This is another short one, so I'll give you two today. But I like this chapter. I think it's sweet.

MARCH 19

I grinned at Stryker as Mom pushed the cart through the store. He gurgled from his car seat, waving his small hands in the air. He was definitely a gurgler. And a smiler. He loved to smile, which I loved, because he got these adorable dimples when he smiled.

"Look at that smile," I said, my voice all gushy. "Who's got the cutest smile in the world? Huh? Who? Stryker does. Yes, he does."

If anybody told me, last year, that I was going to be happily cooing at a baby and making myself sound completely ridiculous, I would have laughed. Seriously. I've never been a fan of kids. They're noisy, dirty, whiny, and ugly.

But not my baby.

Okay, he could be a little noisy.

And he occasionally got dirty.

And he was sometimes whiny.

But he was not ugly. He was adorable. He smiled all the time, which I loved. And he waved his little arms and kicked his little feet a lot, too.

I still didn't really like kids. But I liked my kid. And I thought that people who talked in that baby voice sounded ridiculous. Which meant that I sounded ridiculous, because that used that stupid voice all the time.

But I couldn't seem to stop myself. It was like I had to use that voice with my baby.

I covered my face with my hands, then moved them and said, "Boo!"

Stryker looked startled. He stopped gurgling, and his grey eyes got super wide. His mouth was open in a little O shape.

Mom tsked at me. "Now you've scared him."

But then Stryker made this weird, breathy sound, a smile pulling at his lips. I enjoyed the sound, and wanted to hear it again and again. So I hid my face again. "Boo!" I said, moving my hands.

He made the sound again, but it was more…defined this time.

A laugh.

My baby was laughing!

"Mom!" I exclaimed. "Did you hear that?"

She chuckled. "I know. His first laugh. Do it again. I'll record it." She pulled out her cell phone.

"Boo!" I said.

My son laughed again. I beamed. I could listen to that sound forever. It was seriously my new favorite sound in the world. It wasn't like a full-on laugh. It was a really weird, breathy laugh. But it was so cute.

"Boo!"

Another breathy laugh.

"Babies make fools of everyone," I heard someone say. I turned to see Grandma and Grandpa Emrys walking toward us.

I smiled widely. "He just laughed for the first time! Ever! His very first laugh!" It was a milestone that I'd been looking forward to, and it had finally happened! My baby laughed!

Grandma smiled. "I love it when a baby first laughs. Your mother was a bit of an early bloomer in that department. She was only two months when she gave her first laugh."

"And it was in response to me falling," Grandpa added, grinning. He reached out and tickled Stryker's chin. Stryker squirmed, giving that cute, breathy laugh again.

"Oh, that is an adorable laugh," my grandmother said.

"I know, isn't it? It's like he can't quite catch his breath."

Grandma looked up at mom. "I bet he's a bundle of joy to have around the house."

Smiling, Mom gave me a hug. "He sure is. And luckily for me, I get to watch him all day while Mac's in school. I love it. I hadn't realized that I'd missed having a baby around the house until I had one again. And Stryker is such a happy little guy. He really is a joy."

"He sure is," I agreed. I looked down at him. He had grabbed his left foot and was pulling it up into the air. "He's almost always smiling."

"Lucky you," Grandpa said.

"I know."

"He's always especially happy to see his Mama," Mom said. "He gets the biggest smile on his face, and his feet start kicking like crazy whenever she walks into the room. And his eyes follow her wherever she goes."

Grandma chuckled, shaking her head. "He's going to be spoiled rotten," she warned.

I huffed a little at that. "No, he won't. I'm not going to spoil him."

Grandma just laughed. She laughed!

"I'm not," I insisted. "I promise."

"Uh-huh," was all she said.

Grandpa shook his head. "Sweetie, he's already spoiled."

"He is not."