Smelling the Soul

Hello! I am Christine, of Mommy Matters. I am here today at Bunny
Burrow because Chana is a wonderful, generous person who helped
support the March of Dime's Walk America over at Barefoot Principessa,
and in doing so won my services here on her own fabulous site.

As I was perusing Chana's site recently I learned many things about
her, one of which is she loves the smell of babies. (I'm going to
assume here WHICH baby smell it is she loves, but I think it's a safe
one to make.) She and I have this, among other things, in common.

You know that cliché about the smell of a baby's head? It is so true.
I have a theory that the smell comes from their sweet, brand new soul
that you can only glimpse through the soft spot on their tiny heads.

The smell disappears when the fontanel "closes up". My son is now 20
months, and his soft spot is no more, and his sweet baby smell is also
gone. Now his head smells like… well, head. I work to recreate this
smell with a strict regiment of baths every other day and careful
hair-washing with Johnson & Johnson Baby Shampoo. It must be this
shampoo – no other will work.

This is due to that powerful smell-memory connection. You see, when
this precious boy was just hours old the hospital gave him his first
bath, and when they brought him back to my waiting arms, he had this
glorious, clean smell. I put my nose into that sweet baby fuzz atop
his head and breathed him in. His downy scalp was so soft and
fragrant, as if he smelled of heaven itself.

This brings us back to that smell-memory connection. There I was
holding my brand new baby boy, love gushing out of every inch of me
for this new little life. For me that new baby smell is associated not
just with this tiny person, but with that overwhelming feeling of
love. I'm sure that is true of every parent.

I love my son more every single day, but when I smell that shampoo, it
takes me back to that moment, and I fall in love all over again. It's
not quite the same as getting a small peek at his soul, but it will
have to do. (We won't talk about the other smells that come from him –
that's another post.)

Comments

[Jazzy]

Great post Christine. Now I really want to see my nephews.

[cori]

Hello Christine and Hello Chana!! Wow what a dynamite duo you two make. I would love to have lunch with the two of you. Nice post and I too miss the baby smells (all of them).

[Cori]

Nice to see you over here, Christine. Miss you, Chana!

[Amanda]

Raspberry Lotion from Bath and Body works reminds of when I was pregnant because that is what I used. I love the smell of babies right when they come out of the bath :)

[Mel]

Beautiful post, Christine! I keep hanging on to that smell...scared of the day it will pass. I'm kind if thinking it already did, and I'm in some serious denial.

Amanda, that's the same lotion I used when I was pregnant. I takes me back as well!

[Ella]

Great post Christine. I use the same shampoo on my 20 month old and every day, just before lunch when he starts getting really tired, he sits in my arms with his muslin cloth and sucky fingers and I kiss and smell his head. I think this will be my overwhelming memory of him when he is no longer a baby. I hope so anyway!

[Michele]

What a wonderful post. I have not been blessed to experience any "my own baby" smells, although I have mmany friends who have been more than willing to let me become Aunt Michele and as I hold each of my dear friend's babies I breathe deeply and smell a future of much love.

THAT is what babies smell like for me.

[Ms. Piggy]

I love the baby smell! (Only the top half)

[Frally]

Damn you, Christine. You've brought back all those memories of "the smell" and it's sent my ovaries into overdrive. Now I'm going to be bugging my husband for that third child we decided we weren't going to have. If I get pregnant again, I'm blaming YOU.

[Mamacita]

I absolutely agree! I used Johnson's Baby Shampoo on my kids till they were old enough to rebel against it! There is just something about giving a freshly bathed baby a 'heady sniff' that makes my day. And don't even get me started about their tiny little precious feet; I can't keep my hands off them!

Oh man, I need to borrow somebody's baby BAD.

[MrBob]

Funny how a "baby smell" quickly transforms into a "manly smell!" LOL

Nice to meet you Christine, good post! :)

[sede]

For us it has been Baby Magic baby wash... it's what was given to us at the hospital when they were born and its smell can make be believe the babies are right there! Nothing like the smell of a freshly washed baby.
Thanks for this post!