15 years ago

I was coaching a JV soccer game (Derry vs Norwin).  It was Norwin’s homecoming game, and they thrashed both our JV and varsity teams soundly.  As the bus rolled back into the parking lot of the Derry Area High School, the head coach shooed me toward my car, saying that I’d better hurry home–my wife could be delivering the baby!  I didn’t think that we were that close, but I hopped in the truck and motored home.

When I pulled into the driveway, I noticed that Kim’s car was gone, all the lights in the house were on, and the back door was wide open.  I climbed the stairs and called for Kim–no answer.  I hit the button on the answering machine to hear this message:

Stacy!  It’s Mom!  Don’t go anywhere; I’ll be right there!

That was it.  Um, ok?  I didn’t quite know what to think, but I assumed that Kim had decided to have the baby a little early.  She had been at Derry’s Elementary Back to School night.  Kim taught first grade in Derry.  In fact, she had arranged for her sister to dress up in the Clifford the Big Red Dog costume to entertain her students while she talked with their parents.

I chuckled to myself as I imagined Kim being driven to the hospital by Clifford the Big Red Dog!

There was a second message waiting:

Stac, this is Kim.  I’m at the hospital.  Please grab my bag.  Mom went by the house on her way here, but all she brought was a box of twinkies!  Hurry on over…

Needless to say, I was off like a shot.  Our doctor didn’t seem to be in too much of a hurry.  In fact, he excused himself for about 30 minutes during the growing labor pains to go watch an episode of Seinfeld!

Several hours later we welcomed our first born, a son we named Levi Scott.  It’s hard to believe that this young man is the little baby who, just a few days later, would pee on my head as I bent down to grab a fallen diaper!  He’s grown into quite a young man.  Smart, funny, talented, sensitive, strong…man, 15 years have gone by so fast.