Father, Padre, Papa, Dad

I love how Abigail wears her CCNS art shirt so proudly and crosses her legs so sweetly.

How do you possibly know that the person you gaze upon at the other end of the aisle of an Outdoor Retail store (with a bad haircut mind you) is the person you’re gonna spend your entire life with?

How?

I walked down the aisle with my 14-year-old foster brother David of Sport Chalet looking for someone who would teach my deaf students how to rock climb. Michael was a signing rock climber. 

What are the chances?

Seriously!

However, there were a few things that required altering. He had a lot of satin shirts for one. You know … kinda a post disco look that needed to retire. Also, the Michael Bolton haircut that needed changing. Ummmm, oh yea, he had never vacuumed his bedroom floor since the day he had moved in. (a thousand pennies were strewn all over the floor)

But …

There was potential just the same!

Truth is, he helped me purchase a backpack and gear for a 3-week backpacking trip through Yosemite. He guided me through the entire purchase process. Before I knew it, we were on a date over his 30 min lunch hour for which we took 90 min.

What can I say?

He was charming.

Over the next seven years, we got engaged, married, moved to SLC, got jobs in alignment with our career path and started a family. Seven years can seem long but it felt like BAM, BAM, BAM!

My water broke two weeks early while Michael was working at the fire station. It was 4:00 am and although I begged the dogs to retrieve the land line phone for me, they did not comply. I remained in limbo for a long minute until I could get to the phone. I finally found a moment to call the station. They surprisingly sounded the alarm at the station. It was   4:20 am in the morning and I heard the Captain announce over the intercom, “Michael Conn, your wife is having a baby.” 

Instead of the adrenaline I was expecting, it seemed that  molasses had entered Michael’s blood system and the man couldn’t have moved slower. Even his speech over the phone was slow.

“My water broke. Please come home ASAP,” I clearly articulated.

Now, by this time in our birthing education, we completed  all the required classes and I knew-being my first baby-that the chances of a rapid birth were slim, BUT I had just released about two gallons of fluid and I was quite sure this was an EMERGENCY!!!!

PLUS, I felt like a beached whale and I did NOT want to experience childbirth alone.

“Please hurry,” I implored him.

“I’m on my way,” he responded in his molasses voice.

(geez)

Fourteen hours of labor and two hours of pushing later, Benjamin arrived!

The moment Benjamin was born our lives changed forever!

With some minor birthing complications, Benjamin was born with a fever and had to be admitted into the ICU for three days. While I stayed in the hospital, Michael ventured down the Avenues streets from LDS hospital toward our home to relieve the dogs. During this time, a Kenny Loggins song came over the radio.

He bawled all the way home.

Hawaii fun on the Big Island during my 50th birthday.

Abigail was born the day after Michael’s mother’s birthday. She was home with us in SLC at the time and took care of Benjamin while we were in the hospital. Abigail’s arrival was the opposite of Benjamin’s. 

She was taking her own sweet time. Reading a book. Watching a movie.

Upon delivery and when she lay safely in my arms, Michael called his mother from the bedside phone. Before he spoke, he warned all the nurses in the room, “I’m probably going to cry. Just giving you a fair warning.” As he proceeded to tell his mother that we had a baby girl, he indeed broke into tears. 

Once again, our hearts were full with the amazing joy of a newborn’s arrival.

A yearly tradition TO THIS DAY!

No caption required.

To all the fathers in our lives - May you feel loved and cherished.