Baby Therapy

It amazes me how different people act when they get a baby in their arms. The first person I saw a change in, of course, was Todd. He's gotten so much more tolerant of yucky stuff. Diapers are one thing, but he manages to put on a happy face when he's feeding her the baby food even though it looks and sometimes smells gross to him. That and he's a total mush when it comes to Megan. Not that he wasn't a mush before, but to see him mush on someone else, rather than being the recipient of the mush, is something else.

Then there's the grandparents. Megan's the first grandchild for all of them. My dad, for instance, tried to pull off his gruff, kids-fear-me act, but the last time we were visiting, all it took was her to grab his nose and he couldn't help but coo to her and get playful. Nana and Grandpa Jim just delight in her, too. Jim makes endless faces and noises for her and they both love to get right down on the floor with her. My mom has made 4 cross country trips to see her in the first 7 months of her life.

Whenever I take her to school, countless people ask to hold her and cuddle her. My principal is usually in constant motion, but if he sees the baby at school, he's got to take a break to hold her. Others use her for "baby therapy." That concept started when she was a newborn and I was home on maternity leave. Things got stressful at school and each day after school one or another of my friends was at our house to snuggle with the baby. They always left feeling better and more relaxed.

Maybe Megan will be some sort of a counselor when she grows up. :)