Why have I been writing off and on about “guy stuff” all week? Well, it’s been on my mind, and here’s why. I’ve been getting ready.
Today, my first grandson was born. Here’s what a milestone he is:
- The first boy born into the family since my younger son, who is now 31.
- We’ve had eight wonderful, beautiful girls in a row in the meantime — my two youngest daughters, my brother’s two daughters, and my four granddaughters.
- My father had only one brother, who had no sons. Then there was my brother and me, and my two sons. And now my older son has a son, and he’s the only one in his generation.
- He’s the first boy in an even longer time on the other side of his family (the Herring side).
So you can see how I would be contemplating the nature of the male of the species, and trying to get my head around the concept.
We are excited. Excited the way we have been with every one of our grandchildren, only this time with a novel factor (for us).
Look at him. He’s a big boy, isn’t he? Look at those hands — I think he could palm a baseball. Unfortunately, I forgot to take one into the nursery with me (see how you can forget stuff when you haven’t had a boy in a while?). He’s 9 pounds, 7.5 ounces. A mannish boy. And dig that Kirk Douglas cleft. All the women who see him exclaim over that.
He will have all new stuff, unlike all the girls who had loads of hand-me-downs. We are not set up for a boy, but we will adjust.
His big sister, the super-articulate 2-year-old, isn’t entirely sure what she thinks. But I know she’ll love him, as we love her. He’s going to have her, and 6 girl cousins, hovering over him. But I think he’ll handle it OK.
We’re going to spend a lot of time with this guy in the days to come. And with our granddaughters, too, reminding them of how awesome and special each of them is.
This is going to be fun.
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Sure is a handsome fella. I’m sure he’ll look great in Seersucke diapers. Just kidding.
Awesome! Congrats on the first grandson. Here’s wishing you two many years of doing fun “guy stuff” together!
Mother’s doctor is Dr. Wpa???
So when does little Orangejello Warthen get to come home?
Oh, he’s got a much cooler name than that. But I’m not sharing it here until I can get him to sign a release.
I dislike the name “Orangejello” and summarily reject it. Brad would also probably not like the name “Espn” very much, even though it has a nice ring to it.
I suggest we have a naming contest.
Steven,
WPA stands for “Women Physicians Associates”
Congratulations!
Lemonjello???
My money is on whatever your real name is.
Silence, I suspect he’ll be named Npr long before Espn.
Just don’t name him “Nick or Nikki” though I hear Mason is popular.
Congratulations! A strapping lad.
Rusty Shackleford
Congratulations!
I would not assume, however, that his big sister will fail to “carry the name”…..
Good experiences and memories.
Very good news indeed, Brad:
“A baby is God’s opinion that life should go on.” – Carl Sandburg
Someday you may wish to acquaint the little guy with Sandburg (in Flatrock, NC). He also observed this:
“When a nation goes down, or a society perishes, one condition may always be found; they forgot where they came from. They lost sight of what had brought them along.”
Too many liberals (not yourself) subscribe mightily to a different author, A. N. Wilson, who observed, with obvious errors, I believe:
“The fact that logic cannot satisfy us awakens an almost insatiable hunger for the irrational.”
“
Wow, congratulations! Male species, represent! Boys are awesome. A handful, but awesome. Very happy for you and your whole family!
…lest anybody misunderstand me, of course girls are awesome too in their own way. But I can only speak firsthand about the Y chromosome types.
Brad – your father’s brother indeed had a daughter. Perhaps you meant to say he had no sons.
We are a family largely of females. It’s the Warthen Women hair, I think. It tends to take over.
PRECIOUS! Congratulations!
great article, and congratulations!
Congratulations! Sons born to sons are something special; grandparents want to see the family name continue. Unfortunately, my grandparents died before seeing their first grandson with the Hightower name. They had the odds stacked against them with nine daughters and three sons.
Congratulations! Our seventh grandson is on the way; when one of the two girl cousins heard it (six years old), her mom said she became really grumpy. When asked why, Jenna replied, ‘what do they want with another boy, they already have two!’
Congrats.
Congratulations, Brad.
Congratulations (likewise)! I only knew one of my two grandfathers but what I got from him was priceless.
Congratulations!
But why didn’t you give any of your girls baseballs…or basketballs, soccer balls, volleyballs, golf clubs, etc? Some of my fondest memories are playing sports with my Dad.
Congratulations on the grandson.
Congratulations.
I gave him TWO balls over the weekend. One was a softball-sized baseball, plush, with a rattle inside it. The other was a small version of those playground kickballs, covered with the Sun and the planets of our solar system. (His nursery is painted in that theme, with the whole solar system on the wall, even Pluto — his Dad is a lifelong Star Wars fan.)
At the same time, I gave his big sister two books — a Little Golden Book about the Wonder Pets, and “The New Baby” with the Berenstain Bears. (She already has a number of balls, cars, etc.)
Of course, there’s bound to be a moment when we’re reading “The New Baby” to her when she goes, “Wait a minute! This is propaganda…”
Cousin Allison, thanks for the correction. Obviously, it made no sense the way I had it, even for those who didn’t know better. I guess I was thinking “had a daughter but no sons,” but somehow it got tangled up and became “had no daughters.” It’s fixed now, thanks to you.
As an update…
The little guy went home yesterday, and seems to be doing fine, even though people keep coming around and bugging him and interrupting his naps.
He’s lost some of that weight he was born with, as newborns tend to do. No big deal. As the wrestling coach in “Vision Quest” — one of the best underrated movies ever — observed, he’s just wrung the water out of his system…
Here’s an updated picture.
Congratulations, Brad. I think he favors you.
Well, he certainly has my favor…