Baby Moments

 Happy Birthday to Sonny and Rooney! They are my grandbaby twins born on the same day, same half hour, but in different hospitals to different parents!  I've had so many precious moments with them during the past two years.  I don't do well capturing these moments with my cell phone camera, yet these moments of light and love make an impression on the invisible camera plate in my soul.  These small moments are mere snapshots of experience, but are still worth remembering.  These moments also form and strengthen our bond. I see them, and they see me. 

Not simply spectating as they grow up,  the moments I'm referring to are the ones where we see and experience the world together.  We increase our mutual understanding by being in each other's presence and find simple joy in it.  Here are a few recent snapshots:

Moment of Comfort: Noticing Rooney's reluctance to go to Nursery and holding him close, assuring him things would be okay as I stayed with him.  It's pretty easy to see his trembling lip and shaking body to discern his fear.  I don't want to say a hug absorbs the fear, but it does help me get closer to their feelings in an effort to understand and respond.  I see you.  I got you.  I'm there for you.  

Moment of Delight: Later that hour, we played "Ring a Round the Rosie" for the first time with Rooney during this same Nursery class.  He was all lit up, wanting to do it again and again.  It was a joyful moment of simple delight.  

Moment of Work: It's one thing to point to a firetruck or see a firefighter mow the grass in front of the station.  It's another thing to witness the same firefighters respond to a call and watch them in action.  Sonny and I (and the 2 dogs) watched from the stroller as they calmly and quickly put on their pants, coats, and hats, jumped in the truck, and turned on the lights and sirens.  

Moments of Patience:  It's not easy to not get what you want when you want it or even at all.  Sonny has a loud, piercing cry (like the siren of a fire truck) when things don't go his way.  Even if it was only a short distance until he could ride his new bike on a more suitable surface (basketball court) rather than the thick grass, he still had to learn and wait.  It was great to see him understand and redirect his attention.  

Moment of Wonder:  Witnessing the Tracy Aviary Bird show from the first row with Sonny.  How thrilling it was for Sonny and me to have large birds of prey swoop over our heads and see them up close.  I held Sonny tightly in my lap so he would feel secure as he experienced new sights and sounds. 

Moment of Learning: Throughout the past seasons, I have enjoyed taking Sonny to the City Center Library's story time.  It is a refuge amidst Salt Lake City's urban chaos. It is a Mecca of interactive play and learning spaces. I would even call it a sacred space with dedicated professionals leading thoughtful, interactive, educational experiences for babies and toddlers.  We have had many learning moments together while singing, speaking, reading, writing, and playing.  

Moment of Pleasure:  Though I thought Rooney would enjoy making his first "Build a Bear", instead, he was terrified of the stuffing machine and overwhelmed. He experienced more joy running through the mall at full speed and sharing a Chick-fil-A kids' meal with Gram "E" in the food court.  I loved sitting close and looking into his eyes while holding the sauce as we dipped the nuggets and fries into the sauce.  We didn't need words.  Just a shared moment of pleasure. 

Though simple and small, these moments have great weight and meaning in my life. They give me a glimpse of what it means to have joy in my posterity, one by one. It is not a collective gathering of posterity to bask in their collective greatness.  At this time, I have the opportunity to bask in the individual greatness of their spirit as I spend time with them individually.   Rooney and Sonny are great! It is a privilege to be near them. It's about presence.  

It also reminds me how the Savior ministers to us one by one, individually. My testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ is based on these one-on-one moments of feeling His presence through His Spirit. They are fleeting moments, but they have made a lasting impression on my soul.   They are baby moments worth remembering.