A
brief moment in time
When we first met you on 5th November 2004 you were exactly
three months old. Elizabeth and I had the privilege of spending a dozen or so
days with you. You were a joy to be with. What really amazed us was how you
developed in just those few days.
Initially, you touched things only by accident. You didn’t hold things
with one hand let alone two. By the time we left you were deliberately reaching
out for things – even your Dad’s nose and his glasses! You were holding your
rattle with both hands and putting it in your mouth.
We bought you several new toys. One was a swinging chair. You could make
the lights flash and the music play only by pulling on rings. You very quickly
learned to do this…it was amazing to watch you learn this skill in front of
our very eyes!
Another
was a fairground toy which you could activate by kicking your legs.
Your Dad had been doing lots of exercises on your legs. By the time we left you
were kicking away like a footballer! But, even more importantly, you had learned
that the music played only if you kicked at the fairground Aunt Sally. So the
moment the music stopped…you kicked!
The
play mat
had
lots of soft toys and mirrors
dangling
above
it. Again by the time we left you were reaching out, pulling and
holding all the toys with both hands. What a wonderful achievement in such a
short time.
Because you had so much attention, your vocabulary increased greatly.
Lots of different sounds and inflections.
But what really moved us was that you were able to recognise our faces.
On the last day, early in the morning, your Mum brought you in to say goodbye.
The moment you saw us your face burst into a big smile! It was simply one of
those magic moments that life brings from time to time.
Of course, you would have done all these things whether we had been
there or not. I’d like to think we helped you do them a few days earlier.
Every day, every week from now on you will do more and more.
We are just so happy that we shared
this
brief moment in time with you.
With loads of love
19th
November 2004