Gwyneth McCann-Glover, my Goddaughter & 'What was I thinking?'.

I'm not an uncle. Probably won't ever be. But I am a godfather - first time. I present to all of you at Ditalini Press, my goddaughter, Gwyneth McCann-Glover. She's maybe three weeks old now - this picture is two weeks or less. Met her for the first time on Super Bowl Sunday. Look at how vulnerable she is. My, oh, my.

Which brings me to my, "What was I thinking?" story. This is a jump - but it's not. Still on the subject of babies. This IS still a thriving, vibrant mini-topic, correct? Wait...no - that was a topic for January. Oh, well...

I'm very close to my Uncle Fran - my dad's youngest brother. We have many things in common - fishing, hunting, love of nature and the outdoors, music, love to laugh, Favre, Packers, Jets, drinking, Elvis, family, God, Americana, patriotism. Many years ago, he and my aunt lost their first-born boy as a result of a rare disease that only 4 babies had ever had. Ever. Two had died and two were living - one being Baby John. He died at around 11 months. My aunt and uncle were devastated - and were advised not to try and have another child. They didn't listen - and James is now a sophomore at Notre Dame.

About two years after John's death while I was in college, I was returning to campus from a November bowhunting trip "Up North" in Wisconsin. My Uncle Fran lived nearby in Madison and we had driven up together.

Anyway, I believe we were almost back to my campus and we were reminiscing about the recent hunt - telling jokes and laughing our asses off. Suddenly I blurt out, "Hey, have you ever heard any of those dead baby jokes?" As soon as that question mark left my mouth I realized what I had just said. Without any hesitation, my Uncle Fran said, "No - no I don't think I have." I turned my face toward the window in utter embarrassment. And there was nothing to crawl under. I was sitting right next to my uncle who had just lost his baby boy two years prior and I just asked him if he had heard a good dead baby joke lately.

My uncle never said anything about it. He would never hold that against me. He loves me too much. Like I love Gwyneth. See how the story came full circle? :)