Favorite things

I often write about my adventures with Joaquin but less about what he is doing day to day. Part of the purpose of this blog is to record the wonder of the first days of Joaquin's life. So this entry is about his favorite things.

Probably my favorite thing about Joaquin, second only to how unbelieveable cute he is, is his laugh. It's a giggle with a few belly coughs. These days I can usually get him to laugh with one his favorite songs like Two Little Kitty Cats, when we get to the part at the end where I touch is nose. He also cracks up when you kiss his neck. I think he is ticklish there. We have been trying to record his laugh and here is our best attempt in video.




I would guess that Joaquin's favorite thing is kicking. He loves to kick anything he can get his feet on. Almost every waking moment, he probes the air with his feet testing if there is any solid object in his reach. When he finds a arm rest or counter, he contently kicks and pushes against it with all his little might.

Joaquin is also crazy about music. Really. Lots of parents say their kid likes music. But for Joaquin, the ultimate soother is a song. His favorite music seems to be reggae and latin rhythms. An observer peaking in on his naps will find him snoozed to One Drop playing on loop. In fact driving through New York City, we discovered he loves Romantica. It keep him from grousing in his carseat. Joaquin is more soothed by music and songs than by nursing. That's unusual.

For the last two months Joaquin has been fascinated by his hands. This is separate from chewing on them. He is often seen pondering his hand. First it was their basic existance. Then it was touching all the fingers together and staring intently. In Italy he mastered the "Ma che fai" (But what are you doing?) hand gesture. Now he is onto pressing his thumb and forefinger together in the OK sign.

His fourth month of life was probably my favorite so far, along with the first dreamy month. Joaquin became a cheery family member. Always greeting me and Daniel with a big smile.