PART 20: A Birthday Nobody Controlled

At four months, Paisley had discovered that the ceiling fan was apparently the funniest object on earth.

She smiled at it with a seriousness that made Dad laugh until he had to wipe his eyes.

We planned a small gathering at his house to celebrate surviving the first difficult months.

It wasn’t a formal party, just soup, bread, a cake from Naomi, and a handful of people who had helped when I needed them.

Lucas asked if he could come.