The Smile

I love this little cheesy grin Hannah has been showing off lately. She scrunches up her nose, squints her eyes, and shows her two teeth by giving an open-mouth smile. It makes me laugh every time, and she knows everyone likes it! :) She's already a social butterfly. What I love more than the smile itself, though, is the reaction that she can get out of people--even the most surly & grumpy. In the last couple of days, in particular, I've found how fun it is to watch & see how Hannah tries so hard to interact with everyone, and if they don't look at her or don't notice her, she just sits there & smiles at them until they DO look! This is especially fun when her target is someone of a particularly grumpy nature and one who seems to not have anything to smile about. The other day, the clerk at the DOL was kind of a pouty woman, and it seemed like she wanted to be anywhere but there. As soon as Hannah flashed her grin, though, that woman melted & became a baby-talking, gushing queen! :) Then yesterday when Hannah and I were waiting in line at the Dr's office, the receptionist was a bit the same way, and once Hannah showed that little wrinkled nose & scrunched-up eyes, the woman couldn't look away! :) I think this phenomenon is truly a gift from God--it's a way to brighten someone's day and help each person remember that there are still innocent, young minds in this world that just want attention & love--and then they are perfectly content & happy! This thought has been on mind these last few days, and it really makes me happy to know that my little one can bring a little bit of sunshine to someone's day, just by smiling a silly little grin. :)

*On a more selfish side note, it also wins people over very quickly, which can be handy if you want an extra plate from Starbucks, a cup of water from any food vendor, or a blank check. ;)