On the night of February 20, I got a phone call from my younger sister around 7:30. She called to tell me that my sister-in-law was having contractions and might go into labor that night. Considering that I was in Murfreesboro, and the baby would be born in Memphis, I would literally have to drive halfway across the state. So my parents waited to give me the go-ahead to leave. Two hours later, I was on I-40 headed west.
I got to the hospital at exactly 1 AM and joined my family in the waiting area, where we slept on the couches for the night. For the majority of the next day, we were no closer to the delivery than when I first got to Memphis. We watched family after family come in and leave with their newborn. Needless to say, we were getting impatient. But then, at 8:38 PM, after nearly 24 hours of waiting, my niece, Reagan, was finally born.
When I got to hold that beautiful baby girl for the first time, I was overwhelmed with emotion. I have always loved children and couldn’t wait to be an uncle. But at that very moment, I had to wait no longer. I was finally an uncle!
I can’t wait to give her countless piggy-back rides and play hide-and-seek whenever I get to see her. All these warm thoughts flooded my mind, but at the same time, I immediately began to wonder if I would be a good uncle. One that she would be proud of and tell her friends, “That’s my Uncle Q!” Would she even like me?
As an uncle, my job will be to play and have fun, but to also be loving and caring, with a life lesson every now and again. It is a goal of mine to be one of Reagan’s first best friends. Uncle Jesse and Michelle will have absolutely nothing on the bond we will have. I know I won’t get to see her all the time. Memphis is far too long of a drive to make regular visits. But the good thing about that is that between each one, there will be plenty of stories for her to tell me. And I’ll sit and listen to every single one while sipping on imaginary tea. And I’ll be wearing my best suit.
