With both of my children I watched anxiously for that first smile. That first sign of cognition, of humanity, almost. I was a self inflicted information saturated mother from day one, and I had read that failing to smile by eight weeks is associated with increased likelihood of autism. I watched my babies grimace and gurn, cooing at them and encouraging them, telling myself that I was sure I detected evidence of communication in a crinkle of eye and turn of lip.
The smiles grew more certain every day, and still, a beaming smile from one of them lifts my spirits. Though more often these days I am met with an impish grin that signifies some kind of trouble.
Here are the very first smiles I captured on camera. These were the photographs that graced my desk when I returned to work after maternity leave, and indeed stayed there as more and more photos were added, until a newcomer sighting my desk assumed I had about eight children.
I thought this was a great opportunity to give these first smiles a home here on the blog.
Geekygirl
Geekyboy
