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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Lifestyle
Séamas O’Reilly

Like a pair of twinkling stars, the in-laws are visiting

‘In the few months since they last saw her, she’s started walking and even, after a fashion, talking’: a grandmother with her baby granddaughter.
‘In the few months since they last saw her, she’s started walking and even, after a fashion, talking’: a grandmother with her baby granddaughter. Photograph: Alamy

The baby’s progress is the main event when Nana and Grandad arrive. In the few months since they last saw her, she’s started walking and even, after a fashion, talking. They marvel at all the progress we’ve lost sight of through close observation.

When it comes to walking, she’s steady on her feet and growing more comfortable in shoes. Or should I say ‘schuuus’, since this is how she refers to her foot coverings, oh, someway north of 400 times a day. This one word comprises a sizeable percentage of her vocabulary, which now stretches to about a dozen words.

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