As the Barrel Turns...

Daniel is one month old. Like all newborns, he is intriguing. The attention we give to those who have only recently seen the light of day is not meant to neglect or make those older feel less significant. We are all just very excited about their recent arrival. I keep telling myself this as everyone sweeps past me like I don’t exist and reach out for baby Daniel.

I got the chance to visit with Daniel one-on-one when he was 9 days old. Mommy and GranAnnewere both distracted and I snuck into his nursery for a chat. He was awake, honest. His blue eyes made contact with my cataracts and we bonded. No words were necessary. We communicated like men; grunts, facial expressions and other noises…

Daniel likes to play Pirate. It took me a few times to catch on, but I got the hang of it. He distorts his face, closing his left eye and makes his mouth crooked as if to say Arrand Yarrand such other Pirate words. Mommy would not let me put a patch over his eye, so he just closes it. He says nothing. He communicates silently while I interpret. He looks at me as if to say, keep quiet or they will hear us and make us stop playing.

After several minutes pass, I realize the goal of the Pirate game. He began to add leg and arm stretching to the facial expressions. Then he would tense up. Toward the end of the game his face turned red too. He was really getting into this game!

Then the game was over. Aye Daniel won. I didn’t want to play anymore. His tummy gurgled and then avast,something gave way. It shivered me timbers. It was time to swab the poopdeck. Ahoy,GranAnne! Do you want to hold Daniel now? He is awake and happy (but not for long).