A Year of Firsts

One year ago, on January 15th, during a nasty winter storm, my sweet little grandson, Owen, came into the world.  I remember the anxiety I felt because, for days, heavy snow and ice were forecast.  My daughter and her husband lived in the country and had a 30-minute drive to the hospital for the baby’s delivery. Country roads are notorious for drifting and causing accidents, and I worried they wouldn’t make it.  Also weighing on me were their other two children, my granddaughters Jaycie and Hallie.  I had stayed with Jaycie when Hallie was born, but living an hour away and dealing with my own white-out conditions, I would not be able to look after the girls this time. Another nearby relative was called upon for help.

Our sweet Owen wasn’t supposed to happen, yet God had other plans. My daughter, Katie, had some health problems and difficulties with the birth of Hallie, and the doctor said she most likely could not conceive again. He was wrong. While Hallie was only a few months old, Katie received the news Owen would be joining our family.

Because of Katie’s previous birthing issues, Owen would be delivered, slightly premature, by caesarian section. I tensely waited for the news of his arrival, and at last, it came. All was well.

I didn’t meet Owen until he was about two weeks old. He was such a precious nugget and slept the entire time. He surprised us again when it was discovered that he already had a tooth, or rather a tiny calcification that had developed, not at all rooted. Shortly after being born and settling in, he was scheduled for its removal.

Owen is one of the most laid-back babies I’ve ever known.  From infancy to toddlerhood, he has been a super quiet but intense watcher, taking in all the bustling chaos of his family.   Owen is a smiler and a cuddler, which we all love.  And he’s also something else – a tough little endurer.  His first year has been fraught with ear infections to the point of him needing to have tubes installed. One side of his head appeared slightly flattened, so he had to wear a helmet for a month. Now, he is fighting Covid on his first birthday.  Through it all, Owen keeps smiling, and I’m struck by how resilient babies are.  They are born filled with hope.

Because Owen is fighting Covid, I won’t be able to see him on his birthday, so we will celebrate in a couple of weeks. I can hardly wait to hold him and present him with a new book. He started showing an interest in books at around six months. I would sit with him on one side and Hallie on the other and read to them. Hallie would chatter incomprehensible things and turn the pages while Owen mastered pointing at things and then looking up at me in wordless communication.

Owen’s first year, of course, has been about more than a tooth removal and several illnesses. He has learned how to roll over and crawl in the middle of it all. Christmas week, he began walking, and only days after that, he figured out how to climb.  He’s learning to feed himself and enjoys following Hallie, picking things up and dropping them (deliberately), laughing at peek-a-book, and can say two words –mama and bah (for the ball.) Like all other babies that grace our world, he is an inquisitive little sponge filled with excitement for the wonders surrounding him. And he is made for love.

Though I’ve delighted in watching my other grandchildren and my daughter as they’ve grown, seeing another baby develop and learn is something I never tire of. It is fleeting magic and yet a promise that life will go on. My cup runneth over.

This month, I reviewed the classic evergreen board book that happens to be my grandchildren’s favorite: Where Is Baby’s Belly Button? by Karen Katz. You can learn more about it under Recommended Reads.