Hands

My son likes to sleep with his hand by his face. Always his right hand. If we try to swaddle him, he will squirm and cry and struggle until the hand is free. Then he’ll gently put it by his face and go to sleep.

When he was in the womb, he did the same thing. We could see his little balled up fist by his face in the sonogram. It was for this reason that we could never get a good look at his face, because there was always a little hand in the way.

My friend CC’s baby likes to sleep with his hands folded together on his little chest, as if he’s praying. This is neat and noteworthy, because his name is Declan, which means man of prayer. When my friend first pointed it out, I smiled and nodded, believing that all babies do this and that he was just seeing what he wanted to see. But now seeing my son do something completely different, I realize that each baby is as unique as his parents. Each has his own quirks.