I have been meaning to write about this for weeks...

Several weeks ago, Holly and I were in the airport late on a Friday afternoon with Avery. I was walking around, holding her (Avery, not Holly!) against my chest with her facing out. She was in a great mood and was smiling and giggling and waving to everyone. Waving not in the sense that a person usually waves, but sort of waving both arms in random motions...she is only eight months old and doesn't quite have the mechanics of real waving down yet.

A smiling baby is really a great sight and it was remarkable to see the reactions of so many folks as I walked around. First, I was basically invisible, which was good. More importantly, it seemed that everyone who saw her brightened visibly as they smiled at her and some made friendly noises. She seemed to have a positive effect on everyone who noticed her...young, old, rich, not-so-rich, a variety of ethnicities, etc. A smiling baby is universal and for one guy who had been practically yelling in apparent anger into his cell phone, Avery's smile was perhaps just the tonic he needed...he stopped to smile at Avery and seemed to calm down considerably. It was like magic.