Double birthdays

Baby Steve with his mom in the summer of 1953

The birthday boy Oliver with his brother Daniel

A recent picture of Oliver

Oliver doing what he likes to do the most: dig dirt

What better present to receive than what Steve did 4 years ago today but a healthy, beautiful grandson?

I got the phone call early the morning before that maybe Shanna was in labor, she wasn't sure. Plus it was 2 weeks before her official due date and she felt she would go past it. Fortunately my car was already packed with the baby equipment that her sister-in-law was lending. I had Steve gas up the car while I hurriedly packed and made coffee. It was the one day it didn't snow not even in the lake effect areas and the mountains in my path. I kept myself awake learning Italian. Twelve hours and 750 miles later (yeah I drove fast stopping only for gas and to pee), Shanna still was wondering whether she really was in labor. She hadn't bothered to pack for the hospital.
What are you waiting for?
From her south-east facing apartment, we could see the downtown Boston skyline. There was fireworks that night. Cool. As soon as I started to take a nap, the contractions started to intensify and off to the hospital we went around midnight. At 4 or 5 centimeters, she was in active labor.
Early in the morning, Oliver came out screaming and kicking by C-section. It was not determined that he was in a frank breech position until Shanna was getting ready to push. Very, very annoying that the midwife never checked by ultrasound what was going on. But the baby is what is most important, not the delivery.

Oliver is a budding engineer with his building projects. A cheap thrill is to take him to see construction equipment, preferably in action. Firetrucks are very fascinating to him too. He likes to spell words and at a very early age, could identify letters and the sounds they make. What he does not like to do is sit and eat. He wants to be on the go.

For my more local birthday boy, I am making his favorite dessert, cherry pie. He does not like cakes or hardly anything sweet for that matter but cherry pie, he'll eat.