At the end of my previous post "Everything Changes" daughter Christine had arrived in the world and made her way to our baby Ford home in West Dearborn. We spent September introducing our little bundle of joy to her new digs and to our family and friends. She was a big hit. In this first pic she is meeting her Aunt Barb and cousin Matt.
In the shot below she is taking in the happy visage of her "Uncle" Bob. No relation whatsoever but bound to the family as he was the best man at our wedding (for a few more shots of this colorful character, check out my initial Memory Lane post from October of 2012).
Another early acquaintance was Jamie, Ted's other baby sister (six-months old) by his mother and her new husband. Here's the first pic taken of this interesting sibling relationship during an extended family visit. As you can see Jamie was a little ahead of Christy in her posing skills.
In her third week we took Christy to a gathering at my parents' home in Linwood, just north of Bay city, to meet more of the family. It was a pleasant fall weekend, and we celebrated our new family member with a picnic in my parents' sprawling back yard. Attending in addition to my folks were my brother Jeff, his bride Sue, my sister Cindy and her boyfriend Mitch. Here we are gathered under the tree enjoying each other and the menu.
In this shot Nancy and Cindy are trying to resolve a slight disagreement between Ted and Jeff and Sue's daughter Dee Dee over a hammock issue.
Looking on are my parents, Wendell and Dolores.
I had the good sense to seek shelter in my Dad's garden until the dispute was resolved.
The storm having passed, we returned to normal picnic behaviors as shown in this pic of Ted with Uncle Jeff and Aunt Sue.
During the weekend Aunt Sue, who is an accomplished craft master, gifted Christy with her first dress - a snappy crocheted number which was met with delightful approval as shown below.
Nancy took a little quiet time in the kitchen with her curious and (usually) happy little girl.
Of course, a little father-kid bonding broke out from time to time.
October saw a continuation of the Christy welcome tour. Nancy, having navigated the birthing adventure with aplomb was sporting a new look. She had begun her curls period. I think my first reaction went something like, "Stylish. Different. But very stylish". I have to admit, it grew on me.
Christine was also being introduced to a new look. Subtly, a plot was being hatched. Judging by the tuition we eventually paid to good old MSU, I would say the plot worked.
In early October we attended the annual LeRoy birthday party. All four members of Nancy's immediate family were born in October, her mother Marge and brother David on the same day - the 5th. So it was customary to have one large family gathering to celebrate all. This provided an opportunity for Christy to meet the matriarch of the family, Nancy's maternal grandmother Edna, lovingly referred to as Nana. Here is a shot of that event. Christy took it all in stride.
And Grandpa Rae is deep into his picture-taking duties. As I recall in those days there was a lot of consternation about flash and F-Stop settings. Thankfully, it always seemed to work out.
Wined, dined, plied with ice-cream and cake, and thoroughly gifted, the birthday party attendees all seem to enjoy the party. Here's Nana, in her 97th year, enjoying a quiet moment among the hubbub.
And Rae, hosting tasks behind him, smiling ever so slightly as a pleasant post-big-dinner drowse overtakes him. I love that feeling
Here is a pic of the four generations of women together for the first time, with Ted joining in. If you look closely at the kids you can see the effect that spending a whole afternoon dressed up and listening to adult-speak typically has on them.
Of course, cake and ice cream were involved. Here Brian is assisting his dad and grandma with the candle ritual.
Here's a final shot from that afternoon with Nana and her first three great grandchildren. Many stories to come about this triumvirate.
In mid October we took a short trip to Toronto to visit cousin Lynne for a few days and introduce Christy. Not many pics were taken during this trip, but there were a couple of choice ones. First this shot of our dog Heidi, who didn't get much attention in those early days of parental preoccupation. But she was always around. Here she's lounging in her travel bed, just happy to be included.
Here's a shot of me that I refer to as my "itinerant ski bum" look. You know, the type you see sitting by the fire in the lodge after a hard day on the slopes, sipping single malt scotch, and regaling a gaggle of ski-bunnies with stories of derring-do.
No wait. That was a dream I had. What I'd really been doing was this.
But, the best pics from the trip were these - a roadside "emergency" event on the way home.
Halfway between Toronto and Motown, Christy had what we call in the trade a "blowout" diaper. So with the can-do attitude of a new mother, Nancy leapt into action. Probably not the first time the hatchback of a Chevette was used as a changing table, but it was the first time for us. My job was to capture this (hopefully) rare event for posterity. So, here it is. Destiny fulfilled.
Mother and daughter resumed traveling in comfort and in short order we were across the border and back safe at home.
As the rest of October unfolded, Christy spent most of her time smiling and entertaining herself. Here is a typical pose.
She was attended to by our small cadre of dedicated care givers. Here's Heidi taking an afternoon shift.
Occasionally we would strap the baby into what passed for "safety" equipment in the '80s and go for a spin. I believe these old car seats were all confiscated and burned by the government years ago.
Meanwhile, I sacrificed time and dignity to the manly art of nursery wallpapering. I admit my completion date didn't quite jibe with the original plan (prior to baby's arrival). In my defense, it should be noted that my day planner habit had not yet emerged.
Our decor challenges didn't seem to bother the new tenant. She's always been very tolerant.
Before too long, Halloween was upon us and attentions turned to what even in 1981 was the Number 2 day in the kid year. Christy was oblivious to the nuances of the holiday, but she did take readily to one new friend.
Ted, of course, was in his Halloween prime. As a designer.
And as a field team member. Good lookin' kid.
With Halloween in our rear view mirror, the "New Kid in Town" tour gave way to plans for the holidays. We'll share that story in my next post.
Grosse Pointe Charles
