A few of my favorite things...about my daughter

In keeping with the Christmas spirit, I've decided to make a list of my favorite things - but these are all specifically about our darling nearly 3- month old daughter, ieva (pronounced 'yeh-vah' for those who have forgotten or don't know).
Now, I know that parents are supposed to be wildly in love with their babies & think theirs is the most beautiful one ever, but I feel justified to say that our kid & our adoration of her seems way beyond the norm.

These are a few of my favorite things:

• her infectious smiles
• her adorable dimple that dips in each time she smiles
• her stunningly enormous & alert blue eyes
• her perfectly tiny fingers & toes
• her sweet voice that she's learning to use more & more
• I love it when she's laying under her play gym, looking up at the mirror hanging above her head & smiling, cooing & talking up a storm to the girl she sees (as I'm watching her do at the moment). They have whole conversations together!
• I love it after she finishes nursing, (when she's not asleep), she'll sometimes turn her head & just lay there looking up at me with her beautiful eyes. She'll smile & talk to me & and often reach up with one hand. We'll sit there, holding hands & talking, and I'm in heaven.
• I love it when Andrew gets her laughing - she has the 'open-mouthed smile' & 'throw -your-head-back laughter' that brings nothing but joy to anyone around.
• I love it when she wakes up & lays in her crib talking away in her sweet little voice to the colorful mobile spinning above her
  
• I love it when I take her to events at the college (like the staff Christmas luncheon yesterday) and everyone wants to hold her & take photos of her and she's just as charming as can be as she gets passed around (you can see her working her magic with Virginia below).
• I love it after she yawns, she always makes this cute guttural sound that tells us that her yawn is done. (almost like she's clearing her throat, but much cuter!)
• I love it when she sneezes & then smiles after she sprays us with baby snot
  
• I love it when she's bundled up in her white fleece snow suit (somewhat resembling the stay-puff marshmallow man) & I'm carrying her in the front pack and I can hold her bundled feet & kiss the top of her bundled head as she watches the world pass by as we walk.
• I love it when she's taking a bath & she starts to kick her feet on her own & then smiles & laughs with excitement as the water splashes all over me.
• I actually love it when she cries the 'I've just woken up & am a bit disoriented' cry where her whole face scruntches up & her mouth makes a visible frown - it's so darn cute (and rarely lasts very long...even better)!
• I love putting my face down close to hers when she's peacefully asleep in her crib with her little arms up on either side of her head, listening to her rhythmic breathing.

Before having ieva, I remember hearing that after having a baby, you won't remember what life was like without them. Despite the sleep deprivation & spit-up stained clothes, I wouldn't go back to pre-ieva life for anything.