She has the most inquisitive face! So beautiful! Mine took a long, long time to get used to being picked up. But I think it was how I was dealing with it. I would pick him up, and he would appear to be frightened of the whole idea. I would tell him 'it's okay' and that he is safe (he seems to know the word safe), and that's when he finally came around a little bit. Like you, I just don't want him to be afraid that I will hurt him, and he is beginning to realize that.