Good morning, and happy St. Patrck’s Day… it is 17 March 2023, it is my nephew Keegan’s birthday, and it is the day after.
Evelyn Kay was born yesterday at 7:40 PM. Mother and child are doing well. She weighed in at a healthy 9 lbs, 20 inches in length, and the right number of fingers and toes. Lisa and I arrived at the hospital, and the other grandmother was there to let us know that she had been born and was doing well. I had to reset my phone to reconnect to the carrier to get my missing text messages, so we weren’t as up to speed on current events.
We spent a little time with Gracie and Austin, held our first grandchild for a bit, and then let them all get some rest. On the way home, our thoughts turned to our new roles as grandparents, and the usual questions came up between us. Evelyn is our first grandchild, and it could be a while before there are any others. Our oldest daughter doesn’t plan on ever having kids, and our youngest is 21 years old and is focused on school, no girlfriend, and it could be another decade before the thought even crosses his mind. On the father’s side of the family, she has a bunch of cousins all ready to take her into their warm embrace… and I hope she has a lot of fun with them as she grows up.
Evelyn is going to grow up in a different world than her mother did. Lisa and I were in our early thirties when we met and married, Gracie isn’t even 25 years old yet. Our oldest daughter was born less than two weeks after the passing of Lisa’s mother, and her father passed away a few years later when Gracie was just a couple of years old. I remember getting that call – I was in Germany when I received the news. Evelyn has more than a couple sets of grandparents, and we’re all a short distance away. My parents have had a presence in our kids’ lives, but they’ve never been right around the corner. Lisa and I were either in Wichita or Lawrence, always a couple hours away from the nearest family members.
So many thoughts running through our minds this morning.
I also realized that I don’t have a great deal of green clothing in my wardrobe appropriate for St. Patrick’s Day.
Anyway, I have a talk to get ready for… wiped out, didn’t sleep well with so many things running through my mind.
I hope the world is treating you better than you deserve.
Peace y’all.
