The first day Miles ever made squinchy face (which involves furrowing the sides of the nose and opening the mouth), Aunt Skye and Uncle Skip and Courtney were visiting. It was so thoughtful of Miles to introduce a new facial expression while they were in town. I tried in vain to catch it on film, but my photos came out blurry and dreamlike.
The making of the face reminded me of the silly movie Zoolander, how the male models have different trademark “looks” they make with their faces, and the looks have absurd names like “Blue Steel.” Miles’ look could make him famous in the world of male baby models, I was sure. The beautiful thing about squinchy face, I marveled, is its versatility. It can express either a passing dissatisfaction, as when a toy is out of reach, or pure joy, as when Aunt Skye smiled at Miles or even looked in his direction. Squichy says happy! Squinchy says yucky! Squichy says yes yes yes!
The next day, when I was alone with Miles again, he would not. Stop. Making. Squinchy. Face. The more he made it, the less I came to see it as an attractive, flattering expression. He was charging around the house with his mouth hanging open, after all. It was like a sneer. No, it was a snort without the sound effects. And catching it on camera was not a problem.
“I’m not sure I like squinchy face,” I told Robin that night.
“That’s your son’s face,” she said. “You are criticizing your son’s face.”
“Just that particular expression,” I said.
Robin raised an eyebrow.
Then I reviewed the footage, and she was right. Huh. Maybe squinchy face isn’t so bad after all. You be the judge.
He looks so much like you! I want to see Melissa and Miles BOTH doing their squinchy face. (Maybe you don’t like it because it’s rough when another model steals YOUR FACE, eh?)
Inder, ha! The funny thing is I have photos of myself as a BABY making this face. 🙂 Do I make this face now? That’s a little scary, but you’re probably right.
I love this face! Skip would make this type face when he was a baby but he would round his mouth and we called him “Spanky” because he looked like Spanky from the little rascals.
Miles is totally adorable and I think that face is all over the baby world. Kierlin does it too, but he also breathes really hard through his nose so he’s essentially farmer blowing at us all the time.
I think squinchy face is definitely a smiley happy face. An adorable smiley face. At least in these pictures.