“You might want to put this on your shoulder,” I suggested, handing her a towel.
I’d had my share of little ones burping up their dinner on my shoulder. It was something that was best not learned the hard way. The first time Kyle did it to me, I about barfed on his head in retaliation. I smiled when she put the towel in place, and Coby rewarded her efforts thirty seconds later.
“Eww,” Tracy complained and handed Coby to me.
“You got her good,” I said, smiling down at my son.
I couldn’t believe that this little creature would grow up into a man someday. He just looked so tiny.
Yep, not done throwing up! I knew better. I took him to the bathroom and cleaned him up. When I came back out, Pam had doe eyes, and I just smiled at her.
“I have no idea what I’m doing,” she admitted.
“You should have seen David’s mom and dad when Greg was born,” Uncle John said. “I’d never seen two such confident people almost crumble with worry. I remember my mom telling them that people had been doing this for thousands of years, and somehow, they’d all figured it out. You won’t get it all right, but if you focus on loving that little guy, you’ll get most of it. The cool part is he has a couple of grandmas who love him to death and will be there to help you through it.”
“That, and if he gets out of control, we can just ship him off to his great-uncle for the summer,” I said.
Uncle John suddenly looked stunned.
“You don’t know how old that just made me feel. My brother has two kids who have kids. Dear Lord, I’m getting ancient.”
“Just think, when Aunt Bonnie has her first, he’ll be younger than all our kids,” I teased.
“There he goes again, being a Dawson …” Tracy smiled, “and just assuming they’ll all have boys. I can’t wait until you have a little girl.”
I gave her a mock look of horror.
“A little girl would run him ragged, and then he’d have a stroke when she started dating,” Pam predicted.
She was probably right. If I had a girl, she could wrap me around her little finger. She could also wait to date until she was thirty.
“I talked to your mom. I’m going to take Coby home until I go back to school if that’s okay with you,” Pam said.
“Of course it is. I want you to be around him as much as you want to be.”
“What about his Aunt Tracy?” Tracy asked.
“She can visit too,” I said. “Whenever she wants.”
The nurse came in and saw that Coby had fallen asleep in my arms.
“All done, I see. Let me put him down until he’s hungry again,” she said, taking him.
“Do you plan to continue to breastfeed him?” I asked.
“They told her that breastfeeding burns 500 calories a day. She wants to lose her baby weight,” Tracy supplied.
Breast milk was better than formula for several reasons. The biggest problem I saw was Pam wouldn’t always be around. She could, of course, get a breast pump and store her milk. I figured I couldn’t force her to do it, but I wouldn’t discourage it either. So I did a Dawson and shut up.
◊◊◊
When we got home, I agreed to meet with my friends with Uncle John. He helped me add to my goals. They now read:
Be a Good Father
Financial Stability
Physically Fit
Solid Moral Foundation
Healthy Sex Life
No Regrets
Make a Difference
Help Those Close To Me Realize Their Dreams
◊◊◊ Thursday April 14
After baseball practice, Fritz picked me up, and we drove to Hill Advertising. Adrienne had rented one of Mr. Hill’s studios for the photos. I walked in to Greg and Angie getting their pictures taken with Kyle, Mac, and Nate. I hadn’t realized everyone would be here for family portraits. While Greg’s family was being photographed, Grandma Felton was sitting with Grandma Dawson, having coffee. I smiled when Sandy Range walked in with her brother and Pam’s sister.
“Hey, stranger,” I said, giving her a hug.
We chatted until Jackie Chan, the photographer, got our attention.
“I told Mrs. Dawson I would take some family portraits. Mrs. Bell would like to get a group picture with everyone,” she announced.
Pam and her family were on the left. I noticed that they’d included Cal. I spotted Peggy and Little David and waved at her to join us. Jackie deserved a lot of credit for getting a good picture out of the mess that followed. It was like herding cats to get everyone in place.
I then wanted one with all the kids and me. Greg, Angie, Pam, and Peggy joined us. Then it was time for Pam, Coby, and me to have our picture taken.
Jackie had us do several traditional poses, and then she did some that were more fun. She put Coby in a football jersey and put black paint under his eyes. Pam and I received the same treatment.
