mother's day

Two days ago I set Henry down so I could get gather materials for his diaper bag. When I turned around to pick him up, he had dexterously wrapped his fingers around a toy lying next to him and was lifting the toy in the air. Today, during playtime, Henry took the same toy and moved it slowly then quickly--to see what sounds and motions it would make. He surprised himself a few times, bringing the object close to his face. He was fascinated to discover the properties of his world and his manipulations of that world.

I have been fascinated to watch his progress. As adults, we can't remember the joy of being able to turn over for the first time--especially since we've been able to do it on command for more than a quarter century--but it must have been thrilling to understand our own abilities of control.

I am almost as excited about Henry's developments as he is. I love to watch him learn and grow--all in spite of my efforts. I have tried to do the best I know how, but I couldn't teach his eyes to focus. I didn't know how to tell him to move his body certain ways to build necessary muscles. And how do you describe to a one-month-old the proper mouth position and air movement through the throat to make the sound of a "g"? And yet, Henry is focusing on objects across the room, propping himself up on his elbows when on his tummy, rolling over, and joyfully making sounds that are awfully close to every-day words.

Amazing. Don't you think?

And so, this Mother's Day 2010, I love being a mother because I love watching my son learn. He is a miracle, and I get to participate in that miracle every day.