There are some things in life one cannot put a price on. And surely at the top of the list is the safety and security of our children.This of course, is a parents’ lifelong concern, but all the more stressful when put to the test of unforeseen events and the need to quickly change plans in response.

Six months ago, my sister and her family experienced great joy – and deep sorrow, all within the span of 12 days!  It started with the arrival of her first baby – a delightful, beautiful (and noisy!) little girl.  As perfect as she was, she also had some minor health concerns that required a nurse to stay overnight to assist in her care and monitoring.  During these early days at home, my sister and her husband received news that his mother had suffered cardiac arrest, and passed away en route to the hospital.  You can imagine the trauma and sadness this caused the new parents…

But arrangements had to be made.  Both at home – to provide for the baby’s care, and also for travelling the long distance to attend the funeral.  The “logistics” were the easy part:  securing airline tickets, revising the nurse’s schedule so she could stay with the baby around-the-clock, making sure there was an adequate supply of the baby’s medicine, etc.  The hard part was trying to achieve peace of mind regarding their baby’s care – while at the same time riding an emotional roller coaster!

What a relief that they were already equipped with an X10 security system, to watch remotely the 2 main entrances of their home, from their office PC. This system consisted of  2 Xcam2, the Xray Vision software, and a USB converter. Before leaving, they moved one camera into  the baby’s nursery and one into the bathroom,  and added 2 other ones, in the kitchen and in the living room.  With the gracious and supportive agreement of the nurse, images of the baby could be watched by the anxious parents during their stay at the grandfather’s home, from his PC.  My sister was able to control the frequency that images of the baby - in various rooms, at various times – could be captured.  Needless to say, watching their daughter on camera while speaking to the nurse on the phone was a measure of assurance and heartwarming comfort no amount of money could buy.

Today my little niece is a healthy, robust, giggly baby with lots of energy (though very little hair!). And her grandfather, who manages to visit every few weeks, finds great pleasure in noting that she has not only her grandmother’s eyes – but also her sweet, endearing smile.