Small miracles ...

Amazing beings, children. They never cease to astound.

Last week, while Jed was off doing art stuff with a big crane and dangerously sized sculpture, Annabel and I immersed ourselves in the children on the Web; the pride of flickr folks to be exact.

To be honest, I didn't really think about what I was doing. I turned on the computer, as I always do, to check in with my peeps in this photographic playground. There's always something new: Henry's cuddling with his new brother, Leo; Ella's jumping on a trampoline, a gift for her Second Birthday; "The Beast" is being a good mama to her baby doll, cooking in her play kitchen while wearing her dolly in a sling - just like her mommy and her sister Charlie. And Matilda is cleaning up in the shower.

I called Annabel over and reintroduced her to Matilda. She had met Matilda in person back in October, but it had been a while since she'd looked in on the computer to see what she was up to.

She looked at the photograph of Matilda showering, asked what her name was and told me she wanted some juice and a snack.

Every day since Annabel asked about Matilda, the girl who was washing in the inside rain.

And then, on Thursday, when I least expected it, Annabel wanted to know every possible detail about the showering Matilda. We were on the way home from Amah and Papa's house when she made me tell her Matilda's name again, what she was doing in the pictures and what parts of her body she was washing in the "pishers."

It was a kind of game. She knew all the answers but she wanted me to ask her the questions. Then she told me she wanted to take a shower, but that she didn't want to get sprayed.

When we got home she actually took off all her clothes and went into the bathroom. We adjusted the shower so it hit the wall and she eventually got totally soaked on her own. She even "washed her armpits just like Matilda."

It seemed like a small miracle, and it couldn't have come at a better time.