Daniel was born on December 6, 1976, and weighed 9 lbs. 4 oz. He came out face-up, so I had a lot of back pain! He was my St. Nicholas Day surprise!
About 18 months later, just after his little sister Nadia was born, he had his first adventure.....we had returned from church and were awaiting a visit from friends who were coming over to see newborn baby Nadia. They arrived and came in to visit. ( There were about eleven people in the house.) Some minutes later, as we were talking, someone was at the front door. It was toddler Daniel!
Apparently, he had slipped out, unnoticed, and gone for a walk. Our guests, who had not seen him for a while, told us that they had seen him, nearly two blocks from our house, just walking along! We were astonished, to say the least......he had crossed one street and a railroad track! I guess then he turned around and came home. These things sometimes happen in large families, I hear.....thank God for Guardian Angels!
In late November of 1979, we drove to Florida for Thanksgiving with Grandma and Grandpa Paquette at their condo, with a stop at Disney World on the way. When we headed home, our VW van broke down near Lake City. It was not the bustling stop it is today, so we ended up at the Days Inn near the I-75 Exit. With the car in the shop for major repairs, we had to walk to the grocery and to KMart for whatever we needed. The weather was cool and it rained for most of the three or four days we spent in close quarters there. Good thing Grandma Frances was there to help with the children! We did manage to put together a visit from St. Nicholas and a decent 3rd birthday party for Daniel in spite of the circumstances...
When Daniel did the reading at his First Communion (Grade One, back then), it was a very proud moment for me.
One morning a few years later, he was angry about something or other, so he put his foot through the transom window on the upstairs landing! In the process, a big shard of glass went into his foot. Our resident nurse, Grandma Frances, removed the shard, cleaned the wound, and bandaged him up.
I went to countless Little League baseball games, Scecina football games, and CYO basketball games. Then there were the dance recitals, contests and programs. One time he and Nadia were doing a pantomime/tap. It began with a song exchange between a boy and a girl, then a tap dance. Well, they exchanged roles, and Daniel dressed as a Flapper, and Nadia as the guy! They performed it out only once, and I did NOT take a picture! Wish I had....always good to have those pix handy to show at engagement parties or wedding rehearsal dinners!
On Christmas Eve 2001, we were busy getting ready for our annual party. Grandma had opened the doors to her living room, and I had just sat down for a few minutes while Nancy was helping with last-minute food prep. I was a little bit sad because it would be the first Christmas Eve without all our family there. Daniel had been in China for four months, teaching English. I saw a shadow cross the window on the front porch and thought one of our guests was a little bit early. Nancy opened the door, and in walked Daniel! What a surprise! He had traveled for two days to arrive on time! I couldn't believe it! What a memorable Christmas that was! And, we were all together....
All these years later, I am still marveling at how he taught himself to play the guitar, and at how he and Christopher could just stand there and jam like they did so many times in the basement......and when he accompanies me on the guitar, why can't I ever start the song on the correct note? It's a puzzlement!
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