Davis turned 6 recently. Six. Years. Old.
I still remember the day he was born like it happened only yesterday. We were living with my mother and her husband and I was scheduled to have a Cesarean section at 8:30 in the morning. We didn't know if we were having a girl or a boy - and frankly, we didn't know what we were going to name a little boy should we have been so lucky to have another. The girl's name had been picked easily - Alice. But the boy's name? We knew we wanted to use the family name "Tilghman"; and we had so many other family names to go choose from. "James" - a BIG name in the Miller family - was the one we thought we had settled on ... James Tilghman Miller. My request was only that he not be called "Jimmy" or "Jim" ever. He would always be "James".
On the morning of Davis's scheduled arrival, Christopher was in the shower and I lay like a beached whale in bed, waiting my turn. Andrew and Guinness were still sleeping soundly. When Christopher came back into our bedroom I mentioned to him that I had just come up with a name that I thought I liked - brace yourself, baby.
And so Davis Tilghman came to be. I don't know why "Davis". It's not like I set my eyes on this lovable little pudge and thought of the name. It's certainly not a family name - not that I'm aware of, anyway. It was only that I thought it sounded great with "Tilghman", and I liked it a lot. Besides, we were more than likely having a girl - a big, fat, more-than-likely-going-to-be-6'6" girl named Alice.
Davis is nothing like his brother. And it took us 5 years and a conversation with our pediatrician to determine that. For years we tried disciplining him like Andrew; we tried talking to him like Andrew ... and guess what, geniuses. He ain't Andrew. So it wasn't Davis who had behavioral issues - it was Mom and Dad. But once we figured that out, we all figured it out.
Davis will be starting 1st grade on Monday. I can't believe it, really. I'm sure he's going to do fantastic. He's a quick learner - academically, anyway. Sometimes I wonder how many times I have to say the same things to him to get him to understand. But I think that's a perfect combination of Miller-Thornton genes - not his fault.
He's had a fantastic summer - barring his parents hiring a shitty "nanny" to care for him. He's gone places and seen things this summer that I'm sure most children his age are only told about. I'm pretty sure he appreciates them, too. At least some of the time.
I love my little man more than I love the air I breathe. He makes me giggle a lot. Sometimes he frustrates the hell out of me. But that's what I like to call "life". I know I'd probably die without him. But I hope I never have to realize if that is true or not.
Here's to another year of awesomeness Davis Tilghman Miller. Thanks for keeping us real. And for always ensuring our hearing is in check.
I still remember the day he was born like it happened only yesterday. We were living with my mother and her husband and I was scheduled to have a Cesarean section at 8:30 in the morning. We didn't know if we were having a girl or a boy - and frankly, we didn't know what we were going to name a little boy should we have been so lucky to have another. The girl's name had been picked easily - Alice. But the boy's name? We knew we wanted to use the family name "Tilghman"; and we had so many other family names to go choose from. "James" - a BIG name in the Miller family - was the one we thought we had settled on ... James Tilghman Miller. My request was only that he not be called "Jimmy" or "Jim" ever. He would always be "James".
On the morning of Davis's scheduled arrival, Christopher was in the shower and I lay like a beached whale in bed, waiting my turn. Andrew and Guinness were still sleeping soundly. When Christopher came back into our bedroom I mentioned to him that I had just come up with a name that I thought I liked - brace yourself, baby.
And so Davis Tilghman came to be. I don't know why "Davis". It's not like I set my eyes on this lovable little pudge and thought of the name. It's certainly not a family name - not that I'm aware of, anyway. It was only that I thought it sounded great with "Tilghman", and I liked it a lot. Besides, we were more than likely having a girl - a big, fat, more-than-likely-going-to-be-6'6" girl named Alice.
Davis is nothing like his brother. And it took us 5 years and a conversation with our pediatrician to determine that. For years we tried disciplining him like Andrew; we tried talking to him like Andrew ... and guess what, geniuses. He ain't Andrew. So it wasn't Davis who had behavioral issues - it was Mom and Dad. But once we figured that out, we all figured it out.
Davis will be starting 1st grade on Monday. I can't believe it, really. I'm sure he's going to do fantastic. He's a quick learner - academically, anyway. Sometimes I wonder how many times I have to say the same things to him to get him to understand. But I think that's a perfect combination of Miller-Thornton genes - not his fault.
He's had a fantastic summer - barring his parents hiring a shitty "nanny" to care for him. He's gone places and seen things this summer that I'm sure most children his age are only told about. I'm pretty sure he appreciates them, too. At least some of the time.
I love my little man more than I love the air I breathe. He makes me giggle a lot. Sometimes he frustrates the hell out of me. But that's what I like to call "life". I know I'd probably die without him. But I hope I never have to realize if that is true or not.
Here's to another year of awesomeness Davis Tilghman Miller. Thanks for keeping us real. And for always ensuring our hearing is in check.
