when Selah smiles.

When Selah was a newborn, she didn't smile as soon as Ezra did. Ezra was all smiles by 2 1/2 weeks and I don't think Selah smiled until over 5 weeks old. But since her first one, she hasn't stopped smiling!

This girl is happy all the time. 

Selah Lillian Joy has taught me a lot about joy. 

Selah is the only person I know who smiles this big when she wakes up in the morning.

There was about a one week period where she was in "stranger danger" mode and cried when she saw an unfamiliar face, but other than that, her face lights up whenever she sees anyone. Everyone tells me that she smiles with her whole face and it's so true. Her nose scrunches up and her eyes squint and her mouth takes over her whole face.

Who wouldn't smile back when they see this?! 

When Selah smiles, she reminds me that I have a lot to smile about. Selah smiles in the morning, when you go to pick her up out of her crib, when you're changing her diaper, when you talk to her or sing to her; Selah smiles when she hears a voice, she smiles when you look at her, she smiles when she sees a toy on the floor...

She often stops nursing just to look up at me and smile and sometimes let out a laugh before going back to eating. 

Ezra makes her laugh and smile when he runs around the room. When she cries in the middle of the night, her daddy just has to say "we're going to see mama to eat!" and she smiles when she sees me or hears my name. 

When Selah smiles, I can't help but wonder what she's thinking about. Obviously as a baby, she has no idea the grief you can feel in your lifetime. But for a baby, when she tips over and bonks her head, that's the worst moment of her life so far, and within five seconds of her injury, she's all smiles again as if it never happened. 

When Selah smiles, she is teaching me to smile more. This girl is so happy to get out of her crib and start the day. She is so happy just to find a tiny little toy to nibble on. She is so happy to be able to nurse whenever I let her. She smiles SO big when I change her diaper. Her face lights up and she giggles while she's taking a bath - such a simple thing, but for her, it's the best thing in the world. She finds joy in the mundane things of life. Yeah, she's just a baby and she doesn't know any different, but what a lesson she's teaching me. 

When Selah smiles, she isn't thinking of the time she hit her head on the leg of the table while she was crawling around. When Selah smiles, she isn't reminiscing on that time that she got shots last week. Of course, she doesn't remember getting shots being that she's just a baby, but even if she could, why would she let something that's in the past affect her joy today? She's teaching me a lot. 

When Selah smiles, she's teaching me not to look into the past and sulk over what is already said and done - the things I can't change or fix. When Selah smiles, she's reminding me to find joy in every moment, even in the smallest things like some fresh food or a clean bath or some warm socks. 

Selah has the biggest smile and I always say that maybe one day the rest of her face will catch up and she'll grow into it, but I actually hope that her smile is always the biggest part of her face. I pray that Selah Lillian Joy will spread joy to those around her with her contagious smile and huge heart.

I've started #WhenSelahSmiles on Instagram so I can look back on all the pictures I've taken of her adorable smile. Go take a look if you ever need a pick-me-up! When Selah smiles, you're sure to smile, too.