Emily Crossan, hailing from Rugeley, Staffordshire, recently took to social media to share amusing pictures of her infant son, Isaac, whom she humorously described as resembling a “garden gnome.” Although she found her baby adorable from the very beginning, Emily admitted that it wasn’t until she revisited old photos that she realized just how “funny looking” Isaac appeared as a newborn.
In a bid to bring some laughter to fellow parents, Emily posted these comical snapshots of her son when he was still “growing into his own face.” Her intention was to give others a chuckle by showcasing some of the amusing facial expressions her baby would make.
Emily reminisced, “At the time, I thought he was the most beautiful thing in the world, a perfect little newborn. It wasn’t until I was flicking through old photos recently that I thought, ‘What was I thinking?!’ He was so funny looking and definitely not the most attractive baby in the world. I was clearly blinded by motherly love at the time. If you’d have given him a fishing rod and a little hat, he could’ve passed for a garden gnome. But he grew into his face, and he’s so different now, a proper little cutie.”
As a seasoned intensive care nurse accustomed to seeing newborns with unique appearances, Emily recognized that it was quite common. She added, “When he was very little, he was very funny looking, and as he got a bit older, he just got chunkier. His dad was cute as a baby, so it wasn’t a hereditary look, and he was born at full term, so it wasn’t because he was premature either. I see a lot of funny looking newborns at my job; it’s just one of those things, and they grow out of it. No one ever said anything to me about it at the time, but they wouldn’t dare, would they? The older he got, the more he grew into his face, and by six months, he had grown out of that funny looking stage.”
Emily’s post inspired other parents to share amusing pictures of their own newborns. She explained, “I decided to post the photos in a parenting group on Facebook because I thought it was funny and just wanted to give other parents a laugh as well. It was just for a bit of a giggle, really.”
The majority of people found it humorous and commented that all newborns can appear funny at first, and as mothers, they are blinded by love. Other moms concurred, noting that all newborns can resemble “swollen potatoes” for a while, but this doesn’t diminish the love they receive.
Despite facing some backlash for her post, Emily refuses to take herself too seriously and encourages others, particularly parents, to find humor in the little things. However, there were some individuals who took offense to her lighthearted approach. One woman criticized Emily for calling her child “ugly” and claimed it was disrespectful to all newborns who face ridicule.
Emily shared her perspective, saying, “I just don’t take myself too seriously; it’s my kid, and I love him more than anything in the world. I’m sure when he’s older, we’ll look back and laugh together about it. We’re all in the same boat as parents, and it’s hard work, so you have to see the funny side of things and be able to laugh about stuff because otherwise, it would get too much.”
