Dot

My first of three children was born in February of 2009. I named her Dot after my deceased grandmother, short for Dorothy.

Dot was a healthy, cheerful baby, but she did suffer from colic starting when she was around a month old. For those of you who haven't dealt with a colicky infant, know that it's very hard to watch. There is no treatment for it, and so a parent does their best to sooth the baby by walking aimlessly around the house, attempts at feeding, burping, anything, all while the child screams in pain for sometimes hours. This did pass within a few weeks. I'm certain, however, that some of my grey hairs can be attributed to this period of time.

A week or so after the colic started, a most curious thing would happen. Every night, I would feed Dot before she fell asleep. But I was used to the colic by now, so it was usually several more hours of crying and pain for her before she would finally sleep, fully exhausted. For these particular nights though, for about an hour (from 6-7), Dot would turn her head away from me as I held her, and seemed to interact with an unseen presence. She would coo and laugh, and would be mercifully unaffected by her colic for a short while. She was, during this time, the epitome of a happy, untroubled infant. I was relieved she wasn't in pain, and would simply sit and hold her. The hour would go by, and Dot would turn her attention back to me, as if the guest were no longer there to play with. And all would return to normal.

I suspect my grandmother had come to visit her namesake, and judging from their interaction, it was clear she approved.