The First Word

    No this isn't a post about biblical references, although I guess I could wax eloquent about who knew what the first words were and what inflection and tone were used in the process. No, we received a Face Time with our daughter and her husband last night that the granddaughter spoke her first word, which to my son-in-law's delight was Dada. The Face Time was a bust though as the granddaughter was more interested in her toes and looking concerned about that weird face on Mommy's face which kept talking to her, than in actually speaking. But of course, being of the digital age, they had a video of the event. And they sent it along right after the "no proof" call. Of course, I didn't need proof. I believe that our granddaughter can speak in several languages (some of course not invented yet) and is the next Rhodes Scholar at the age of 3. But they wanted to make sure we were aware of their child's ability so we humored them by watching.
    Now, I wear hearing aids, so sometimes the sounds coming through the phone and over the various mechanical devices is not reliable. Knowing this, however, they sent the video. I can hear our daughter cooing and encouraging. I can hear the delightful giggle of the 6 month old and the Dad chuckling in the background, but it was a strain to hear the child utter the magic word. I listened and listened to it and I guess I finally heard what they wanted me to hear. But I sighed mightily in the process. I will always hear her better in person. And what happens when she begins the babbling stage and there are some real words mixed in and it won't matter since I won't be able to decipher them in any way even in person.
    But this was a monumental moment in our granddaughter's growing. So we laughed and applauded and smiled indulgently. Because that's what grandparents do when their children's children reach a milestone. And hope that the next time she speaks, I'm standing right there to fully appreciate the moment. Heavy sigh.