Grandparents on the loose

When you can think of yesterday without regret and tomorrow without fear, you are near contentment.

Author Unknown

Well my parents, our babies grandparents, are on their way to visit us from the great state of New York. There have been a few delays, some related to health others to the weather, but it appears this weekend will be the one. This visit should be intersting, exciting and tiring. My brother also lives in New Hampshire and they have not seen his home yet so they are going to have to visit with him as well. It is a 5 hour drive from NY to my house, 6 and a half when my parents drive it. They are returning home on Sunday, so they plan on being in my home for probably a total of 20 hours. Seems like a lot of driving for such a short visit...
Last week my sister visited and it through off the babies schedule. I am hopeful that the baby will adjust a little bit better to this visit. Everyday that goes by she gets a little bit more child like and a little less baby like. She is slowly beginning to get into a normal routine, she doesn't eat every two hours anymore, she doesn't sleep all day long anymore, she doesn't soil 8-12 diapres a day anymore. She is beginning to become her own little person, although she of course doesn't talk she can certainly let everyone know what is making her happy and what is making her sad.
My parents have missed out on some of the baby's life, some parts that she won't be reliving. Hopefully, she will only continue to progress and not regress into some of her more baby like behaviors. I guess that I am saddened that my parents haven't been able to make it up here to see her sooner. Thankfully, the internet, digital photos, and DVD's allow them to share in things much more than previous generations.
I wonder if that feels the same to my parents. To receive an email that says "new pictures of Samantha", look at the pictures...does that replace the experience of smelling the baby, hearing her, touching her? Does using one sense ever replace the other four? In my life experience I would have to say that we need to try and use all of our senses to fully experience something but using only one is better than using none.
It's sad to miss out on things, to regret that you are never going to be able to do something. My life has had its' share of regret. Thankfully, missing out on my daughter is not going to be one of them.