He was away with grandparents, cousins and friends from Wednesday, February 8 - Saturday, February 11. Stacy and I only got to see him for just a couple hours each day while we were welcoming Lucy to the world.
Now, holding Lucy was equal to the experience of holding Rigby when he was first born. It is a feeling hard to describe watching the miracle of life come from Stacy’s belly. It is equally hard to describe the feeling having your family watch on when you walk out of the operating room with wife and newborn.
I went to pick Rigby up on Saturday afternoon at the Cope's house. My, had he grown in the past couple days. Just watching the new things he had absorbed and sentences that came from his mouth was amazing.
We left the Cope's and went to Target. Rigby and I had a conversation that is the best it can get between a 35-year-old and a 2-and-a-half year old. As we approached the Target parking lot, Rigby exclaims, "Daddy, we going to Target, I get pink icee, no, I get bloooo icee."
After buying an Icee, we strolled through the aisles and just talked about whatever came up or whatever was on the aisle. Rigby described things he saw, colors he knew and once stopped to tell me, "Daddy, I love you."
Rigby neared the end of his Icee, and handed me the cup, "You want some, there's more in it." The generosity of this child is awesome.
As we walked out of Target, a beautiful snow was falling. Rigby was so excited. "It is snowing at Target." Finally, Rigby told me that it was too cold and "we need get in car - that's you seat, that's my seat, you drive," he said.
In the car, Rigby asked me to play "peoples." I thought he was talking about The Beatles, but I did not realize Rigby was asking for a certain song - his own, Eleanor Rigby, which includes the line, "Ah, look at all the lonely people." After that it was Yellow Submarine, which Rigby sang the chorus.
Before going in the house, Rigby and I discussed the importance of taking care of Baby Lucy and Mommy and being gentle.
When we got inside, Rigby went to the bed where Mommy and Lucy were laying. Rigby climbed up the bed, laid his hand on Lucy's head, and said, "It's okay, Lucy home."
And so the next chapter in our life begins. Our son and daughter begin their lives taking care of each other.
The miracle that is our existence.
