Bare Naked Babies: Nape

It doesn't last long, that time together, alone, in the hospital, becoming acquainted with each other, falling in love, breathing in each other's scent, for me the newborn sweetness of the nape of your nape, your baby's breath.

I want to throw my arms around your loveliness and say, Be still, my love. Let me hold this moment forever, yet the paradox of life is I long for you to grow and flourish, to accomplish every little miraculous milestone of life and at the same time, wish only to keep you still and lovely as you are now, wanting and needing me for every little thing. It is for but a moment in time, a moment of utter deliciousness, this magic of life.

Today you are One. In three weeks you will be Two. And never again will I experience that Oneness with you. And so I shall for the next three weeks delight in telling the World who asks how old you are, that you are One.

And once again I am making a book which will probably like the rest sit in draft till one fine day when there is more time - Bare Naked Babies - a tangible reminder of every little feature of perfection and imperfection of my lovely boys. I set out on the challenge ten years ago when I first envisaged a Photo a Day for the first year of my boys' lives, that which I thankfully accomplished after 6 years of trying to bring them into this World, and then a record, a documentary of every exquisite part of your lovelinesses, the body parts so unique to you both. I cannot capture the sweet scent of the nape of your neck, but I can the cowlick, your impossibly soft skin that begs to be stroked, your signing hands and the tiny toes that will travel so far from the place we now call home.

Today's little delights:
- Callum's face at school when his little playmate Alexander, son of Mary, with whom he was playing dinosaurs was called away for an assessment. Callum looked utterly forlorn and yet it symbolised for me that he's maturing socially, that he wants to make friends, have special friends and that he's looking beyond himself as being the centre of the universe.
- Reuben laughing his socks off at me whistling which I hope one day will be his next little trick after yesterday's blowing.
- Reuben signing and saying "3, 2, 1, Blast off!". Oh, such a boy.