Meet Uncle Dan

I just returned from my trip to San Bernardino to visit my half-brother and his new baby boy, Justin Amin McConnell. I took the Metrolink train for a measly $5 and was greeted by my grandmother at the train station at just a quarter past noon on Thursday. We then drove to my brother's place of work so he could show me around a little bit and kill some time before he got off at 1:00. We left at the same time, but my grandma and I made our way to a pizza place to pick up lunch for the four of us (including Ada, Tom's wife.)

When we arrived at Tom and Ada's apartment, Tom informed us that Ada and Justin were sleeping. Ada tries to get sleep whenever Justin does, because apparently, the moments of sleep are short and random. Tom told me about the two full days they spent at the hospital waiting for Justin to be born. The doctors tried to induce labor, but Justin just didn't want to be born, so the doctors decided to perform a caesarian section instead. The operation took about fifteen minutes and on December 9th, at 11:14 am, Justin was born. He was 7lbs 14oz and was 20" in length. We got to see pictures of the entire process over our pizza while the two of them slept. I dunno what the more enviable act is, sleeping or looking at graphic pictures of surgery. In all, however, it was pretty fascinating and I'm glad that Tom took them.

After we were done looking at the pictures, Ada emerged from the bedroom with Justin. I've never held a newborn before, so I was quite nervous at first. I made sure I was sitting, and Ada placed him in my arms just above my lap. He's so precious. I sat there in awe of this little life that I held in my hands. It was truly amazing, I don't quite know how to describe it. I became slightly emotional, not to the point of tears, but close enough nonetheless. He was just so beautiful and I had this realization that all of us once were just like him. His entire life is going to be determined by these two people, along with influence from a few others. He would cry, and I would have no clue as to why. Tom and Ada claim that he has different cries for different needs, but that if they get it wrong, there's really only one alternative since at this point in his life he's only vocal when he's hungry or needs to be changed.

So, he's in my arms, and I figured was going to be relatively lifeless, like a doll. He was quite the opposite, in fact. He used his little hands to push in my chest and his feet to push my arms away
from him. It was fascinating watching him try to grab my face, even though he does not yet have a perception of depth. He grabbed my fingers many times, and each time I was amazed at how strong his grip was. He wasn't yet able to hold up his disproportionate head, but he was able to astonish me with his grasp. His little calves were really strong too, a couple of times making me nervous that he was going to push himself out of my lap. Don't be fooled by the pictures, however, he's really tiny!! His foot is smaller in length than my index finger. His fingers are so tiny that he can't even wrap them completely around my finger. And when laying between my legs, he doesn't even reach my knees. Also, I don't know if you can see from the pictures, but he's got the most awesome hair I've ever seen on a baby!! It's very full, which I guess is common, and quite dark, also common, but it's got natural blonde highlights, not common at all. It's so awesome that I'm actually jealous of him, and he's only a week old!

However precious he may be, he has made me realize just how much work raising a child might be. For example, I would rock him to sleep in this rocking chair Tom and Ada have in their room and he'd fall asleep in a few minutes. However, when I'd go to lay him in his crib, he'd wake immediately and start crying. With Mason, I'd just leave him be, but I felt so guilty doing such a thing with Justin, that I'd immediately pick him back up and go back to the chair. Luckily, I was able to call his mother when I became tired of the routine, something that wouldn't be possible if he were mine. Overall, however, I was in utter joy when he was around me, even when he wasn't the happiest baby in the world, I'm extremely glad that I live close enough that I'll be able to visit on a regular basis to see him change and grow.

So, we spent the day with them and then made our way back home after dinner at around 9:00, making a slight detour through a neighborhood with some really nice Christmas lights. I went to sleep relatively early and woke up around 8:30 to accompany my grandma to her church. She had to do some work (she's the church's accountant), so I sat around and looked at things and read brochures at the school affiliated with the church.

We went to lunch at a quaint Mexican restaurant named Lucy's and then headed home. I strung some Christmas light for my grandma and helped her do some things around the house before heading out to say goodbye to Tom, Ada, and Justin before I went to the train station. The train came a few minutes late, grandma and I said our goodbyes, and I made my way to Union Station.

I would normally end the post here, but I just wanted to let everyone know about something that I had forgotten about. I was at Union Station trying to decide how I wanted to get home. I usually take the Red Line to 7th/Fig and then take a bus (usually the 82) back to campus and then walk to Citypark. However, this time, I felt ambitious and decided I was going to do the entire trip via the bus system. Well, I was out at the giant round-a-bout for maybe two whole minutes trying to figure out which bus was going to take me home and where I should wait for it before I saw a USC tram! He dropped off his lone rider and I asked him if I could ride back to campus with him. He of course agreed and let me off at Jefferson and Grand before heading to the parking center to end the night. Moral of the story, if you're at Union Station and need a ride home, more often than not, the USC trams are still running there and are free, so utilize them! Hell, you've probably paid for them somewhere anyway, so you might as well get your money's worth, right?

Anyway, I end the post with some more pictures. I hope you enjoy them.

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