Babies teach you suprising things

I am a mother to a 6 month old baby girl (officially Tuesday April 25 is her 6 month mark) and I have been learning lots of things from her. For one, I have discovered just how selfish I can be. For instance, I sometimes react with "Oh crap! I want to watch more TV or read my book and she's woken up early from her nap crying..." rather than "What's wrong with my little girl? How can I make it better?" Or simply, she begins to cry while playing and I am annoyed by the sound rather than concerned for her well-being. I do not like this in myself, I would rather be the loving caring Mom I ought to be rather than the perfectionistic, sometimes self-focused person I am. On a more positive note, Millie has also been teaching me to take delight in small things. She smiles just to see my face at the crib or a brightly colored object or even her own hands. Ah, to delight in the simple things! I have moments where I am utterly thrilled with the smell of clean laundry or the fresh lemon scent of my bathroom cleaner this morning (which reminds me of the taste of a lemon Starburst candy). Sometimes the sunshine on green leaves fills me with joy to deep for words. And yet there are times when I am so caught up in the tasks and concerns of life that I need my little girl to remind me of the joy of simple things and the importance of relationships. She laughs when I laugh now and just the other day she turned her little head while on my shoulder and kissed my neck with a delightful wet kiss only an infant can give. My heart melted and such utter joy filled my heart that I felt life cannot get much better than this!
Millie is also endlessly curious. She loves to watch the mechanism of her swing work or the way the faucet works. She finds Daddy's puttering about the house fascinating. She likes to look at the shade on her stroller and on her carseat. The feel of different fabrics is profoundly interesting to her. God gave us children, I am convinced, to remind us of what is good and beautiful around us that we have pushed to the background of our conciousness but need to see afresh.