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Hey Dad,

Things are strangely quiet around here. If all goes according to plan, we should have a baby by next week. We've cleaned the house, packed the suitcase, and stocked up the kitchen for my mother-in-law, who will be helping in the transition.

We even had two birthday celebrations in the last two weeks: Kat (7) and Sam (9). We decorated the dining room table, got out the "you are special" plate, did two scavenger hunts, went to Chuck-E-Cheese's for Kat, and bowling for Sam.

Have you ever watched five kids under ten bumper-bowl? It looked more like pin-ball than bowling. You could read a small novel in the time it took Abe's (2) ball to travel the length of the alley.

Actually, I made a tactical mistake in birthday celebrating a few years ago. I set the bar too high. Now the kids expect decorations, scavenger hunts, and day-long celebrations. If we had been smart and just thrown a gift in a sack and stuck a candle in a Twinkie, things would be a lot easier around here five days out of the year … what am I saying? We're about to give birth to another birthday party.

Truth is … I like big celebrations. I want the birthday boy or girl to know from sun-up to sun-down that they are special, and that we are thankful that God placed them into our family, making it a day worth celebrating.

But, that's all behind us now, and everything is quiet again. There's nothing between us and baby Maggie … or Jacob. (Except several hours of excruciating pain and horror … it'll be rough on my wife too). I can't help but wonder what this next child will be like. I know he/she will bring more joy and consternation than I can imagine. I will teach him/her about God's love, and he/she will do the same for me.

I guess that's why I do the big birthday thing. These little humans are the best thing that ever happened to my wife and me. And that calls for more trips to Chuck-E-Cheese, the bowling alley, and whatever else I can concoct!

That's all the news from my house. We'll see what God brings our way. Hey, if you have a birthday celebration coming up, make it a good one!

You 'da dad!

©Copyright Todd Wilson, 2004. Used by permission.

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