Spare Change

Kaylyn, by Any Other Name

Posted by Bryan

Today, my oldest daughter celebrates the seventh anniversary of her birth. It seems like a different life ago when Kelli and I were seminary students and denominational servants living in Fort Worth, wondering what in the world God had in store for us.

We had gone down to the Fort Worth Stock Yards on May 3, an early celebration of our own wedding anniversary on June 24, knowing that our baby (due four weeks away) would likely keep us otherwise pre-occupied.

We walked the entire length of the Stock Yards, visiting the many shops and tourist traps. By the time we got to the bed & breakfast where we were staying, we were both exhausted, but Kelli was particularlyspent, having carried the equivalent of a large bowling ball in her tummy for the entire distance

Let me tell you, candidly, there was no romance that night. We were asleep before sundown. And the rest was horrible. So we woke up and headed straight home. We decided to just try and regroup. We eventually put Amadeus into the VCR (pre-DVD days, at least in our home). About half-way through, just as Moliere was hatching his devious plans, Kelli began hatching something herself.

"uhoh."

She jumped up and waddled into the bathroom.

"Bryan."

Let me just tell you, we weren't expecting this.

We had four weeks to go.

Four weeks.

Twenty-eight days.

What I'm trying to say is, we couldn't have been less ready.

No bags packed. No plans set.

In fact, I wasn't even sure her water had broke.

But it had.

So we put it all together and made our way to Harris Methodist Hospital, Fort Worth's Baby Factory.

They duly checked us in. Things progressed slowly....slowly....slowly.

Eventually, Forrest Gump came on TV.

So we watched.

And about the time adolescent Jen-ny hollered, "Run Forrest!" Kelli's contractions transitioned from a gentle undulating swell of discomfort to a rollercoaster of peaks and plummets of pitocin-induced pain.

"Shut OFF the TV!!" Kelli sweetly growled. Apparently, she wouldn't be soothed by Forrest's homespun witicisms as the delivery progressed.

The epidural eventually kicked in. I was the loving attentive husband who was so "in" to the delivery that Kelli had to ask me to quit squeezing her hand so tightly, lest I break her fingers. I thought the epidural was supposed to take care of pain and discomfort.

Another area upon which her epidural had little effect was the cheese-grater on the earlobe annoyance of our doctor, who had the bedside manner of Dr. Mengele (okay, maybe that's a *little* harsh). He kept telling Kelli that she was pushing wrong. That she needed to push harder.

I was pushing so hard I was afraid I'd break wind....and I knew Kelli was pushing a lot harder than was I.

After several hours (six or so), at 3:08 AM on el cinco de mayo, 1997, Kaylyn Marie McAnally joined our family as our oldest child. Five pounds, fourteen ounces. I had never made anything so little, yet so complex and beautiful and perfect in my life.

Trust me. Every time I had attempted to make a car or plane model as a child, it resulted in a Calvin-like "catastrophe" to explain its hideous visage. Thankfully, to Kelli's superior genetics and God's glorious intervention, we had a precious, beautiful, and wonderful daughter.

In seven years, we've been in awe as we've seen nothing and everything change. She has all of her mother's greatest gifts...compassion, beauty, sincerity, concern, and maternity. She's exceedingly intelligent, clever-witted, hard-working, God-loving, and compliant. She's a good friend to others and she has shown that even a young girl can understand what it means to behave like a lady.

She brings honor and favor to her parents by her conduct, her reputation, and her demeanor. I am incredibly proud and blessed to be her daddy. I daily pray for the wisdom, grace, and provision to be a father worthy of such a child. I ask God to bless her and protect her, but most of all to use her for His own purposes.

She's my darlin'. My Kaylyn-girl. And I love her with every bit of who I am.

May 5, 2004 2:53 PM