Our baby doll finally did it! She flashed her first real smile (not just one of those reflex lip curls she's been doing since birth) for mommy and daddy last Friday, May 22, when she was exactly 7 weeks and 6 days old. Yippee!
According to parents.com, a baby's first real smile usually makes an appearance "somewhere between one and a half to 3 months (or 6 and 12 weeks) of life (our little Lia is on track!). You can tell the difference between a reflex and a real smile by the timing and duration. Generally, reflex smiles tend to be shorter and occur randomly, when the baby is sleeping or tired. Real smiles, on the other hand, occur in response to something, like seeing her mama's face or hearing a sibling's high-pitched voice, and they are consistent... When it's the real deal, you will see the emotion expressed in your baby's eyes."
I had been waiting for Lia's first social smile every day, and when it finally happened, I immediately recognized it. I was changing her clothes that morning because she just finished a spit-up episode, and as usual, I was talking to her in my motherese voice. She made her usual 'waaa!' sound and cooed, then she flashed the sweetest toothless grin I have ever seen. I knew it was real because it wasn't brief, and it was sandwiched in between other sounds she was making, as if she was conversing with me. I was soooo happy I couldn't stop talking to her until she got overstimulated. Hehe.
And it didn't stop there! After a couple of minutes, she cried when I was already busy pumping milk. Her nanny picked her up, and pointed at her daddy's picture on the wall in an attempt to divert her attention. Once again, her face lit up and flashed another smile! Nakakatuwa! Nakakawala ng pagod at puyat. :)
It's been 3 days since, and she's been practicing her gummy grins. Too bad I wasn't able to capture her first smile on camera. Her first captured social smiles were taken the day after, during her playtime with lola...
This morning, she treated us with another batch of happy smiles. :)
Yaaaay! Thank You Lord for this milestone of Lia! :) I eagerly await her next one: laughter! :)
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