Getting married the second time, I was quite surprised by how much compromise and adjusting was required - from both sides of the aisle. Mr. Second Husband was a good guy and an honest man and a smart cookie and he did his own laundry, but living with him day to day proved challenging. And according to him, I was also difficult to live with. That was a shocking tidbit, for sure!

And then one year after we were married, my middle daughter had her first baby - the first grandbaby in the family. My husband spent way too much money to buy a last-minute airplane ticket so he could join me in Illinois for a weekend. In short, he flew 1,000 miles to kiss the new baby. Me, the ultimate cheapskate, suggested that he save a few dollars and wait a few weeks to make the trek. He said it was important that he fly out there immediately.

“That’s just what families do,” he told me.

Besides, he added, he liked babies and wanted to hold a baby in his arms again.

And so it was that within 72 hours of the baby’s birth, Wayne held a brandy-new baby in his arms. And I managed to capture the image with my camera.

This is one of my favorite pictures of Wayne for so many reasons. Above all, it’s an important reminder that even when he leaves a sticky gooey spot on the kitchen floor for the 4,827th time, he’s still a keeper.  I’ve pasted a copy of this photo beside my red couch in my home office. That’s the room I retreat to when I’m so mad at him that steam hisses from both ears. He still drives me crazy on a semi-regular basis, but I can’t gaze upon this picture without smiling.  He’s a good man. He knows when it’s important to spend a few dollars. He loves family. He has a good moral compass. And he loves babies. Most of all, he loves his wife’s grandbaby.

Pop and Baby