Journal Entry from 2/13/2012

On this day, 13 years ago, my oldest daughter was born. 1 of 2 for those geeks amongst us. She had already stolen my heart by that time. A little back story….

By June of 1998, my wife and I had been married for 6 years. We had been trying to have kids for probably 5 of those. We went back to D.C. to visit my wife’s brother and his family and to go through the temple out there.

When we got back, my wife of five years was just not bouncing back from what I had assumed at the time was just jetlag. As I would later describe to friends, she would sleep 10 hours and then get up and take a 2 hour nap. I was getting concerned. I encouraged her to go see a doctor and finally, reluctantly, she agreed.

Of course, given her symptoms, the first question the nurse asked was ‘could you be pregnant?’. My wife and I sadly explained to her what we’d explained over and over to friends; we could not have children. The best doctors in the valley had done their testing and trying and suggested that adoption was going to be our best hope.

Not to be deterred from her duties, the nurse told us that given my wife’s symptoms, she needed to do a test regardless. We told her that was fine; but, I added, if she was pregnant, I was buying gold plated cigars.

The nurse and my bride wandered off to do their test and a short time later my wife returned and we sat and waited for yet another painful reminder that we were childless.

I don’t remember the nurses face, but I can remember the tone of her voice when she poked her head in and asked….”So mommy and daddy, where is my cigar?”

We were needless to say, quite stunned and she sent us out to the women’s health clinic to verify that everything was ok.

An internal ultrasound later, we were ecstatic and terrified and thrilled and scared. We didn’t know whether or not to trust it; but from that moment on, I was in love with that little tadpole. For truly, that was what she looked like at that point.

Roughly nine months and a whole lot of nachos and walnut Blondie’s later, my angel was born. 19″ and 6 lbs 11 oz. She was perhaps the most beautiful creature I’d ever seen. Shrivelled and messy though she was.

Thirteen years later and she still holds the title of one of the most beautiful creatures I’ve ever seen.

Happy Birthday Princess. You’ll always be my miracle baby and the greatest surprise a guy could have. You were not planned but you were so very wanted.

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