Thursday, February 22, 2007

Babies!

Lately, I can't seem to walk by baby stores, without going in and having a peek. I can't seem to look at baby photos without imagining myself holding a baby.

I dream about babies; I wonder what all the new, strange paraphernalia for babies is; I discuss babies at great length with other older people.

I must, by the grace of Spirit, be having another grandchild. Do ya think?

I have had dreams about this new soul entering our family for many years. I know the eyes; I feel strong, masculine energy, when I 'see' the baby; I 'feel' the weight of that tiny body encircled by my arms.

We won't be strangers, this new member of our family and I. We have already made our acquaintance, and it began eons ago. Just as the tie to my granddaughter did not have to be made upon her birth...the cord was already there.

They say babies' eyes are full of innocence. I don't agree...when I see a newborn baby, I see the wisdom of the Universe, for a short while after birth. The new soul is still very close to Spirit, and wisdom and knowledge shine out of the babe's eyes.

Even if my intuition told me my daughter, a career woman, was eventually going to have a baby, sometimes I despaired. I am ever so grateful for my granddaughter, who still has time for her Nammy, but is maturing and growing at a rapid rate. Rarely, now, do I get the chance to wander in the garden with Bree, sharing the wisdom of Nature.

I was on the telephone with my daughter when she told me she was pregnant. A small, brown bird flew into the house at the same time I was speaking to her. It was amazing...I cannot begin to tell you. The tears streamed down my face; I couldn't speak to my daughter...and all the while I watched Brown Bird.

The dogs were in. But Brown Bird wasn't concerned. She flew from room to room, checking things out. The dogs...ahhh...I worried about those dogs. But they ignored her, going outside without complaint, looking back over their shoulders at Brown Bird, not considering her an intruder at all.

And neither did I. Because, you see, I knew this Brown Bird. Every sense in me was on full alert, which was difficult, because I was still on the telephone with my daughter. I had a choice; I could either watch Brown Bird or give my daughter my full attention.

Brown Bird made the choice for me. She settled down on a plant by the window...and watched me. Suddenly, I knew it was alright to wait until the phone conversation was complete, before I did anything about Brown Bird.

My daughter and I spoke for a long while...fears and hopes, confidences and apprehensions...all the things a mother and daughter speak about, given the news of a first baby. I was outside, letting Sun and Wind give me balance, grounding myself. I had almost forgotten Brown Bird.

My convers- ation ended. I sat in wonder at the news, until a piercing trill brought me out of my thoughts. The Brown Bird!

I carefully closed the back door, leaving the dogs lazing in the Sun. I grabbed a tea towel, and walked over to Brown Bird, who was still sitting on the plant.

Hello, Katrina, I whispered.

Brown Bird grew silent, ruffling her feathers. She stared at me. I stared back, feeling tears streaming once again down my cheeks.

I know about the baby, I told her. I'm so over the top, I don't know how to tell you how excited I am! And I'm so glad you came to visit, at the exact same time your sister told me about it!

We spoke a little longer, all the while staring at one another, drinking each other in, it seemed. The energy that passed between Brown Bird and I felt all-encompassing and very pure. It is hard to describe...like a sudden, warming shaft of Sunlight in a darkened Forest, perhaps.

Time passed. Brown Bird grew anxious and fluttered her wings. It was time for her to go. I wrapped the towel around her... oh, so gently...and let her go off the front porch. She flew to the telephone pole, sang a short song...and flew away.

I have not seen her, or her kind, since. I don't know what kind of Bird she was...I have looked in the bird books and can't make a positive identification. Perhaps I am not meant to.

This all happened way back last summer. I have cradled the secret to my chest for eight months. I can no longer not write about the new baby...it is a big change in my life, and colours everything I do.

And the birth is coming up. March 28th is the due date. Babies are perennially late, however; my daughter feels the date of the baby's birth will be sometime in April.

Yesterday I mowed the back lawn, before it rained. As I mowed, I thought of the new baby that would see the garden for the first time. Bree grew along with a different garden; she has memories of large spaces and forests. This baby will see a smaller version. Smaller, but no less beautiful.

Now that my secret is out, I will be inundating this blog with pictures of babies, stories from a grandmother. The new baby will live in a different town; I will not be able to see him/her all the time, as I did with Bree. But Bree has promised to teach the stories to the baby that I taught her.

I wonder if Brown Bird will return on the day of the baby's birth?

Rest assured, I will let you know.


Note: The photos used in this post are not pictures of our new baby. There will be many, however, once the child is born!

23 comments:

  1. Babies are cute ;) although I must admit, the first time I changed one, and got poop on my finger.. was a very traumatic experience! lol

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  2. Anonymous1:23 p.m.

    I love that my grandchildren are growing and developing into such lovely children who surprise and delight me each time I am with them. But o how I miss the babies they used to be.

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  3. What a lovely anticipation! My older son and his wife have friends having babies. I dare not think too much. Maybe one day, I'll be in your shoes. I look forward to the photos of the new love in your life.

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  4. Your story brought tears to my eyes, Marion. I work in a pediatric office and one of my favorite things about the job is getting to see babies everyday. And i could go on for years about my grandchildren. lololol CONGRATULATIONS on your new baby! hugssssssssssss

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  5. lol, Matt...poop on a finger is really small potatoes with babies...they tend to leak from every orifice!

    If that was traumatic, just wait for the rest of it!

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  6. Jan, I love my granddaughter, who has grown into the most amazing young woman. As you say, I am delighted each time I am with her, just filled with love.

    But there is something about babies!

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  7. Well, Sheila, I never thought my daughter, who is bringing up Bree, would ever get pregnant. And lo and behold, here we are, welcoming this new addition to our family...in only a month's time! I can't wait. Can you tell?

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  8. Thank you for the congratulations, Lorna...aren't grandchildren wonderful!

    I remember being a young parent, and wondering when my children would grow up to be self-sufficient, never realizing or understanding how very precious those baby years are.

    I guess that's why, as grandparents, we get to cuddle and play with grandbabies...we get a second chance!

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  9. Congratulations on your happy news Marion. I look forward to seeing all your baby photos. One of my friends just had a baby girl and she is so beautiful. It's funny how mothers and daughters have this psychic "link" and you sometimes know when things are going to happen. I've always had that connection with my Mum. Your dreams and seeing that bird was obviously a sign of some kind.

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  10. "They say babies' eyes are full of innocence. I don't agree...when I see a newborn baby, I see the wisdom of the Universe, for a short while after birth. The new soul is still very close to Spirit, and wisdom and knowledge shine out of the babe's eyes." What an amazing way to think of babies! It does make sense..... very much so. What a shame that we spirits living the human experience, do not keep that knowledge at the surface throughout the most crucial parts of our lives, if at all.
    Congratulations on baby and what lovely story of the little messenger bird.

    tea
    xo

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  11. A great graphic post Marion, there are various stories about birds flying into a house. Some are of good luck and others not so good, I wonder why they originated. this bird must have felt relaxed when they came into your house as it took time to rest.

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  12. Ces photos sont magnifiques , très émouvantes !

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  13. My daughters and I have that strong tie between us, one that even the death of one daughter didn't break, Naomi.

    Babies are amazing little beings...nothing like the gurgle that sounds suspiciously like a first giggle!

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  14. Yes, Tea, I agree with you. Sometimes it can be a struggle to connect again as much as we did as newborns!

    Davem, I researched the bird messenger, and different cultures have many stories, good and bad, about birds flying into the house.

    I think they originated because life way back was all about signs and portents...it was a way to explain and gather hope and awareness.

    But because of the timing, I chose to believe my intuition and to just believe.

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  15. Jean, thank you...I enjoyed your site, this morning, too!

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  16. Anonymous6:36 p.m.

    I never had children, so I'm very grateful that I babysat so much, as a teen, and had the chance to care for two of my nephews quite a lot when they were infants. Babies have stolen my heart ever since I was one. They are at once so very vulnerable and so very easy to fall in love with. It seems to me that their spirits are too big for their bodies. Spirit just pops out and shines all around them. That seems true of all babies -- human and animal, and I think Wordsworth was right --

    "Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting . . . trailing clouds of glory do we come . . ."

    Congratulations on your new grandchild.

    :)

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  17. Hi Marion - thanks for stopping by my blog.
    Babies are a true blessing - our latest was nothing short of a miracle, and he has his own blog, too.
    He WAS, long before he was born...
    Congratulations, and good luck!

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  18. How wonderful to have the visit from the birds. I am not a baby person and have only picked up one in my whole life and that was my son.

    Beside that I cannot wait to see your photos when you do post them. Maybe you will get another visit from the bird to welcome your grandchild.

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  19. Haven't had a chance to share in your grand baby excitement! What a wonderful post ... the bird creeps me out, though. Not so much that the bird got in the house, but the way he seemed perfectly at home. ooooOOOOoooooo!

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  20. Barbara, thank you for putting it so well..."their spirits are too big for their bodies". Exactly!

    Stine..."He WAS...long before he was born". Again, wonderful words...you've hit the nail on the head for me!

    Jackie...I am keeping an eye out for Brown Bird...it was an incredible experience! Oh...and I'm not generally a baby person, either, lol, except when it's one of my grandchildren!

    DB, LOL...thanks for the chuckle...all sorts of wildlife find their way into my house! They all kinda make themselves at home.

    Thanks for the congrats!

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  21. Oh how wonderful for you! Babies are the best! There is nothing quite like holding a newborn baby in your arms and cradling, protecting, and loving it! Congratulations!

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  22. Thank you, Desiree! It will be a wondrous time, to be sure!

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  23. I am almost the last to come and find out the good news! Congratulations! All the best to the preggy mum and nanna. What a beautifull experience you had! It brought tears to my eyes too.

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