By Chad Ingram

Published April 27 2017

I have written hundreds upon hundreds of columns but as I begin this one everything is different.
The lens through which I view the world has forever changed along with my definition of a good night’s sleep.
Some readers may have noticed I’ve been away for a couple of weeks. Some already know why.

Evangeline Marie Ingram was born at Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay on April 20 12 days past her due date. Her mother says this means she’s stubborn a trait she’s inherited from one of us. Which one I won’t disclose.
I suggested that perhaps she was just fashionably late a trait she’s inherited from one of us. Which one I won’t disclose.

It is truly incredible how a single event can change one’s life so profoundly so immediately. The familiar eyes of a tiny stranger plunked on my chest. But of course she’s not really a stranger at all. I am she as she is me and her mother to whom she is equally beautiful.

Immense gratitude to Tina Celina Jenn Rachel Donna and the rest of the nursing staff at the maternity unit at Ross Memorial Hospital who are so incredibly good at their incredibly demanding jobs. Their compassionate care during our stay there was appreciated in a way I can’t adequately express.

Since we received our pregnancy news last year we have been using the Midwifery Services of Haliburton-Bancroft services I would recommend to anyone expecting a baby especially for the first time.
The knowledgeable advice we’ve received from Rebecca Kathleen and Stephanie during the past several months has been invaluable and also good for calming the nerves of an anxious first-time father. Having Stephanie at Evangeline’s birth meant the emotional support of a familiar and trusted person which helped navigate us through an intense and surreal experience.
Visits to the house since have made settling into our new life at home much easier than I expect it would have been otherwise.

Thank you to our families friends and members of the community for their love and support as we begin writing the next chapter of our lives.