First Daughter Day

Photogenic From the First

My wife took me to task yesterday because our jointly operated fantasy football contest was winning handily. She said we shouldn’t be so ruthless, especially since our opponent was the Cali-Daughter who is a  birthday girl today! We had a nice long conversation with said progneny bemoaning her fate that she came up against us when Andrew Luck finally decided to escape negative territory. She spent the weekend going to baby showers, including one for herself.

The Current View (dark Blue Dress near Center) Yesterday at one of the Showers

First Birthday Party

It’s times like this that I feel the distance between us (at least geographically) more profoundly than usual. Birthdays are a big deal for me, especially when it’s one of the kids. As age descends on me in no mean amount some memories fade but I can clearly remember her actual birth day. Her mother spent over twenty hours in labor before the decision to go with a C-section. A day spent in increasing anxiety and tension ended most abruptly as I was sitting in a waiting room outside the OR with my mother in law. Out came my first born in a plastic cradle enroute to wherever they send newborns for processing. The nurse stopped by to introduce us and I experienced a feeling of such overwhelming power. I realized later it was the seismic shift every parent experiences.

That Would Do It

Taking Her First Steps to a Much Skinnier Version of me at Ft Benning

Who knew as I looked down on that sweet little girl (whom her grandmother thought had very large feet) that I was meeting the future author of so many of the signature moments of my life. Watching her grow into the headstrong, beautiful, accomplished, and thoughtful woman has been one of the defining measures of my life. She and her brother are a never ending source of pride and outright consternation that I had anything to do with creating such awesome people.

She Always throws Everything She Has Into Her Efforts

One of the items uncovered with our Saturday adventures in the basement was the baptismal gown my daughter used all those years ago. It had yellowed a little with age but my wife spent yesterday restoring it to its pristine white. No idea if it will ever be used again, that’s for the next generation of parents to decide but at least it will be ready.

When my wife wasn’t berating me for destroying our first born in fantasy football she sat with me to watch the Patriots dismantle their latest opponent as Brady continues his remorseless revenge tour. My sister would be upset if I didn’t mention at this point that she and my brother in law’s team remain the only unbeaten team left, having vanquished the heretofore juggernaut that is the Cantankerous One.

Along with seemingly the rest of the world we were out in the front yard last night with the next door Mafiosos for the Red Super-Moon (or whatever the proper nomenclature is). This generational event won’t be seen again for a long time and for that reason alone it was cool to watch the moon slowly succumb to shadow. It made me think what primitive societies thought thousands of years ago when they saw something like this happen. I wouldn’t want to be the guy walking by the odd sacrificial temple when it did. 

We stayed up until mid-night so we could sing Happy Birthday to the Cali-Daughter at midnight. We figured it counted since it was September 28^th on our side of the continent. If you’re reading this today – Once Again – Happiest of Birthdays fellow reader of too many books – we love you!!!! (beyond words)

Hope Your're Smiling Again Today