Six

Six years and about twenty hours ago we had no clue that this day would happen.

In fact, it was the Saturday night before. We hadn’t entirely unpacked from our trip to Orlando — where we had volunteered as staff for our annual youth group international convention for which we volunteer every year. socKs’s doctor said she could fly that week — and why not? She still had at least four more weeks to go. And we’re certainly not the type to be early for anything!  We had, however, gone to Home Depot — so we could finally paint the baby’s room. Something we wanted to do before he or she was born. (We still didn’t know.) We had taped up the molding already, getting prepared for a long day ahead of us for painting. Oh — and shopping for essentials. No way in hell we would be that frazzled couple who wasn’t prepared.

Sunday went slightly differently than planned.

I’m not quite sure how much of it I remember vividly, how much of it was a sleep-deprived blur, and how much of it was a euphoric high. What I do remember was that (a) I got an amazing parking space right next to the hospital in downtown DC, and (b) several hours later I was a Dad.  I even was able to cut the umbilical cord! It was a movement so meaningful and precise — something that just came naturally to me. Just as naturally as our Saturn SC-1 slid into that parking space on New Hampshire Avenue, NW betweem Washington Circle and I Street.

And now he’s six.  Can you believe that? Six.

He shares his age with the name of a character played by Jenna von Oy.

At first I couldn’t imagine him changing nearly as much as he did in his first trip around the sun. But every year he simply doesn’t cease to amaze me. Sure — he gets on my last nerve at times. He certainly tires out his parents.  But he’s also become this — this person. A lot of the time he just gets it. He certainly has a sense of humor not unlike that of myself and socKs.  He can be quite the serious little man at times. And at other times? He can have fun — whether with others or by himself.

Six years!  He’s been on this earth longer than that “Two and a Half Men” show. And hopefully he’ll remain so for much, much longer.

Happy birthday, Av. Thanks for raising us well. Keep up the good work.