Like grandmothers everywhere, I was excited and happy when my granddaughter was born. I flew cross-country to see her, but when I had to leave for home and my job a few days later, I felt miserable.

I was heading far from where my new granddaughter and her parents lived. And because I work full-time, I knew my visits would be limited to a few times a year.

I would miss watching her grow and learn. Though the photos I had were wonderful, I wanted to watch the fun little things that new babies learn to do each day.

"Mom, she smiled for the first time today," my daughter told me excitedly one evening on the phone. "Are you sure it wasn't just gas?" I joked. My daughter laughed and then her voice softened. "Oh, Mom, she's so beautiful. I wish you could see her now."

Tears welled in my eyes as I tried to picture my granddaughter. How I wanted to see those constant changes! And I knew I wasn't the only grandmother who was miles away from her grandchildren.

There had to a way we could melt away the miles between us and our grandchildren, without the trouble and expense of mailing packets of photos once the roll was finally finished and developed.

Thanks to my son-in-law's computer talents, the problem was solved in a way that could work for any grandmother who has access to the web. He created a home page on the web, which is exactly that--pictures of my granddaughter and her family at home.

I located the site on a hand-me-down computer I got from one of my other children when they upgraded. It took a lot of patience to learn to use it, but when I saw pictures taken from the minute my granddaughter was born, I knew it was worth it.

And looking back, it wasn't that hard to learn. If other grandmothers could see how clear and beautiful the color pictures are, I don't think they would hesitate entering the computer age.

My son-in-law updates their family's home page regularly. Once at the site, I can click on each photo to enlarge it to full-screen size which in my granddaughter's case was almost life-sized at first!

And by printing the enlarged photos, I've been able to surround my desk with her pictures and watch how she grows and changes. They've even put sound on the page. I can hear her cry and babble now, but one day soon, I expect to hear her first words.

I must add, however, that the decision to create a family home page was not an easy one at first, despite the wonderful benefits. We worried that other people might abuse the site and use the photos of my grandchild for purposes other than just to show our far-flung family how she is growing.

To protect our privacy, we decided from the get-go not to make any links to their family homepage site from anywhere else, and only the immediate family members and grandparents have been given the site address.

With these precautions, we feel comfortable that the pictures are private--for only our family to enjoy. I'd recommend a family homepage to every grandmother longing to watch a new grandchild grow, or anyone wanting to see pictures of a loved one too far away to visit often.

It's a wonderful way to stay in touch each day. The family's home page on the web melts away the miles between our homes. Maybe soon I'll be lucky enough to hear my granddaughter say, "Hi, Grandma. I can see you on the web."