Today at 7:21 pm marks the 5th anniversary of the day my precious, precocious and adorable little gamer-in-training was born.  Five years ago today I was unshaven, lounging around with my very pregnant partner in a Superbowl tee shirt and a pair of jeans when what we thought were some Braxton-Hicks contractions started, and we packed lightly and headed off to the hospital near us.  Since my child was a breech baby, we knew that we would be a C-section birth and the date was scheduled for Nov 16th or 17th I believe, and we simply assumed we would have a quick check-in at the hospital before heading back home to wait some more for our new family member.

Nope.  After checking my wife out, the staff informed us that there was no reason to wait, they were going to perform the surgery and we were going to have a baby right then and there.  It’s odd, but I can recall thinking how absurd it was to have the baby that day; I hadn’t shaved and wasn’t dressed for a birth.  That was my shock and reaction at the notion that I was going to be a father, and that even though I felt we still had time, life had reared it’s head and once again asserted itself as the random and wondrous thing that it is.

I cannot for the life of me remember how long it took, or what was said, but I can recall nervously flirting with the nurses, hiding as low and far as possible behind the surgical sheet they had up over my wife, and flatly refusing to cut the cord when offered the chance.  I’m squeamish, all right, and I didn’t want my first interaction with my child to be one of cutting, horror, blood, or anything else.  I just wanted to have a healthy wife, a healthy child, and get back home where I could try and let my mind absorb the immense change before us.  Our simple existence as two people cohabiting in peace and success was about to get rocked by a crying, tiny human being who would soon asset itself as Lord and Master of it’s domain, which included both my time and energy from what I understood from books and movies and classes.

Later that evening when I held my daughter, Kayleigh, it dawned on me that maybe this is what life is truly about; a chance to raise and form the next generation of Human being.  To teach her what I know, to learn alongside her the things I don’t, to share in an experience of partnership and growth with my wife as we do the absolute best we can to impart this tiny person with the values, strength of character, knowledge and independence required to succeed in life.  Heck I’ll even encourage her to explore her own spirituality and discover for herself if she will follow a particular Faith or belief system.  I just wanted her to live, to be healthy, and accepted her as the most important thing in my life at that point, and realized everything I did from that moment forward would be to impart to her what she would need to survive and prosper in the World.

 

And hey, even if I fail, I can cheer for her as she makes the fries, cause somebody has to do it.  🙂

Five years later and I am so very proud to see the polite, charming, kind person my daughter is becoming.  She has followed in my footsteps and begun a journey in French Immersion schooling, and it makes my heart FEEL so very much when the Teacher tells me how proud my daughter is that her Daddy can speak French too.  She plays with My Little Pony and Batman, Wonder Woman and Superman at the same time.  She knows which characters belong in the Justice League, and knows how to make the web-spinning hand gesture of Spider-Man.  She has been Wonder Woman, Spider-Girl and Batgirl for Halloween.  She has learned to balance on a bike, she plays well with other kids, she understands that sharing is important both at home and when playing at others’ homes.  She loves to laugh and giggle, and her uncontrollable laughter is the absolute best thing in the world, when it infects my wife and I have a home filled with love and laughter.  I cannot recall what life was like without her in it (Okay that’s a lie, but today I am going to pretend I cannot recall those free days) and cannot imagine what a tiny and pathetic heart I had before it was filled with love for this child who makes me smile every single day of my life.

Free Comic Book day is ours to share together, as are lazy mornings in front of the television and bedtime as we lay in her bed and read stories.  There is so much to be thankful for all year long, but today is maybe the most important day of the year for me because I get to be thankful to my wife for bearing this wonderful child for 9 months and bringing her into our lives.  I also get to be thankful for the amazing person that is Lil’ Miss Blade: my daughter, co-conspirator, Mummy-tickler, beer fetcher, hand-holder, knowledge seeker, and the single most important thing I will ever have done in this life.

Here’s to you Kayleigh:  You’ve given us so much already in 5 years that I never thought I would have, and I want to return the favour a thousandfold over the rest of your life.  Daddy loves you darling, and always will.

 

– NB