eyes wide open

Those big, dark blue eyes--I wonder what color they will become?

I've always wondered why babies' eyes change color (see here for one answer). Most (that I've seen, anyway) are born with blue eyes, and Bridget's are a dark, deep blue right now. I don't expect them to stay that way; Al's eyes are a deep brown and mine are hazel. Will she have Al's eyes? Mine? I do think she has my red hair (it especially looks red in the sunlight), but will it be curly when it gets longer like Al's? I find that I can no longer imagine the future like I used to, because I have no idea what to expect out of my little girl. What will she look like? What type of personality will she have? What will she become? It's odd to anticipate something when you have no idea what to expect, but I find myself looking forward to the future while enjoying the infant that I have right now.

Today Bridget was very alert for about an hour, and I loved it. I love watching her eyes dart all over, following the light or trying to make sense of what must be (to her) vague colors and shapes around her. The nurses at the hospital and the pediatrician both said that newborns can only see about a foot in front of them, so I imagine that her field of vision past that point is a bit like me trying to get around without my glasses and contacts (fuzzy shapes, vague outlines, splashes of color that blur into each other--I'm pretty much blind without the aid of my correctional lenses). And she was eating it up today, just looking everywhere. I found myself wishing that Al was home instead of at work so he could enjoy those moments with me. I'm blessed that in this economy I get the opportunity to be a stay-at-home mom for several months (she won't be going to daycare until the fall, and then she'll be at my sister-in-law's mother's house, where my sister-in-law spends a lot of time with her daughter [and, by that time, her daughters--she's due next month]) and get to spend so much time watching my daughter grow up. I'm also blessed that my husband is willing to take on the sole earner role for a while; if only it didn't involve twelve hour workdays--he's going to miss so much!

Al is totally, completely in love with Bridget, even if she gets fussy when we're ready for bed and he stays up until 2:00 am holding her so mommy can get some sleep, as he did last night. We had a late night since Bridget and I went over to visit my Aunt Judy, my cousin Jeanne and her family, and pick up my Aunt Peg from the airport. Peg missed her connection since her first flight was delayed and ended up coming in at 9:30 pm instead of 7:00 pm as planned. And since she wanted to see Bridget more than just in the car (she lives on the other side of the state and was leaving soon), we went back into Judy's and stayed until midnight. Of course, Bridget wanted to eat when we got home and didn't want to be put into her bed for the night. So Al picked her up and lulled her to sleep without my even asking, even though that meant he only got four hours of sleep before work. He left the room so I could sleep, but I'm sure he was whispering to her as he rocked her in his arms. He calls her "Pumpkin." I love to watch him with her, and I'm just so happy to have been blessed with such a wonderful family. Even though I can't imagine it, I'm eager to see what the future holds for us.