The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Clearly, Everett is learning more and more about his new world with each passing hour. Some lessons are harder than others, and the fact that Everett has chosen to grapple with the age-old mystery of accepting the wonderfully good experiences along with their inevitable unpleasant partners, can only go to demonstrate his philosophical fortitude. After all, everyone at one time learns to accept the rain as well as the sunshine, their hours of sickness as well as their times of health, their productivity during toil as well as their pleasure during rest. In Everett’s case, he is currently learning to balance the joys of eating, his absolute favorite activity, against the evils of diaper changes, his most abhorred moments of the day.

It's a Big Ol' World

On Sunday, the first of October, Everett emerged from his tiny home inside mommy’s tummy into a large hospital room with warm blankets to swaddle his wiggling arms and legs, beeping instruments to monitor his well being, and nurses to diligently check up on his care every other hour. On Tuesday, however, his world became even larger as he was carried down a long corridor and into the bright sunshine. One last nurse checked to see if his parents had safely buckled him into his car seat, and then he was off, barreling down the road away from all the security he had found in his short three days of life. Before Everett could reach his snug and safe home however, he was about to receive his first hair-raising adventure in the wide-open world.

Very near to Everett’s house, a working train track occasionally delivered loads of bricks to the local brickyard. As Everett’s daddy pulled up to the tracks, the striped gate swung down and a loud warning bell started to clang. Everett’s daddy pulled to a stop and waited, but no train appeared. The next moment, the gate swung open, and the bell was silent. “I guess we’re not going to be stuck after all,” Everett’s mommy said cheerfully. Cautiously Everett’s daddy pulled forward and continued to scan the tracks. Just as the tires were inches from the metal rails, the bell resumed it’s clanging and a loud clunk on the rooftop informed them that the gate had once again decided to fall. Within seconds, the little red car baring Everett on his very first foray into the wide world was hemmed tightly in between a puffing locomotive and a long line of cars. And so, Everett received his very first lesson on the dangers of the wild outdoors on his very first foray into their vast expanse, although truth be told, he probably profited very little from this experience due to his rear facing car seat.

A Safe Bet

Shortly before Everett was scheduled to make his appearance, his mommy dined with his daddy, grandma, granddad, Aunts Amy and Ginger, Uncle Jimmy, and Cousin Donnie at a Chinese restaurant. When the meal concluded, a waitress emerged from the kitchen baring a tray of fortune cookies for the family. She placed one on the napkin of Everett’s mommy, went to move on, but then turned back, patted Everett from the outside and offered another cookie to his mommy. “For the baby,” she explained in broken English. Everett’s mommy cracked open the cookie and listened as Everett’s daddy read the fortune aloud, “Sometimes change is not only a part of life, but is even necessary for life.” Everett’s mommy had read enough hokey messages inside her cookies to avoid putting any stock in their mass produced wisdom, however, she couldn’t help marveling at the appropriateness of Everett’s very first fortune.