Slideshow

Tonight, I changed the background on my computer to be a slideshow of Troy’s pictures. He was sitting on the floor playing with his toys, so I projected my computer into the TV. The moment he saw his picture on the screen; he got excited, stood up, and pulled himself up to stand by the entertainment system. He stood there watching his pictures flash across the screen, making a grunting noise and looking back at me when each new one would come up. 

At one point a picture of Troy with his grandfather in Greece came up. I love this particular picture, because it’s of Troy pressing his head against his grandfather’s. I was watching Troy when all of a sudden, he stretched up on his tiptoes, touched his finger to the screen where his grandfather was in the picture, and he started sort of crying. Not crying like he was upset or in pain, but more like he does when he intensely wants something. The same theatrical cry he does when he wants his pacifier. The overwhelming feeling I got was that he was reaching out to touch his grandfather as if he was right there, as if to say, “Where is he? I want him.”

Soon the picture changed, and he sat down and started playing with his toys, as if nothing happened. He made no other gestures like that to anyone else. It was strange and sweet to see him have that reaction to his grandfather. I swear he has recognition beyond his years or some unearthly viewpoint of life. Some of the things he does make me feel like he’s an old soul instead of a baby.