Stangby ‘itching’ to see daughter face to face

On the morning of June 5, Joshua Stangby watched the birth of his first child — daughter Anaya Tehani — on FaceTime.

Next Tuesday, the Ottawa Redblacks receiver will see his newborn in person for the first time — and to say he’s excited, well, it’s much more than that.

“Ever since she was born, I’ve been itching to see her,” said Stangby, who will be with the Redblacks on Monday when they face the Argos in Toronto, then fly home to Fresno, Calif., the next day — he’ll be there for three days.

“I FaceTime every single day, she’s growing so fast. She’s sleeping most of the time, but when she’s awake, she gets a little smirk on her face.

“I used to talk to her when she was in my wife’s (Alexandria’s) belly so I think she knows my voice.”

Stangby had three catches for 45 yards — one of them for 36 yards as he zigzagged left, right, then left again, leaving a trail of fallen defenders — Wednesday against Montreal.

“It seemed like I was running forever, it felt like 500 yards,” Stangby said. “I ran out of gas at the end.”