Week 0 - My Little Sunshine

Happy birthday beautiful!

Three days ago on November 30th, 2018, my daughter Summer Mae Hardy was born shortly after 12pm at Samaritan Regional Hospital in Corvallis, Oregon. This was a bit of shock to Kimbre and me given that she arrived a full month in advance of her original due date. Still, it's hard to beat that overwhelming surge of emotion that comes with seeing your child take their first breath as they enter into the world for the first time. It's a kind of instant, unconditional love that warms every part of your body and soul.

Newborn picture

From my experiences raising Jay IV thus far, I've learned that there is very little that is more disruptive to a treasured and comfortable routine than the having to suddenly care full time for a newborn. One thing that helped me process all the joys, frustrations, and blink of the eye changes four years ago was the weekly blog I kept titled Fourth Time's the Charm (below is a link to the first entry in Jay's blog if you are so inclined).

https://4thtimethecharm.blogspot.com/2014/12/exactly-ten-days-ago-my-son-jay.html

This is the second iteration of that blog, this time dedicated to Summer. As before, my plan is to update at least once a week so I can use this platform as a sort of diary documenting how both she (and I for that matter) change and grow from week to week, month to month, year to year. I made it a full year with the blog the first time. Hopefully I can keep it up here as well.

First photo as a family of four

There's a lot that I could say about my experiences in these early days with Summer. But to me, one of the most interesting and unique things about her early arrival in this world is that it meant she was born on my birthday. It's kind of silly, but it means a lot to me that I get to share this special day with her, since I already get to share my name with baby Jay. Every year, for the rest of our lives, when November 30th rolls around, I will get to relive a sense of connection with Summer as we celebrate together.

Ready for the terrifying 10 min drive home from the hospital

Because it was my birthday, Kimbre let me pick her name. I had been lobbying for the name "Summer" for months, because I loved the irony of naming a little girl born on Christmas after the warmest season of the year.

Meeting her brother

However, my desire to name her Summer goes beyond a silly joke. I loved Summer as a name because of the way it makes me feel. For those that aren't already aware, the winters in Oregon are dreary, cold, and wet. However, for me, the summers here make it all worth it. They are filled with sunshine, long days, wine, light breezes, good friends, aromatic beer, colorful hills, waterfalls, blooming flowers, and sweet smelling air. They promise adventure, relaxation, and overall general well-being. In the time that we have lived here, the promise of summer just around the corner is what has kept me going through winters filled with seemingly endless darkness and grey.

The promise of who Summer can become makes me feel the same. I love her so much. I want the world for her. I want to enable her to be whatever she wants to be. I want to fill her with the same deep, enduring, love of life, that her mere existence provides to me. I want to dance with her at her wedding. I want to be there as she celebrates the fruition of a long strived-for life goal. I want to help her find happiness in this world. Like the winter, there will always be days of darkness and sadness in our lives. But at the end of that long road is the promise, like the promise of summer in Oregon, that before too long, things will get better. Summer is just around the corner.

God willing, I hope the same is true for my beautiful little girl. 

A long beautiful life filled with happiness and sunshine.