The Milestones

When Finn arrived, we had no idea that we had such an ordeal ahead.  He cried and he cuddled, he fed and he cuddled some more and he was our perfect baby boy.  When he was 12 hours old, he was found to have jaundice and when he was 24 hours old, the doctors decided there was an underlying problem.  It was discovered that he had been born with a virus, and suddenly there was a lot of unknown.

The virus can manifest in many ways, and there is so much uncertainty ahead.  Our baby boy is a fighter and is doing so well, but we were left with so many questions and so much that we would need to  'wait and see'.  

One thing we were told is to keep a close eye on his milestones in the first year, as it will be a good indicator of his future development.  I found myself worrying daily about what he should be doing, despite having had two newborn babies before and knowing that not much is expected in the first weeks.

This week marks six weeks since the dinky one arrived, and today he smiled at me.  He smiled in the morning, and cooed away, he smiled in the afternoon, despite being rather grumpy all day and he smiled before bed as we lay on the floor having tummy time.  He watched me, alert and interested, his eyes lit up first and finally his mouth curled up into that goofy toothless smile.  I couldn't capture it on camera, I was too busy enjoying that little face, but today Finn smiled.

Every milestone is amazing, every first makes you feel prouder than before, every moment is precious, but I feel like I have a new found appreciation, and that every time Finn does something new, it will be even sweeter, knowing what he has come through to get there.  Whether he continues to develop on track, or slightly behind, or way behind, I know he will make me proud.

I did manage to capture half a smile though!