would get one out of 100...literally.  But, that one is like gold!

Needless to say, God used my special child to teach me to be thankful for the smallest of things.  A smile, a giggle, a high five...these are things that are very special.  Samuel went through months with no smiles and then there would be a season of sweet grins.  And we treasure each one.

So be thankful for those sweet smiles that are given to you.  If their smiles were not there I know we would miss them.!