It’s been three months since our second daughter was born. On January 27, Lamorra Sage Day and her fiery red hair arrived in a hurry. We got to the hospital with plenty of time, and at first, things progressed smoothly — dare I say, normally. The nurses even dismissed me to grab dinner from the cafeteria — “we’ll need you to be in top form, so fill your stomach” they said. “There’s plenty of time.”
I was at the cash register buying a couple of bananas when my phone started to ring. At the top of the elevator, a nurse was waiting for me. “You need to run,” is all she said. In the delivery room, I washed my hands, took Hailey’s palm, and the doctor immediately said to me “OK, Dad, are you ready to announce the gender?”
What? Hailey was in active labor for 15 minutes. I was there for the final three.
No matter how much you want to lean on experience with a second child, they surprise you and throw you one curveball after another. She’s nothing like her big sister Varenna. Her surprising shock of red hair and her fiery cries when her tummy is grumbling have earned her the nickname Coppertop.
Varenna was a napper. Lamorra … not so much. Varenna was, and continues to be, tall and slender with legs that stretch on for miles. Lamorra charms with round baby cheeks and a compact frame that makes her easy to hold. Varenna grabbed my hand within a few days of being born. Lamorra is just getting around to it. But she seems to say “hi” and “mom” already.
Meeting her big sister, Varenna, for the first time.
And yet, for all their differences, my two daughters are remarkably similar. Their smiles and laughter can turn the mundane into a moment of pure enrichment. And nothing has been more satisfying to my soul than to see them interact with each other. It started with Varenna holding her for the first time, and has now moved to Varenna’s little performances for sister while she sits in the swing chair. “Dad! She smiled at me! … No wait, that smile was for you, Dad! And there’s another one!”
Having one daughter was a new experience. Girls are a rare thing in my family — on both sides. But having two daughters has undeniably redefined what the rest of my life looks like. Just how much compassion, fearlessness, cleverness and trust it will require, is something I cannot fathom now. All I can grasp are those milestones down the road: Seeing one graduate from college, then the other. Witnessing one get married, then the other. Watching one pursue a career with passion, then the other.
But for now, its all smiles, cries, diapers, feedings, more smiles and sleep. Gonna grab on and hold on tight. It’s going to go by quick.
