June 21, 1992: My daughter gave me the Father's Day present of walking for the first time on her own

Thirty years ago today

            On Sunday, Nancy called at around 9:30 to tell me that the baby was ready. She was just waiting for her sister Susan to get up so she could bring my daughter down to Warden Station. After going back to bed for a while I had a coffee and called my dad to wish him a happy Father’s Day. At 10:30 Nancy phoned to tell me they were on their way. After I picked her up, we went to the Old Orchard Hotel at Kingston Rd and Queen for the all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet. While we were there the baby started walking all over the place without hanging on to anything. It felt like she had given me a magical Father’s Day present. I carried her to Shoppers Drug Mart and discovered that one of her shoes was missing. I retraced my steps but nothing. We got on the streetcar, and I thought I saw it in the grass somewhere that we passed but my daughter was asleep by then and so we just went home. Later that evening, as I was taking the baby back to her mother, I found the shoe in a variety store on Queen, west of Woodbine.