Sara and I got the best Christmas gift in a long time when our daughter-in-law from Texas strolled into our house the day after Christmas with a baby bump.
Whitney and my son Floyd have been married for three years. Ingrams tend to get married later than most. Both went to college and started careers before they decided to tie the knot.
So Sara and I knew this day was coming.
But as children and lovers are prone to do, they don’t tell their parents everything.
These kids live in Texas and we see them only a couple of times a year.
The grin on my son’s face confirmed what I thought out loud when I first saw Whitney in the kitchen on West Second Street.
Now look at the grin on my face. Let me assure you it is never coming off!
Tears of Joy
Whitney was sitting down when Sara walked in the door after a long days work on Tuesday.
Our son Floyd said he had an ornament he wanted her to hang on the Christmas tree. It was green, red and square with a picture of a sonogram smack-dab in the middle.
“Are you pregnant?” said my wife of 34 years as a smile broke over her face.
Sara was fine until my son said if it is a girl they want to name her after Sara’s mother: Allie Mae Reid.
There is something sacred about a woman’s tears of joy. Ingrams have been truly blessed this Christmas.
20 Questions
• No, we don’t know the gender of this child.
• Yes, Whitney’s parents were in on this before us. They live in Texas. Whitney is their only daughter. Her mother Pam is a school teacher. And as we all know, there is not much you get past Momma.
• The baby is due in May. Sara and I lived in Texas for a decade and the blue bonnets are beautiful about that time of year. We can’t wait.
• Whitney has been sick, but was all smiles at the house the last few days. She will be a great mother.
• Just like his daddy, my son did not grow up with sisters or the trappings of babies around the house. But just like his father, he is a fast learner and listens closely when his wife calls.
• I called my grandfather PawPaw.
My boys called their grandfathers Poppa and Grandee.
I don’t know what I want to be called. Whatever it is, I just want to hear it roll off the lips of my first grandchild.
• When the house quieted down Tuesday night, I called Sara grandma in the kitchen on West Second. She gave me that sweet momma look my boys and I know so well.
Then she hugged my neck.
The Greatest of Gifts
Yes, Christmas is all about about babies.
I’ve had four babies and I have always been astounded at how much love each one brings into my home.
The Bible talks repeatedly about how Mary “pondered it in her heart” as profound things happened around her and the baby Jesus.
Yes, Christmas is all about love, life, The Birth and the ultimate rebirth of my soul. Yes! Christmas is all about babies.
Floyd Ingram is the Editor of your Clarksdale Press Register. He’s not the first grandfather in Clarksdale, but he is the proudest! Call him at 662-627-2201 if you want to hear him boast.
