Frat House

About a week before Luca was born, I conducted a test of the emergency baby system. I called Steve at about 8:30 to see how fast he’d respond. But also to see if he wanted to get a beer.

No answer. The message I left was, “This is a test of the emergency baby system. You failed.”

However, Steve answered on the first ring when it was really Luca Time. And he basically offered to watch Elijah for the foreseeable future, including taking him to his in-laws for Thanksgiving. He also promised to bring along his favorite person in the world, cousin Finn. He saves his magic for game time. Practice is for bench players.

After the blessed event Wednesday night, Luca was exhausted and expected to sleep for 24 hours. And the hospital began pumping Diana full of Magnesium Sulfate (Or is it Sulfite? Weigh in, Jolene Hamann) for her Preeclampsia. Mag Sulfate (ite) is essentially a neurological inhibiter. Which essentially causes the symptoms of being at a Grateful Dead concert without the ability to do that dance where you swing your arms over your head. She was knocked out.

Given the choice between watching Diana become “The Walrus,” or going home for my last night of sleep, I chose sleep.

It was 11pm when I unlocked the front door. It looked as though a bomb went off in the living room. There were toddler clothes everywhere. Macaroni and Cheese was caked on every surface and a donkey was tied to the radiator in the kitchen.

Yet, all the beer cans were neatly stacked in the recycling bin.

Any worry I had that Eli would be sad while we were gone disappeared immediately. His uncle Steve knew how to show a good time.

The next morning, Finn woke me up and forced me upstairs to release Eli from his crib tent. Eli ran right past my outstretched arms and continued his fierce laser gun battle with his favorite person in the world.

Attached are photographs of Eli and Luca at almost the exact same time on Earth. Can you tell who is who? Eli’s the one who will refuse to take a nap 2 ½ years later.