Yeah, yeah, it's not about presents and all that, but still... I mean, look at it!

Get anything interesting?

After a week away to witness and celebrate and recover from the birth of our daughter, today was my first day back at work. Something just felt different about coming back to an empty office. So quiet. When I was last there, it was business as usual, that old train moving at a decent clip. This morning, though...something was different. Everything was in slow motion. This was the first time in a long time that I'd made it to the office so early. Seven in the morning, to be exact, and not a person in sight. It gave me some time to think about things as I worked.

There's nothing like having a child to give you a new perspective on things. It happened with my son, and it's happening again. There's nothing old hat about it. In many ways, the experience of our daughter's birth was exactly the same as our son's down to the minute, only offset by about twelve hours. There was the same anxiety, the same worrying, the same excitement, the same joy. Everything that might make is seem like we'd done this before. But there was something different, a new factor that wasn't around last time--our son.

This goes out to my wife Carol. Today is her birthday, and although I won't disclose how many years it's been (apparently the ladies don't like when you do that), I have to express my love and dedication to her. And what better way to do that than for the whole world to see?

The love that I have in my heart for this woman is so intense that I wouldn't dare risk it for anything, nor would I allow it to fade or wither.

I used to mention her on this site from time to time. Then I got too busy to write about much of anything, and finally one day she asked me why I don't write about her anymore. I guess the truth was that I didn't have anything to say that I couldn't simply say to her directly. I mean, if I wanted to tell her I loved her, I could just go over and give her a hug and tell her so. And of course, there's that saying about how married folks just don't retain that magic, that sparkle. In a way, that might be true, but I think the most accurate way to describe it is that the magic simply becomes commonplace. You get used to it. So much so that you can take it for granted. You begin to lose that appreciation for it.

Until one day something happens that puts it into perspective, sort of a massive reset switch. I think the birth of our son Robbie had a similar effect on us, essentially forcing us to focus on each other and how far we've made it together. Like the old saying, nothing's worth having if you can't share it with someone.

We've been married for over four years (oh, how I never imagined I'd be able to say that) and one thing that I know for sure is that it hasn't always been easy. For the first year or so, we hit some bumps in the road and a major snag that--were it not for our love and dedication to each other--would have surely broken us apart. The truth is that we're so vastly different, in personalities, in tastes, in ideologies, that it's a wonder we even hit it off. While I tend to be more impulsive and erratic and even dismissive, she proudly lives by her sense of discipline and morals, sometimes bordering on self-righteousness. It would seem like the most unlikely fit, but somehow it all works out. Somehow, we came together in this great big world and found out that we were meant for each other. If there's one thing I do believe in, that's it.

One whole year.

Somehow, the past year has gone by faster than I could have ever imagined. Here are some images of our son's first year.

Beautiful, ain't he? I tell ya, it's something else...looking back on just the last twelve months and seeing how this little baby is becoming a little boy. They grow so fast. Sometimes you can't wait for them to learn and grow and other times you want them to remain the little person that you could almost hold in one hand. It's all part of life, I suppose. The world must progress—the key is to enjoying every minute of it while you can.

The day before (Valentine's Day) was long enough. My body dragging from only four hours of sleep the previous night, I still had to stop by the apartment and pack up some clothes before I headed over to my in-laws place for the weekend. After that? Well, I was completely expecting to settle down for the evening with my wife and maybe watch some television.

However, when I got there, it seemed the world had other plans for me. I walked in the door, bringing my clothes and things, glanced at Carol and stepped out to get more things from the car. It couldn't have been more than ten, maybe fifteen seconds. When I walked in again, all I remember hearing was two words. I don't remember how they were arranged or phrased, I just remember them darting through the air at me.

"Water"

"Broke"

In that instant, I literally felt a physical jolt, and from that point on, my arrival quickly turned into a second packing session. This time it would be clothes for Carol and things for the soon-to-be new addition to our family. A call was made to Carol's doctor, but I insisted that we should get moving, because things might start happening while we wait for a response. So, with bags packed, we were loaded up and off to the hospital, the two of us and my mother-in-law. At that point, my concern wasn't speed, surprisingly enough. It was more a case of containing myself, because after all, we were about to HAVE A BABY!!!