A (Very Funny) Means to Explore

Isaac’s new favorite past time, as of the last two or three weeks, is grabbing and squeezing the various features of my face. His little hands (and very sharp fingernails, no matter how short I clip them!) will grab onto my nose, my cheeks, my chin, sometimes even my forehead and squeeze so hard that it hurts. He finds this hilarious. He doesn’t limit this activity to my face; if you get an opportunity to hold him for very long, chances are he’ll get hold of your nose. Yesterday John popped in for a bit, and Isaac was especially interested in playing with his chin, which, unlike mommy’s, is covered in hair.

When he grabs my face, it sort of hurts, but it also makes me laugh, which I think just encourages him to do it again and again. I sort of keep waiting for the moment he'll poke me in the eye, though.

Most nights, Isaac ends up in bed with me. Sometimes he’ll start sleeping in his bed, and I’ll move him to mine when I hear him cry in the night. Other times, out of pure exhaustion, I’ll lie with him in my bed and nurse him to sleep. Every morning, though, it’s his little fingers grabbing onto my nose and cheeks that wakes me up.

I remember when Isaac was born, he had bright red welts on both cheeks, which, we discovered, he inflicted upon himself by grabbing and squeezing his own cheeks. He would grip his cheeks so tightly that it was sometimes difficult for John and me to pry his fingers from his face. I can’t really remember when he stopped doing that. I think it was probably before we left the hospital, because I don’t really remember him doing it much at home. Then, I guess it was some kind of reflex. Now it seems to be a mode of exploration.