Noah's Spark

Happy third birthday (that's "this many" *holds up fingers*) to my nephew Noah, the most awesotastic nephew in the whole world (at least until his little bro Caleb develops his own personality and gives him a run for his money). Since my sister and her family are in Austin now, I won't be there for the actual day, but I will get to see him on Sunday on the way back from TMEA. As I've said in previous posts, he's really entertaining right now as he's starting to carry on conversations (with either you or himself), and he's a total ball of energy.

Though I'm missing the party, I did send him an iCard this morning. I thought this particular card was appropriate, since it looks a bit like him when he totally destroyed his birthday cake a year ago.

Since I wasn't a blogger three years ago, I'll recount the story of his actual birthday: I was in San Antonio for TMEA; my sister and her family were still living in Dallas at the time, so not only was I going to be an uncle for the first time, but it was all going to happen nearby. I had explicitly (and jokingly, of course) told my sister not to have him during TMEA, but you know how much babies cooperate in matters like that. Besides, he wasn't due for a few more days, so I figured I'd be back in time.

Saturday morning dawned without me. Friday night is always the UNT reunion at TMEA, followed by the Sinfonia sing, which doesn't let out until midnight. After that, it's usually a trip with the alumni bro's to Durty Nelly's or somewhere else along the Riverwalk. I didn't have anything until the All-State Jazz Concert at 11, so I was sleeping in.

The silence was broken by a ringing phone. I reached over and grabbed for it, said "hello," and....nothing. Total silence on the other end. Dangit...wrong number? Why would someone call the wrong room at a hotel?

A few minutes later, it rings again. "Hello?" (silence) "Hello, is this thing working?" Nothing on the other end. James, my Sinfonia bro who was rooming with me down there that year, said "just unplug it," which sounded like a good idea at the time. Sleep resumed.

When we woke up an hour later, the message light was on. I plugged the phone back in (which seemed to fix whatever the problem had been before) and called the message center. For some weird reason, the automated system told me I had to call the front desk for my message, which I did.

The clerk took a second to find the message; she said "Hmm, Room 322, let me see...oh yeah...your sisterhadherbabycallyourmom!" Yes, that fast. The news of my uncle-hood arrived by someone who could have done a FedEx commercial.

Of course I called Mom, and my sister herself later on, and it was really cool. I didn't get to see his first day of existence, but I was there the following night. I have to say, it was awesome--maybe even a little weird, since I knew my sister when she was a baby and now she'd gone and had one. I just sat there for a while, transfixed; I couldn't take my eyes off the little guy. It just hit me that this was life--a new life--and my sister had helped in the process. I was truly awestruck.

In the years since then, he's turned into quite a cute one, with a sweet personality (of course I don't have to change him, heh). I can't wait to see him on the way back from TMEA.