Wings? Flippers? Who Cares? He's Clapping!

This morning was one of those "Yay!" moments that will be forever etched in my mind. We'd gotten up, gone to the potty, and returned to bed for some snuggling/nursing/pretending we're going back to sleep time. Jax was mostly staring around at the fan and the ceiling but then furrowed his brow. You could just sense that something monumental was about to occur.

He looked at his right hand and then his left. He concentrated and appeared to summon the Force. There was a moment that lasted an eternity where he appeared to be showing the size of the fish he had caught... slowly making it appear slightly larger. Then WHAP! he smashed his open palms together. He stared at them in amazement and bewilderment. He paused. He did it again. He looked at me as the smile inched across his face.

I giggled. "Yay! You clapped!" I squeeled and proceeded to clap loudly and quickly. He gave me a look which is the infant equivalent of eye rolling, as if to say "Wow, you've been doing it for almost thirty years and THAT'S as good as you've gotten?!" He then proceeded to clap several more times; comically enough, at the same speed you clap as an insult: about once every two seconds.

Throughout the day he repeated this new stunt... until we tried to show Daddy... this brought on some rousing games of whack-the-table and laugh-at-the-silly-parents and four-fang-vampire-baby-impersonations... but no clapping.

Finally, when we weren't really watching, he did it. We both whipped 'round to see him and started clapping and cheering wildly with praise. This had the effect of pretty much scaring the poo out of him (well, not literally, but if it had you could check out my EC post). Luckily, being the persistant little genius that he is, he repeated his performance for several Mommy friends and after several rousing, if simplistic songs.

These are the Magic Mommy Moments for which I live. These things that I never knew how much I'd appreciate. If you'd asked me yesterday if my son could clap, I'd have told you he tries with little fists. I wouldn't have really thought it would be a milestone that might change over night. Even if I had, I would not have thought the experience would be a joyful revelation of my humanity. I longed for moments like these, I yearned to hold this child, I suffered and bled and puked for him. This is why.

What moments changed your perspective? What little things have brought you great joy?