Yesterday was an adventure for the old blogger although some would say the adventure is only beginning. And they would definitely be right because a baby was born and there is a little bed downstairs next to my flat screen 56 inch Samsung HDTV. This beautiful little bed will soon hold a 3-D living being complete with surround sound and no remote control.
My lovely wife’s lovely daughter, Stephanie, gave birth to a six pound boy around four am this morning. And while we have had many wonderful events like this in our family in the past including the births of six super grand kids this is the first one who lives in the area. And his mom will be going back to work. So at least a few days per week Kellan will be with us and B and I can be his adult supervision.
B and I never had children together. So I’m thinking this will be an opportunity for us to have a child although he will go home and the pressures will not be so great. Although if yesterday is an indicator I’m not truly sure. I’m having a little doubt as I sit here writing about it, imagining a tiny, animated question mark running around my desk and putting his little arms on his waist (the place between the curve and the period), rearing back and laughing in my face every few minutes.
I wonder what this could be about? Oh wait, I wanted to document what happened yesterday!

Never mind.

It started out very hot just 24 hours ago and we decided to go down to Virginia Beach for a couple of days and bring back B’s parents who have been down there this past week. So we packed up and were just heading out of Richmond when the cell phone went off and it was Stephanie letting us know that her water was doing something. I’m not sure what it was doing but she decided to go see her doctor and I, once again, began thinking about the wonderful waters of the Atlantic Ocean. I have had a really tenacious cold with lots of coughing this past few weeks. And I went to the doctor who recommended an antibiotic. What a mistake that was!! It just blasted every living organism out of my body and turned my insides into icky water. Thanks for making me so much more miserable Mr. MD! But we live, hopefully and learn and I had a vision! Your intrepid blogging buddy would be in his little LL Bean beach tent on the hot sands and in the wonderfully salt laden waters of the Atlantic for hours and hours! Giving birth to new and helpful bacteria! Marinating and then baking the little b-tards while at the same time burning off their worn out, lung infesting cousins (if there were any of them still around. Doubtful at best) and breathing in the fresh salt air. And then baptizing himself in the cool waters every so often, slowing sinking down into the silent depths while the clouds shifted above in a happy dance.

But, as I said, the cell phone rang and then it rang again as we raced towards the seashore. We were in Norfolk at the time and B answered it. There was more discussion about water, but it quickly became clear that our tide was heading in an different direction. And B told me that we would just be making a pit stop at the beach. Then we would be loading up the car with parents and things and heading back home. Immediately. And she was excited. I could see that. So what was I to do?
We arrived at the beach and I parked the car and went around the side of the building to look at the ocean for a moment. Any second Aphrodite would appear, I imagined, as a hefty, old guy with his cooler and a ratty aluminum chair trudged towards the beach. Neptune had arrived!
And then it was time to head for the elevator, load some stuff and beat it back up the sweltering highway. On the return trip, now in two cars, B and I rang each other and talked from time to time about “news”. We talked about Stephanie going to the hospital and centimeters and arrival times. We hauled it back to Richmond and dropped off her parents. B went straight to the hospital and I went home to wait with the dogs. Day turned into evening and evening turned into night. Sleep really wasn’t much of an option between the coughing and the phone calls back and forth.
Then around four am as I said earlier a new soul arrived! And he became part of our family in an instant. After a few minutes reflecting on this I gave up the notion of sleep completely and made some coffee. Then I went out on the deck, as I often do, to welcome the early morning light.

There are large oak trees to the east in our yard where the sun rises and usually the light plays with mists rising into the air through the shadows as the birds gather their songs to welcome the new dawn. And this morning there were many souls sitting high in the branches and around the flowering bushes smiling as I quietly opened my heart to the new day and our new child, Kellan.
We will all watch over him and help him on his way.
Kellan.
Blessed child of the sky and the sea.
Gemini. Descendant of the bright-headed one.
One of us.
Welcome.

PLAY
My Heart Will Go On / James Horner/ Titanic

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