I Get It

People have had babies before. But not my people. This is my oldest cousin's first child, my godparents' first grandchild, my grandmother's first great-grandchild. He's the first new baby my extended family has welcomed in fifteen years. He's the first newborn I've held since my own sister was born. He's named for his father - my cousin - who was named for his father, who was named for his father, who was named for his father. End it already, I once thought. I've never been a great upholder of tradition; I prefer, as a matter of general philosophy, to modernize and move on and overthink - never to do things like give names and have babies just because It's What People Do.

But that was before he got here and I saw him. Now, 120 years of William Joseph is exactly exact and perfectly right. The one I grew up with is a role model and a teacher. He used to read books in corners and give me new vocabulary words to learn. I learned them. We're finally and irrevocably grown up.