Being a mum: the best bits

There's some really lovely things about being someone's mother. Complete responsibility for another's growth and development can get pretty heavy, but there are many moments that lighten the burden. We may forget how we strove to push our bodies clear of the ground, so we could crawl, but our mothers have not.
Looking after a new human makes you present for most of their first fundamental interactions with the world. This week has been particularly beautiful. My son spent the first good chunk of time laughing heartily with me, instead of the hiccuping duck sound that has come out of his mouth thus far when he's tried to chuckle. I stood him on my tummy and jumped him up and down and to the side, and he thought it was wonderful. His laughter, which felt like a wind chime on a summers evening, was the best thanks I could have received.
This week is the first week of his fourth month. Last week he turned three months, which was the completion of his fourth term, which he spent outside of the womb. If he were a wild primate, he would not have been born until last week, because humans are born premature so that women can give birth to their heads. Probably babies would much prefer it if they got to stay inside for that full year.
Now that he's turned three months old, the difference in his ability to interact with his surroundings, even from last week, is very evident. He's done a number of other things for the first time in the last couple days. He now reaches for his toys, sucks with excessive pleasure on his hands, fiddles with his toes, and holds things confidently in his hands. I sincerely hope I don't forget the quiet thrill of watching him do these for the first time.