50 Things I Love About Newborns

Last week, I had baby #7, and 7 babies in, I can say this: newborns are AMAZING. Each and every one.

Here are some of the things I love, in no particular order:

1. How they smell.
2. The way they punch themselves in the face with both fists when they sneeze.
3. Their little noises— coos, sighs, satisfied grunts while nursing– even their pathetic cries are endearing!
4. How tiny their bottoms are. (Luke was 9 pounds, 8 ounces, and his bottom is still *shockingly* teeny-tiny.)
5. Their sweet helplessness.
6. How big their eyes get when you go from a well-lit place to a dark one.
7. The funny way their limbs jerk around in random motions.
8. How ravenous and starving they seem, every time it’s time to start nursing… even if it’s been less than an hour since the last time they ate!
9. The pinky toenail of a newborn is the smallest toenail you’ve ever seen in your life.
10. How satisfied they are once mom’s milk comes in.
11. The startle reflex (we always say “Praise the Lord!” when they do that)
12. How snuggleable they are– whether in a sling or bunched up on my chest.
13. Their laborious breathing when deeply sleeping, heaving each one as if breathing itself takes massive amounts of work.
14. Cute. Outfits. (even if they do go through several, from poop, pee, and spit-up accidents in the last 20 minutes before you leave for church!)
15. The intensity of their stares— there is no one on earth more easy to stare at, with less awkwardness, and more joy, than a precious new baby.
16. Their delicate fingers… how precious to have them wrapped around one of mine!
17. The increase in God-awe I experience as a mama when I think through all the scientific details God has arranged in order to intersect this particular little life with ours… our marriage, the mixing of cells to create his unique DNA, the placenta, cord blood, vernix, milk ducts, oxytocin released to bring about contractions… whether seen in the macro- or micro- view, the realities of how God makes new people is miraculous and stunning.
18. The way they force me to be weak and acknowledge my needs.
19. How their presence affects my older children— bringing about a new gentleness, questions I’d never have thought of, and protective feelings of love toward their new sibling.
20. How their presence affects my toddlers & preschoolers— helping them to feel older and bigger and protective toward someone smaller.
21. Gassy smiles. OK, so they’re not real smiles… not yet… but they’re still adorable!
22. The way each newborn reminds me that each of my older children was this needy, and this precious to me. It helps me to see my older kiddos as still-needy, God-given individual souls, rather than with labels or through frustrated-mom-eyes.
23. How the postpartum season they usher in provides Doug & I with opportunities for softer, gentler ways to serve and see each other.
24. Incredibly soft skin. It’s utterly nuzzleable! The cheeks… the back of the neck… the top of the hand…
25. The way they provide an opportunity for the Body of Christ to serve and bless one another (through prayers, meals, gifts, advice, encouragement).
26. For the lessons they point to— that we all start out weak, the joy of new life—-> the joy of new life in Christ; the way we help those who are weak, etc.
27. The way they teach us to selflessly give for the benefit of another, and count it as joy.
28. How they bring out softness from everyone around them… old gruff men turn into puddles, snarky teenagers can’t help but smile… newborns are simply endearing.
29. Their precious noses.
30. How they put stupid things in their proper place. Once you have a newborn keeping you up at night, it becomes crystal clear how much time you’ve wasted clicking on unnecessary and time-consuming videos on Facebook, for example.
31. Seeing how their hair growth patterns swirl and trying to guess where they’ll have cowlicks.
32. The way they are each undeniable evidence of God’s creativity in each human He makes.
33. The way they join right in, from day one, losing socks and contributing to the pile of unmatched socks like everyone else in the family.
34. The slow pace of life that arrives with them. Everything in our home slows down. Everything in our schedule slows down. Everyone around us slows down, for these few days and weeks, taking a few extra moments of awe and wonder at the newness of this little life.
35. Hearing loud digestive noises will never make you happier than when you’re a breastfeeding mom!
36. How their frantic desire to eat reminds me of what my hunger and thirst for God’s Word should be like, challenging me to never give into a feeling that I’ve “arrived” or no longer need my Heavenly Father.
37. Body hair in random places— who knew that furry shoulder blades or fuzzy ankles could be so cute?
38. A new. eternal. soul. — what an amazing gift & responsibility from God!
39. The way they look like Rocky at the top of the steps when they yawn & stretch out their fists.
40. The way they show you how instantly and easily love can multiply. One day, you don’t know what he/she looks like, and the next day they come out and you LOVE them. One day, you’re looking at your first child and wondering how you could ever love someone as much as you love him/her, and the next day, you don’t have to ask; you know.
41. Breastfeeding them gives us mamas extra calories to enjoy each day.
42. So. many. wrinkles.
43. Puckered lips, bright red lips, trembling lips, peeling lips (from nursing the first couple days), wide-open lips (while sleeping), pouty lips. Precious TINY baby lips.
44. The way they show you the ferocity with which you can love. One day you’re tired and pregnant and just. ready. to have. that. baby. A few weeks later, you’d stand up bravely and go nuts on any ninja warrior who dared come close to try and hurt them.
45. Their tricky diaper ways. High-capacity liquid sounds seem like the diaper is going to be monumentally full, and you open it up, and there’s the tiniest little yellow smudge. Then, you hear nothing, and they’ve somehow had a blowout that rivals Mount St. Helens. Newborns keep you on your toes.
46. How they remind us of the limits of our humanity & need for rest. It is GOOD for us to recognize that we are not infinitely strong, personally capable, and always able to do everything we ever want to do. Soberly recognizing our limitations and weakness is an incredible gift God gives us during this season with an infant.
47. The way they show us the amazing things God can do through us! Though we are weak humans, He uses us as women to do something no man can do… bring new souls into the world! What an incredible gift it is to be a part of such a miracle!
48. The furious (and hilarious!) way they shake their little heads trying to latch on to anything nearby when hungry. Doesn’t matter if it’s Daddy’s sweater, big brother’s arm, or mama’s chin… it’s all potential “food” to the undiscerning newborn.
49. How they link us to and remind us of the generations that have come before us. When you or I have a baby, we have the opportunity to remember. I was this way. My great-grandfather was this way. Mary delivered Jesus and felt the amazement of motherhood. Noah’s sons were once tiny like this. When Eve held her newborn son, she remembered the Lord and His help to grant her such a precious gift.
50. The way snuggling them provides a great excuse to sit still and admire God’s creative work, close-up.