Babies, Babies Everywhere

We are decompressing from two months of intensive grandparenting watching a baby grow from eleven months old to thirteen months. We’ve had good practice over the last four years with our two other babies now nearly four and two and a half. Our extended family, long berift of inflants, is knee deep in the creatures, crawling, running, talking, gooing, pooping, peeing and eating, eating, eating. By next summer, among the first cousins, we will have seven little ones ranging from four and a half years  to newborns. Our lives, for the forseeable future will be babies. In the aggregate there will be more than seven car seats (because grandparents will add them as necessary accessories). There will be multiple strollers, several special backpacks, Baby Bjorns, huge traveling bags in cheery colors, and bundles of diapers in assorted sizes. There will be potty chairs and little stools, high chairs and plastic cars. Blocks, Lego, plastic toys of all description. There will be books by the bushel. Some good; some awful (Are You My Mother?) Food will be dished from little jars. Tidbits cut into tiny pieces. Breasts will be suckled.
In many ways it is easy to be with babies (if you are a grandparent). Ones responsibility is secondary, or if an uncle/aunt, tertiary. It gives one the chance to redeem oneself of parental failures. One can argue that babies are demanding. But, really, they aren’t if you except the incessant need to feed and change them, bathe them, nap them and sleep them. I’m not talking about all the stuff the mommy and daddy have to do. I’m talking about the grandparental interaction. It’s easy being with a baby. For example, wittiness or cleverness is not a requirement. Intellectuals need not apply. One can  simply make noises and faces to entertain and communicate. A sneeze can be a cause for great amusment and celebration. Head shaking is great fun as is the traditional favorite “Peekaboo.” With a baby around all one has to be is silly. Act like an idiot. Roll on the floor. Jump up and down. Wave your arms. Shake with the palsy. Froth at the mouth. Yip, yelp, scream, gurgle or reveal your bellybutton. No thought is required. It’s relaxing. It’s natural. It’s liberating. We like to act like idiots. We are idiots. We like to play. Babies lead us back to a forgotten place. I like it there. I like babies. I’m ready for the fun and the noise and the poop and the snot and the food on the floor. I’m ready to watch them grow and walk and run and talk. I’m looking forward to seeing how the cousins merge as a group. It’s like having reinforcements arrive. Some day they will mow, and weed and do the dishes. They are most welcome.