Raindrops on Roses

...and whiskers on kittens

Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens

Brown paper packages tied up with strings

These are a few of my favorite things...

I love Julie Andrews in "The Sound of Music." (I hope you do, too, as this song now is stuck playing over and over in your mind!!) Today, I was remembering that song as I was enjoying one of MY VERY favorite things...

The treekids have a mild obsession with temporary tattoos. I guess they are like stickers - but they last longer? I am not sure why they like them so much, but it is one of THEIR favorite things.

I am not fond of tattoos. However, I know without a doubt what kind of tattoo I would get if ever I were to take the plunge. As a nursing mom - who truly enjoys nursing her babies, I find that there are many little things that I really enjoy about nursing. I like the closeness of the baby. I like the way that the baby is dependent on me to make all the nutrients for him or her. I like how simple the process is - not having to cart around formula and such. There are many many other things to like about nursing one's babe as well. However, there is one thing that I LOVE - absolutely without a doubt, L - O - V - E, love...

Ear prints.

Yes, ear prints on my forearm. A mom who is nursing her baby has the baby facing her chest instead of facing the ceiling, so, the side of baby's head is resting on the forearm at times. When the baby lays in this position long enough, an "ear print" is left on the arm. When you lift your baby, you notice this imprint left behind from your precious bundle. Perhaps you've had a print before and you never noticed. Perhaps you've seen the print but it didn't make an impression on your heart the same way it did on your arm.

Today, I noticed my first ear print from my newest bundle of love. His first noticeable mark. When they are so small, with soft and flexible ears, many times their ears are bent and don't leave a mark. Or the cartilage is still so soft that not much of a discernible ear mark is left. But, today, this evening actually... an ear print was left on my left forearm and I grinned... from ear to ear!!

So, in light of the treekids loving their temporary tattoos, I have to admit, that I, too, must like them. I don't know what it is exactly for me, but there is nothing quite like a "temporary tattoo" left behind from baby's ear. So, if ever I decided to take the plunge and get a permanent tattoo (don't look for this to happen in any foreseeable future!)... I would have one of my favorite things put on my forearm... a baby ear print.