The Boy with the Blueberry Eyes

Being a big boy is not all bad; as I said, six months old is the most fun yet. Benjamin is easily entertained and finds fun in everything, from a napkin, to a newspaper, to all of his new toys. His favorite pastime right now is the Exersaucer. If we imagined he would sit and play quietly, we clearly had no clue about Benjamin! He loves to jump up in it and slam himself down, while smiling and looking at us to see if we are watching him. If his gaze is met with ours, and it always is, he laughs and squeals in delight at our attention, blows a few drooly razzberries, and does it again and again. So far, we have counted a series of seven jumps in a row for the record, a move we call “Rock the House!” He can do this for a surprising length of time, during which his dad and I laugh and laugh and exchange knowing glances to acknowledge that this baby is all boy.

Now, I know all mothers think their babies are beautiful, but Benjamin really is a fine-looking baby—I mean Gerber baby cute. People stop and tell us this all of the time. They comment on his striking blue eyes, his rosebud lips, his clear complexion, his alert gaze, his sunny smile, and his soft blonde hair, which looks as if it has been cut and styled to match his dad’s. I smile and nod in agreement, validated in my belief that he is the most adorable baby in town. Usually after they comment on his sweet and beautiful face, they acknowledge his size because Benjamin is a healthy baby boy whose height and weight measurements are off the growth charts. Dad imagines a healthy athlete in the future, maybe a football or a baseball player, while I imagine a musician, an artist, or a scholar of books.

“The boy with the blueberry eyes,” said Gramma, and I think Benjamin’s grandmother, my mother, has selected the perfect metaphor for our baby boy’s more distinguishing feature. Why, just today both at the gym and the photographer’s studio, strangers commented on the beauty and striking color of our baby boy’s eyes. As I write this, Benjamin is jumping in his Exersaucer, blue eyes flashing at me, giggling and enjoying his young life and newfound independence in this genius toy invention. I smile and blow him kisses and think to myself, that this blueberry eyed boy, with his daddy’s features and his soft blonde hair, is the greatest blessing of my life.