Learning out Loud in Milwaukee, WI

Morning smiles

There’s a period of the morning, from about 7 until 9, when I get to hang out with László on my own. I usually wake up earlier and let Danielle catch a couple hours of baby-free sleep. It’s a time I cherish because Laci has a special face he only puts on when he wakes up.

It’s a mushy, tired smile, unforced and unintentional. During the day he smiles at things. He’s starting to choose to smile at things. But these smiles, they’re the kind he might try to hide if he gets older and decides he isn’t a “morning person.”

I’ve never taken a photo of these morning smiles. They’re fast, fleeting, and hard to predict, but I also haven’t tried. We photograph László a lot, and not having this documented in digital memory is a way of keeping this for ourselves. As he gets older, finds friends, and develops a private life, I think the memory of these morning smiles will take on a new meaning, a piece of our lives that only belonged to us and him. In the mean time, they’re something to look forward to every morning when we pick him up out of his bassinet to greet the day.