When he grows up, he's probably going to be the kind of Christmas shopper who buys all his gifts just as the stores are closing on Christmas Eve.
Sylvan Lawrence, due a few days before Christmas, didn't make his appearance until December 28.
To be fair, his late arrival wasn't for lack of trying on his part. He spent more than two weeks working at being born, giving his parents a series of "this has to be the real thing" false alarms. But since he was facing forward instead of backward, he wasn't in the best position to complete the journey. It finally took induced labor, a very hard night's work by his mom with serious help from his dad, and the assistance of an intimidating but effective vacuum pump to get him here.
But he made it. He's healthy and eating and growing, and he's still looking face forward at the world. We're not sure whether he approves of it, though. He resembles Winston Churchill even more than most newborns do—mostly because of the "don't bother me, I'm thinking" scowl that he shares with the great man. Fortunately, so far, no one has given him a cigar.
He's grandchild number 13, but the first one to live within spoiling distance. Not, as any of the older grandkids would probably tell you, that I am a spoiling kind of grandma. I plan to take Sylvan hiking up Harney Peak as soon as he's sufficiently ambulatory, but he's going to have to carry his own lunch.
His name, chosen by his parents because of their love of the Black Hills, means "someone who lives in the woods." As the child of actors, he'll probably be on stage at the Black Hills Playhouse before he hits his first birthday. Given those two factors, it's a good bet that the kid will spend his teenage years in a windowless basement playing video games and will grow up to be an engineer.
But given his forward-looking perspective, he may well invent or create or discover wonderful things that no one has even considered yet. Of course, in common with many other visionaries, he'll probably continue to need a little help with the practical details. Like having someone around to take care of the vacuuming.
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