Ted, Ted, Ted

Auntie Frances just got out of the hospital the other day, and is still required to take it easy. In the meantime Gerry (Mary’s brother) has been having to run things himself, making sure James and Oliver get fed, changed and held and comforted and so on. These are of course the conditions — sleep deprivation, pressure, anxiety, noise — that show you what you are made of. I gather that Gerry is finding out he’s made of heavier material than he suspected. He’s had lots of backup from the family, and some professional child care help too, but in the end he’s had to rely on himself pretty hard, and he has pulled it off with some style so far. I’m one of the lucky dads, the kind whose kids arrive calmly, almost casually, get under way without many big crises, rarely calling on me to do anything more heroic than show up, so I make these observations as if from the bleachers, watching Gerry knock balls out of the park.