We're preparing for severe winds tonight and tomorrow, which usually means power outages in our area, and I no longer have a backup generator. So I could be down for a little while. The winds haven't started yet. If I go quiet, I'll be back when I can.
And for the good news: I just became a grandfather for the first time! I can only describe the feeling as joy. Kate sent out a video of Xander holding his son for the first time, and what a feeling. Wow.
—Mike
Congratulations, Mike, Xander & Kate!!
Posted by: darlene | Thursday, 09 February 2023 at 04:40 PM
Oh Man!
Congratulations Grandpa!
That's the greatest feeling you will have this year.
"I've been called lots of names in my lifetime, but Grandpa is my favorite"
Posted by: J T K | Thursday, 09 February 2023 at 05:09 PM
Congrats on your grandson, Mike! That's wonderful news. Here's hoping Xander is as good a father as you've been, and gets as much joy from his son as you have.
Best wishes to the growing family!
Dan
Posted by: Dan Gorman | Thursday, 09 February 2023 at 06:44 PM
Congratulations! You must be so proud, what with your great story of raising Xander.
Posted by: John | Thursday, 09 February 2023 at 06:46 PM
Good luck with the weather and CONGRATULATIONS on becoming a grandfather!
Posted by: Hugh Lovell | Thursday, 09 February 2023 at 09:19 PM
If it was a snow moon-induced labor then it's good that you got an excellent photo of it. Congratulations to you and your growing family.
Posted by: Jeff Hughes | Thursday, 09 February 2023 at 10:25 PM
Congratulations and best wishes to you all!
As a grandfather of some decades, I hope you get to spend lots of time with your grandson. I treasure any time I get to spend with my grandkids, and on the flip side, the time I got to spend with my grandparents are some of my best memories. These bonds are precious.
Posted by: Henning | Thursday, 09 February 2023 at 11:03 PM
Wow? This is the internet Mike. It should be, OMG!!! WOW!!!
Hopefully you will soon share the joy by posting photos, in glorious black & white of course.
Congrats.
Posted by: Grant | Thursday, 09 February 2023 at 11:30 PM
Terrific news, Michael! Congratulations to you and your family! Enjoy - as you know, the years pass too quickly and even the grandkids grow up. Not that there’s anything wrong with that…
Posted by: Ernest Zarate | Thursday, 09 February 2023 at 11:55 PM
Congratulations to the new pappy!
And what a great new photo project is beginning for you…
Best!
Posted by: Pierre Charbonneau | Friday, 10 February 2023 at 12:54 AM
Congratulations Grandpa Mike! Best wishes to you, Xander, Kate and the wee bairn.
Posted by: Michael McCulloch | Friday, 10 February 2023 at 05:02 AM
Congratulations on the grandbaby Mike. Huge milestone for you and your family.
Posted by: Nikhil Ramkarran | Friday, 10 February 2023 at 05:59 AM
Congratulations, Mike. I became a grandfather for the first time in September. It's causing us to move to help with child care. Change is good!
Posted by: Tom Duffy | Friday, 10 February 2023 at 05:59 AM
Congrats!
Posted by: Gabriel Massip | Friday, 10 February 2023 at 06:04 AM
Congratulations to Kate, Xander and you! As I like to say, being a grandfather is so satisfying that if I had known how good it was I would have skipped kids and gone straight to grandkids! Lol
Posted by: Dennis Mook | Friday, 10 February 2023 at 08:17 AM
Congratulations, grandad!
And best of luck with the winds.
Posted by: Dogman | Friday, 10 February 2023 at 09:32 AM
Congratulations to your family.
Posted by: Michael L Shwarts | Friday, 10 February 2023 at 10:02 AM
Congrats Mike! I'm happy for you. Also, glad you are feeling better.
Posted by: Dave Karp | Friday, 10 February 2023 at 10:05 AM
Congratulations, Mike (and Xander and Kate too!)
Posted by: Jim Kofron | Friday, 10 February 2023 at 10:07 AM
Congratulations! I little expected that I would become a grandfather a little better than 3 years ago when I was told I would be one for the first time as my son and daughter-in-law were both 40. But my grandson arrived in perfect form and has been a complete joy for both his parents, grandparents, and the rest of the family. Naturally, I decided to produce a photographic record of his first year. With contributions from and in collaboration with his mother (a very talented photographer), my partner, and his other grandfather, I produced a hardcover album far easier than I could ever do for my own son.
Posted by: David Elesh | Friday, 10 February 2023 at 11:03 AM
Such good news. You have figured out your health stuff just in time for all those Grandfather visits you will have to take. Your TOP readership is all smiles.
Posted by: John Krumm | Friday, 10 February 2023 at 11:06 AM
Time marches on, it seemed like just yesterday I was sitting at work, not wasting my time reading about your trials with your teenage son.
Congratulations
Posted by: Roger Botting | Friday, 10 February 2023 at 12:06 PM
Congratulations and welcome to the club! You'll know you've achieved success as a grandparent when the parents report they're tired of hearing "But grandpa lets me!"...
Posted by: Roger | Friday, 10 February 2023 at 12:29 PM
Congratulations and good health to all four of you! I had just been wondering of late how things were going with the pregnancy. Glad to hear the good news!
Posted by: Derek | Friday, 10 February 2023 at 12:36 PM
Congrats, Pops!
Posted by: MikeR | Friday, 10 February 2023 at 01:55 PM
Congratulations!
Where I live we have a saying.
"Grandchildren are life's dessert".
Posted by: Grahn Johan | Friday, 10 February 2023 at 02:01 PM
Congratulations to you and your son and daughter in law. I have three grandchildren and another one due in June. I am lucky, as they live locally. It's great, I get to enjoy them and then give them back. Rent a kid!
Posted by: Bob Johnston | Friday, 10 February 2023 at 04:15 PM
Excellent timing. You took steps to likely extend your life, just in time to welcome a grandchild. Congrats!
Posted by: Jeff | Friday, 10 February 2023 at 05:06 PM
Congratulations to you all!
(The mind reels thinking about what "photography" will mean in your grandchild's life.)
Posted by: T. Edwards | Friday, 10 February 2023 at 05:09 PM
Many, many congrats!
And also thank you for the last post on Katherine White. The mother of my 6 month old has been looking for good reading and she is also planning our yard's gardens for the coming good weather.
Expect maybe to get lots of pictures from your
new grandson's parents. Phone cameras were made for these moments. My family gets to see every first mewl and every first puke, etc. of our little one, and they seem to love seeing these things, or at least kindly pretend to. It's a magical time.
Posted by: xf mj | Friday, 10 February 2023 at 05:43 PM
Great news Mike. Congratulations to You, Xander & Kate.
Posted by: Graeme Scott | Friday, 10 February 2023 at 05:46 PM
:) contrats
Posted by: Graham | Friday, 10 February 2023 at 08:36 PM
So, you need to take a week or two off, and go visit! It's the grandfatherly thing to do. And take pictures. And gush. And wonder. And remember way back when ...
Go ahead, we'll let you. Gonna be your birthday soon, so consider it a gift.
Posted by: MikeR | Friday, 10 February 2023 at 09:38 PM
Congratulations to all!
Posted by: Bill Tyler | Friday, 10 February 2023 at 09:51 PM
See, *this* is when people buy a new camera...
Congratulations, granddad!
Mike
Posted by: Mike Chisholm | Saturday, 11 February 2023 at 06:22 AM
Many congratulations. And I hope you avoid storm problems.
Posted by: Patrick Dodds | Saturday, 11 February 2023 at 12:10 PM
Congratulations Mike! What’s story you have to raise your son and now he’s a father too. Mission accomplished.
rfeg
Posted by: rfeg | Saturday, 11 February 2023 at 03:51 PM
My congratulations too. I think that in some ways being a grandfather is a better experience than being a father.
Did you know that analogue photography is actually digital and digital is actually analogue? At the point of capture anyway. A photodiode is an analogue device and each silver halide crystal in film is either exposed or not.
Posted by: Bob Johnston | Monday, 13 February 2023 at 05:05 AM