A Sure Thing

Life is full of uncertainty. We generally can’t predict the future. We all know this. However, that doesn’t stop some from offering a sure thing.

1. Facebook will double on its first trading day, because "it is the future". God forbid. (It was up less that one percent the first day, and lost value most of the first ten days of trading.)
2. The Broncos will win the Super Bowl, because of Peyton Manning's experience. (They may, just not in 2014.)
3. Rain will come to parched California. (But when?)

My experience is the more something is “for sure”, the less likely it will happen. Fervor seldom trumps causative factors. For example, my will (and hope) seem to have little influence on whether Cal wins or loses. (Here, I can predict a sure thing. My brother Jon will write some snide comment about Cal, but that’s genetic).

Despite the above, I can offer you a sure thing. More unusually, I can do so based solely on one first hand experience, and some prior watching others in the same situation.

You can’t help but love your grandchildren.

Carol and I waited patiently for grandkids, while friends were blessed with one after another. Some even had great grand kids! They shared photos, stories, and episodes of truly incredible events. At one Mother’s Day dinner, Carol told her boys “her biological clock as a grandma was ticking”. Fervor once again had no influence.

However, good things come to those who wait. On Halloween, 2013 our son Steve and his wife Stili gave the world Nikola. There has never been a better Halloween treat. We get almost daily photos, and recording of his cooing, giggling, and what ever. We can’t get enough.

The appeal is clear, he is a bundle of joy, change and contradictions, all in one.

Joy

It is hard to wake up some times. Yet, most mornings Nikola is beaming with smiles and cooing. Forget about it, after he has been fed, that is assuming he isn’t off to sleep.

He loves to snuggle, particularly wrapping those tiny hands around your neck. True bliss. I have discovered the melting point of an otherwise sane adult.

Change

He is so curious.  He loves to be toured around their apartment viewing all the pictures, paintings, and decorations. Books usually engage, at least for some time.

His features change ever so slowly. We see “huge” differences, even though we have been gone a few weeks.

Contradictions

He is a healthy young boy, nearly 16 pounds and 26” long at three and a half months. Yet his nose is the size of a small blueberry.  His foot is about the length of my index finger, but straighter.

He does get cranky, who doesn’t. Sometimes he reaches his wits end, and our world is filled with crying, frantic leg and arm movement, and anything else he thinks of. However, sooner or later he calms down, and usually transitions to sleep, often with a tranquil smile on his face. (Hint to new Grandparents, if all else fails run a hairdryer at a low speed in a dark room. It usually works.)

Still need convincing? Here is the clincher. I married a woman who grew up in sunny Los Angeles. A perfect day for her is to sit on the beach. Now with a good book, then with her girl friends, and boys that followed. She loves the warmth of the sun, and the calming sound of the tide’s ebb and flow. You get it, she isn’t a fan of the cold. In the past three months (read Winter) she has taken three trips to Cleveland. Last week she was there during one of the really cold spells in Oberlin.  Let it snow.

My job for the month of February is to assist as Steve and Stili manage their day jobs. They are such devoted parents, but have careers. Christine comes and helps seven hours a day, five days a week, and I do whatever is needed. All the while, the Little Prince dictates our every move. As I write, it is 11 degrees, yesterday it topped out at 16. Whatever. Let it snow.

As the doting grandpa, I take lots of pictures. Here he is from earlier this week. (If you would like the full ninety slide presentation, complete with sound track, let me know.)

Hey, you want a really sure thing? Buy stock in Southwest Airlines (LUV, $21.28). It’s the best way to get to Cleveland from the bay area. It is sure to double, maybe even this year.