What's Awesome about Quinn

About a month ago, the author of the Book of Awesome announced he was "retiring" the  Awesome blog. Once in a blue moon, I'd check out his blog and skim over the awesome moments. Sometimes I wholeheartedly agreed with the post, and others, I shrugged. Awesome, like beauty, is in the mind's eye of the beholder. It got me thinking about I define as awesome. To me, it's not getting to another level of the Lego Star Wars game as Devlin would declare is "totally awesome". But seeing 14/12 (yep, that's 2 extra bonus marks) on his math quiz is awesome. All those hours of blood, sweat and tears forcing him to do extra math after school is paying off.
Ceilidh might think having a play date with her two best friends is awesome, but I find that having to trim her fingernails is awesome. It appears her nail biting has become a habit of the past.
Aisling hasn't quite integrated the word "awesome" into her vocabulary yet. She prefers to use "amazing" and "cool", especially when she's watching her new favorite show, the Samurai Power Rangers, or when she's received a new Power Rangers story book. But to me, it's "amazing" that she can go from playing with Barbie dolls to pretending she is a Samurai Ranger in a matter of seconds.
Perhaps we've over-used the word "awesome" and diluted its meaning from truly awe-inspiring and spiritually uplifting to just another synonym for neat, great, quirky enough to bring a smile.  But if awesome is something that makes one feel happy to be alive, then I want to share with Quinn what makes him awesome.
Quinn, you are awesome in the following ways:
The contented smile that appears briefly as you start to fall into a deep sleep.
The happy gurgle and coo when you make eye contact with Mommy or Daddy.
The wide grin that lights up your face when you see your siblings.
The yawn that makes you look like a little bird opening up its beak.
The way you kick your legs in excitement when you know a feeding is imminent.
How you stop suckling at the breast when you sense my attention is not on you. Only when I look down and make eye contact with you, do you resume feeding.
The tuft of hair on the very top of your head. None of your siblings had that.
How you snuggle against my chest when you sleep, with one hand always holding tightly onto my shirt and the other hand curled into a fist against your head.
The sight of your chubby legs as they flail while you learn to master the jolly jumper.
How you stick out your tongue when your happily well-rested from a good nap or pleasantly full from a good feed.
How you coo and gurgle in the morning as you play with your toys. Of all the monkeys, you are certainly the happiest baby in the mornings.


I could go on and on, and this list would just get longer as the days go by. So I'll bring this post to an end for now and vow to revel in each precious moment.