A typical morning for the three of us is slow, relaxed, and full of the little things. Generally, Mike and I take turns sleeping in (at least a little bit) while the other gets up with Celie to start the breakfast routine: coffee, some toast or cereal, and the quiet discovery of yet another new word or thing.
In recent weeks, this ritual has included "fahk" and "thoooooon," which Celie mastered with surprising ease. Like "nah-kin," which she insists upon using after almost every bite to fastidiously wipe her hands and cheeks clean, using utensils seems to give Celie a great sense of pleasure and independence—making even the most objectionable foods more edible.
Something about the search, dip, and lift, the precarious nature and eventual triumph of actually getting a “beeg baht” into her mouth, the satisfaction of knowing I did it all by myself! This is what Celie’s smile seems to say after each successful scoop…and why we so often find ourselves saying ‘yay!’ and ‘mmm-mmm!” in response to the strangest little things we never thought twice about before having kids.
