Musings by BJ Sibley
What Is It About Babies?
So, there I was, staring down at the cute little face of the newest member of our tribe and thinking deep thoughts about life, love and what a joy little ones are.
We were visiting family in Washington State and I was really enjoying myself.
The new little guy was just eleven days old and the tiniest thing I’d held in a long time. My other grandsons are 14 and 17 and, while they give great hugs, they really are too big to sit in my lap, much less let me cuddle them.
What is it about new little human beings that brings out our softest side? Maybe it is that they are so helpless when they are born. Other baby mammals get washed up and on their feet within an hour or so, but human babies are so very fragile. From the moment they draw their first breath, they are totally dependent upon others. It just brings out the good side in all of us.
Speaking of the soft side, my hubby turned to mush the moment he held his grandbaby. He couldn’t seem to put him down. The only time he relinquished the little guy was when someone else wanted to hold him, or he was overcome with the need to take a picture.
I think my love affair with babies started when I was about 17. There were four girls in our family and we were within eight years of each other. As the eldest, I always called the youngest one “my baby”, but when I was 17, my folks adopted a 6-month old and my perception of “baby” changed as well. This one had a slightly misshapen head, which had to be massaged when we fed him. At about 2 years, you couldn’t even tell that he’d had a problem. He was the cutest little thing and I lavished him with attention. Of course, with three other siblings, parents and an Aahma, there was little time that he wasn’t being cosseted by someone.
Then, when I was 19, my parents had another girl. She was fair, beautiful and I fell in love. She was the cutest little dear and, though I left home 6 months later, she always remained in my heart. I would just stand over her crib and look at her lying there, surrounded by pink blankets, and think that nothing could be lovelier.
My sons being the first in my heart, next came the now teenage grandsons. Smitten, besotted and down right awed would be just a few of the words I could use to describe how I felt when they were born. Seeing them just moments after their birth was the first revelation. Their mother is a little thing and these babes were born half-grown. They had soft round features and, while the eldest was pink, the youngest was tinged with blue. I was concerned, but the nurse just smiled and said he, too, would ‘pink up’ in a short amount of time. She was right, of course, but as the little one’s ‘Nannie’, it took some time for me to be convinced. Those two grew into the most amazing children, so adorable and so cute; it hurt my heart just to look at them. As teenagers they are smart, handsome and gracious and not too jaded to say, “I love you Nannie”.
All these thoughts crowded my mind as I gazed at this newest grandbaby. Yes, I counted toes and fingers; yes, I ran my hand over his softer than down skin and, yes, I marveled at his perfection.
The thing that really amazes me is how quickly these little pieces of perfection can get into your being. It is almost an instantaneous ‘seizure of assets’. First, your heart gets zapped, then your head and finally your soul…then you are a goner.
The thing that is really wondrous is that none of my feelings nor insights is original. Talking to my girlfriends and sisters, every one of them that has had a grandchild feels the same way, yet each of us comes to the realization in her own way. Thank you, ladies, for sharing your feelings with me and thank you for allowing me to share mine.
Sleep well, little babe and know that you are loved.
