Happy Birthday "Lulu"!

Today, my daughter turns 10 years old. Oh my, where have those 10 years gone? My daughter, much like my son, was born in Las Vegas, and I can vividly remember that day like it was yesterday. My wife was nine days overdue in her pregnancy with our daughter. My wife’s doctor ordered her to the hospital for labor to be induced. We entered the hospital at 5:00 p.m. on February 9, 1998, and my daughter arrived 24 hours later. Those 24 hours were not exactly fun for my wife. My daughter was stubborn even in the womb and needed some coaxing to join us. The medication used to induce labor was taking its toll on my wife, and I remember being oh so powerless watching her deal with the complications of the medication. At one point, the doctor was ready to schedule a C-section because all of the normal procedures had been exhausted. At this point, my wife was asleep, and I watched (along with our dear friend who was there for some incredible support) the monitor go crazy in the next hour. The C-section was not necessary as an hour later my daughter was ready to enter the world and did so with a flourish. I was with my wife for the entire delivery, and I can still see my daughter as the doctor handed her to my wife for the first time. She was a perfect baby weighing in at 6 pounds 8 ounces and 19 inches long. As the doctor handed her to my wife, my daughter opened her big beautiful blue eyes for the first time, and our eyes looked on one another. This is all it took for me to experience unconditional love, and my heart melted.

My wife held our daughter for a few minutes. Then it was time for my wife to get some rest. I was fortunate enough to be able to give my daughter her first bath soon after this. She was and is perfect in every way. I bathed her and put on her first diaper along with just holding her. It was an amazing experience, and now 10 years have passed already. This was our first child, and we were both in awe. I must admit I did take over in the care of my daughter. When there was a 2:00 a.m. feeding, I was there with the bottle. I remember a few days prior to her first birthday watching her walk all by herself for the first time as I was “hanging out” with her in her room. (I always preferred to call babysitting “hanging out” with my children.) My daughter is an amazing person and has been a “daddy’s girl” ever since birth. I’m not sure of all the psychological reasons why fathers and daughters share a special bond, but I do know I share a special bond with my daughter. I did spend time with her when she was very young. My wife returned to work three months after her birth, and I would always pick my daughter up from daycare on my way home from work, which gave us time together.

It is hard to fathom 10 years have already elapsed. Certainly, many things have happened in these past 10 years, and here I am separated from her for the second birthday in a row. I did get the opportunity to speak with her today on the telephone. She is growing up so fast and speaks so eloquently. I wished her a happy birthday, and we chatted. In her own special way, she said, “Daddy, I have a question for you.” Then she proceeded to ask me what happens when I get out. I need to backtrack for a second. I have somewhat gone out of my way to not focus on my released date when speaking with my children, especially my daughter. I did not want to get her hopes up of me coming to New Jersey for a visit because I have no control over that; however, my daughter knows exactly when I get out and even has a paper link tree which my mother made. This paper link tree signifies the days I have remaining, and as each day passes, one link gets cut. My daughter informed me that I have 15 days remaining, which is correct. I did explain to her what happens when I get out, but I had to cut the conversation short hoping to pick it up later. I called back but was unable to get through due to the dreaded “billing block” on the telephone. I am hoping to get through later on.

My daughter is so inquisitive, and she knows exactly what is going on. She does seem wise beyond her 10 years, and I do look forward to sitting down with her for some in-person discussions. Today being her birthday does make me long to be with my family. Much like my son, my daughter has received her share of nicknames from me over the years, and Lulu seems to have stuck. So, happy 10th birthday my dear Lulu, and it won’t be long until I see her.

Is there anything remarkable that occurred in the past 24 hours? Probably not. The days have that rhythm, and last night was the usual listening to “60 Minutes” with my roommate. As I listened to the program, I had the opportunity to peruse the local Sunday newspaper. I was very surprised to see that Barack Obama had swept three primaries over the weekend in Louisiana, Nebraska, and Washington State. He is in a virtual tie with Hilary Clinton. On “60 Minutes”, there were some interviews with both candidates, and I am equally impressed with both. I have noticed a subtle change in the delivery of Mrs. Clinton’s words. She now comes across less threatening, and I found her speech eloquent. Mr. Obama is a powerful, articulate speaker, but he doesn’t come across as powerful in the one-on-one interviews. I found Mrs. Clinton came across better in the interview. It is shaping up to be a historic Democratic Convention this summer. I wonder if either one of them will garner enough delegates to secure the nomination before the convention. The way it is going, I would be surprised if there is a clear-cut nominee.

I went to sleep earlier than normal but had a hard time falling asleep. I listened to the “John Tesh” radio show as I tried to fall asleep. I finally fell asleep, and the early morning was upon us once again. This would mark the second-to-the-last full work week for me, and the way it is shaping up, these two weeks are short weeks. Tomorrow, apparently, the State of California employees celebrate Lincoln’s birthday, and next Monday, they also celebrate President’s Day. I will still clean the bathrooms on these two days, but it isn’t the same when everyone is out from the camp.

The early morning workout was one again excellent. The weather has certainly improved, and gone all the beanies along with the thermal shirts. It didn’t take long to get a good sweat going, and as usual, this time went by quickly. Yes, I have a little over two weeks remaining, and only two weeks remaining of the workouts with my roommate. I do so enjoy this part of the day, and getting up at the crack of dawn really isn’t so bad. The rest of the day was the usual, and I read more of “The Last Juror” by John Grisham. I am being patient with this book, but so far I am about 60% complete, and I am waiting for something to happen. The storyline is interesting, but it isn’t moving very fast. I did catch myself dozing off a few times as I read which is not a good sign. I am in no rush, and I am sure I will finish this along with one or two more novels in the next two weeks. I am grateful for the opportunity to catch up on all the good authors, and this has helped pass the time.