My neighbor Christina has just come home from the
hospital with her
newborn son, Anthony Andrew.
Little Tony, as Chris and Andrew are calling him, is a living, breathing, squalling miracle of life.
You see, five years ago, after her fourth son Jeremy was born, Christina had a tubal ligation. Then she met Andrew, who had had a vasectomy several years before they met. They were both in solid agreement that no more kids was what the life plan called for.
Sometimes, life doesn't agree with what it is you think you want.
I remember when Chris found out she was pregnant, she was in a panic that Andrew would be pissed off at her and maybe leave. I told her "If he's pissed about it and leaves, he's not the father you want for your baby, anyways." She told him that night, and his reaction was to pass out cold on the living room floor.
When he returned to consciousness,he told her that he guessed God had different ideas about family size than they did, because any couple who is twice sterilized and still gets pregnant is obviously meant to procreate at least this one more time. They looked forward to their son's advent with joy.
Three days ago, Chris went into labor. They lost the baby's heartbeat several hours later and performed an emergency cesarean section. Little Tony was born slightly blue, eight pounds, two ounces, and squalling mightily within moments.
While the doctor was closing her incision he took a good look around in there and said that her tubal looked solid to him, he had no idea what might have caused her to get pregnant.
I know.
Miracles didn't stop happening when the Bible was finished being written.
Miracles happen all around us, every day. Most of them are so small that we don't even notice them. How many of us really realize what a miracle it is that our hearts keep beating or our lungs keep sucking in air?
Andrew and Chris got a big miracle. A beautiful, bouncing, beloved baby boy to join Chris's four and Andrew's two.
And Little Tony is the seventh son of a seventh son.
Don't tell me there are no miracles.
Welcome to the world, Anthony Andrew Quintanilla. You're beautiful.