Snapshots of a Miracle

As parents, the miracle of a child’s development seemed to pass us by like scenery through the window of a speeding train.  We spent our days, feeding, bathing, diaper changing and coaxing into bed and suddenly, and without warning, our children were transformed from tiny, helpless infants into small encapsulations of humanity who talk a mile a minute, endlessly play peek a boo and get lost in books.  One day they are in diapers and the next they are in college. Conversely, as grandparents, we have the best seats in the house from which to watch and marvel at the miracle of a child’s development.

Each day, Jo and I observe this miracle through the lens of Facetime.  One day, Bina scoots across the floor on all fours.  The next, she is taking tentative first steps.  In a seeming blink of an eye, she is toddling about, bent on exploring the world.  One day she utters a tentative “hi” – perhaps the first word she shared with us. Within weeks, she is naming all of her animals, saying “Hello Bubbe” and naming Augie (our Labrador Retriever) as he comes into view.  From the comfort of our living room couch, through the tiny window of an iPhone or IPad screen, we watch in wonder as Bina hugs and kisses her stuffed animals signaling her entry into the magical symbolic world.

It is child development in stop-action and even the space of a day can reveal the emergence of a new cognitive, physical or emotional leap.  “Hi” and “Bubbe” merge to become “Hi Bubbe” – a first sentence.  Pigtails appear.  Tentative steps become running. 

Video communication is a great blessing for remote grandparents.  We are not strangers who descend once every two or three months and who must be reintroduced and reidentified.  As new grandparents, these calls bring us joy and delight that frames our days. But while video communication is lovely, it is also a bittersweet reminder of what we are missing.  As we observe Bina playing and tramping around her living room 650 miles away, we wistfully long for a hug, a small child’s tush sitting on our laps as we read a book, the sweet fragrance of a baby waking from a nap.  
But tomorrow will bring another Facetime call and more snapshots of miracles – and, of course, a window into the joy that is a grandchild.