Bailey Turns 4 Years Old!

I am proud to say that today marks the anniversary of one of the proudest days of my life. It was on February 1, 2007 that I became a father for the fourth time, at the age of 50. Yep. Today is my little girl's fourth birthday. She younger than my grand children and is 25 years younger than one brother and 28 years younger than the other. Odd, huh? While I am up way too early, Bailey is sound asleep upstairs, her torso on the mattress of her toddler bed, her legs and feet hanging off the side. That child always finds the damnedest sleeping positions. Hell, if I thought I could sleep half as good as she does in the various states of contortion she ends up in, I'd give it a try myself. But,I digress.

Hello World

Bailey came into this world as silent as a church mouse, not a peep from her as I held her when she was a few seconds old. Did I mention that I was in the delivery Room when she was born? I was there with the whole event happening before my very eyes in living color. Doing that sort of thing today is common place. Guys see their kids born all the time, but that wasn't always the case. I saw my oldest son born in 1979, and all my friends held varying opinions of whether I was drunk (no, I wasn't) or crazy (yes, I was and still am). Back to Bailey...she was three weeks early and still weighed 8 lbs. 10 oz.! If she would have gone to term, the Doctor said she would have weighed almost eleven pounds! Today, as she hits her fourth birthday, she is built and acts just like me. All 3' of her is as mean as an acre of rattlesnakes when she gets mad, but otherwise she's a hilarious kid. Her comedic timing is better than any kid I have ever seen. Sometimes to her detriment.  Just ask her mother.

My other daughter, Isabella is now 8 years old and is "too old" to be Daddy's girl most of the time, but she still has her "Daddy moments". Unfortunately, Justin Bieber, school, Girl Scouts and little boys take up most of her time these days. But, Bailey still finds time to play and laugh with me despite her burgeoning independence. That makes me happy. Although I am considerably older than most fathers of four year olds, I can still muster up enough of the kid in me to to goof off with Bailey. For that I am grateful.

Daddy's Girl

As we celebrate her birthday today, Bailey is, right before our eyes, going from a toddler to a full fledged kid a little more each day. It's a blast to see what new stuff she comes up with every day, but it saddens me that she won't always be the rambunctious little girl I'll see in a couple of hours. She's growing up and I am growing old. Ah, but such is life. Dammit.

I thank God each and every day that he has blessed me with my Way-ba-boo-boo. I thank Him that she is healthy. I thank Him she is goofy as all get out, but I thank Him mostly that she is my little girl.