There seem to be two kinds of smiles in tiny infants. The type that people attribute to "gas" are little closed mouth Cheshire cat smiles and seem to be kind of random. You may see them practicing those little smiles, along with other facial expressions, in their sleep. I don't remember noticing this with my own babies, probably because parents of newborns are too frazzled to simply sit and stare at their newborn for minutes at a time. But as a grandparent I found myself doing just that, and even have a video of teeny Lena cycling through expressions in her sleep.
The first attempts at social smiles are distinctly different, and don't really look like smiles. They stare at your mouth while you hold them and try to imitate you if you stick out your tongue or open your mouth in a wide grimace. 3 weeks is a little early, but we have a couple of pictures of Lena sticking out her tongue at Dave Romm when she was about 4 weeks old.
You can also get some great pictures at 3 weeks of newborn reflexes if your interests tend that way (mine did). My favorite is the one where you hold the baby upright over a surface and let their feet touch the ground until they start making stepping motions. What makes that one so interesting is that the reflex disappears after a few weeks until it's needed months later when they start learning to walk.
Anyway, I'm glad to hear that you are making the most of your time to bond with that baby!
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branchandroot
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Date: Thursday, 5 August 2021 02:52 pm (UTC)The first attempts at social smiles are distinctly different, and don't really look like smiles. They stare at your mouth while you hold them and try to imitate you if you stick out your tongue or open your mouth in a wide grimace. 3 weeks is a little early, but we have a couple of pictures of Lena sticking out her tongue at Dave Romm when she was about 4 weeks old.
You can also get some great pictures at 3 weeks of newborn reflexes if your interests tend that way (mine did). My favorite is the one where you hold the baby upright over a surface and let their feet touch the ground until they start making stepping motions. What makes that one so interesting is that the reflex disappears after a few weeks until it's needed months later when they start learning to walk.
Anyway, I'm glad to hear that you are making the most of your time to bond with that baby!