Babies Are the Universal Language

I'm sure that everyone reading this blog knows that I'm no shrinking violet. I love conversing. What I've noticed since Miss Lucy's arrival, however, is that I no longer initiate conversation. No, on the contrary, strangers of all ages are drawn to us like a magnet to a refridgerator, like white on rice, like a moth to a flame. You get the point. I'm not completely surprised by these turn of events. After all, most everyone loves a sweet little baby. I suppose what continues to amaze me the most is the intensity of these brief moments.

One of the most touching encounters we've had was shortly after Christmas. I noticed an older woman eyeing Lucy. Knowing that she wanted to speak, and never one to shy away from conversing, I made eye contact and smiled. "Oh what a little doll," she said. "May I touch her? I have clean hands!" Now, on most occasions, the thought of anyone beyond my approved circle of friends touching Lucy would send me into panic mode. The germs, the germs! Yet I found myself saying, "Of course." Her husband was nearby smiling at Lucy as well. As she gently brushed Lucy's hair, she said to him, "Oh.... What wouldn't you give for ours to be this age again for just one more day?" As she looked at Lucy, I know she wasn't seeing my little green-eyed pumpkin, but her own children now grown and most likely with children of their own.


Not long after, Lucy and I were awaiting a lunch meeting with a company board member at a trendy downtown restaurant. Although I was supposed to arrive sans baby, a series of unexpected events proved otherwise. Already tense as I was uncertain that this new colleague was "baby-friendly," my apprehension grew after we were seated. When I say trendy restaurant, I'm referring to one of those restaurants with minimalist decor and minimal space. The restaurant where the patrons sitting next to you are close enough to elbow. As I looked out the window for my lunch date and tried to keep Lucy occupied, our waiter came over to take the obligatory drink order. When I looked up, rather than inpatience or indifference, I saw a friendly face. "Hi there little one..." he said to Lucy as she grinned at him in toothless glory. Fortunately, my lunch date was indeed baby friendly, even holding Lucy so that I could scarf down a few bites. About mid-way through the meal our waiter came back over and asked if he could guess how old Lucy was. I found the question just a tiny bit odd, but told him to go for it. "About 7 months?" he asked. Surprised at how close he was, I told him that she was indeed 6 and 1/2 months. "I knew it," he said as he launched into a story about his own daughter. He couldn't believe how quickly she had grown up. He and his wife were divorced. His ex had taken his little one to Wisconsin, allowing him to see her only once a year. Just a few days before, he'd had to take the now 4-year-old girl back home after spending one beautiful month with her. He'd treasured this time and was having difficulty adjusting to his deafeningly quiet life now that she was gone. Again, as he looked at Lucy, he wasn't seeing my baby. He was remembering his own little girl.

After he walked away, my lunch companion remarked "Isn't it amazing how babies break all barriers and social conventions?"

Just the other day, while attempting to finish this post, I had yet another of these conversations. This time with my stock broker over the phone. I hadn't intended to take his call. Lucy was in the midst of chatter time, rapidly moving into pre-dinner fussy time. As we began discussing the deplorable state of our economy, I suppose he heard Lucy chattering. He asked me her name and age. And just when I thought he was simply making polite "stock broker/client" conversation, he told me that he and his wife had recently undergone IVF--again. It hadn't been successful he said with a hint of sadness. I wasn't sure what to say to him other than I'm sorry. But he recovered and shared that they had a new arrival in the form of a little puppy named Chloe. We laughed as we commiserated about our mutual lack of sleep.

Recently, I've been thinking more and more about my colleague's comment. Everywhere we go, people interact with Lucy. But it's more than just surface chatter. It seems that babies stir a need for connection from deep within. Is it something about their sheer innocence and vulnerability that allows us to get past the artifical, societal boundaries we get so caught up in? I don't have the answer, but I see this as just another way Lucy has enriched my life in ways I couldn't imagine.