Six

My son turned six years old today. I wish I could say I had the fond, mushy, motherly memories of his birth. Honestly, the only things I remember are pain and fear. The pain was from going through a rapid, drug-free delivery (not my choice). The fear and shock of what had happened to continued to haunt me for the next year. It was hard to shake the memories of the ambulance ride, being stuck in a hospital bed for a week (in a room with a view of a wall), and the nasty, horrible anti-labor drugs that have side effects with names like respiratory depression. I had no respiratory problems. Instead, the drugs just made my heart race, and my hands shake so much it was difficult to feed myself. As a bonus it also made me feel like I had a bad case of the flu.

I felt robbed of the happy last two months of my pregnancy. Instead of seeing visitors at my home with a happy "It's a Boy!" sign in the yard, I was in the NICU trying to get my son to bottle feed. The breastfeeding I had planned to do went out the window when I could not get a milk supply going at all, even with a breastpump. I knew we'd had a good outcome, a baby who came home after two weeks without so much as an apnea monitor or a single medicine. But still, it was a life-changing experience, and not in a fairy tale, motherly instincts flowing kind of way.

And then we had more challenges, the developmental delays, sensory integration problems, a mild autism spectrum diagnosis. I wish when we were going through all of this I could have seen the future through my panic. The kid has come a long way.

Today after school we carved pumpkins. He did his best to clean out one himself, and drew the face on it for me. He provided encouragement when my arm grew tired after carving so much. We snacked on leftover birthday cake from yesterday's party, and he asked me to play his GameBoy. Just normal stuff. Stuff I was not sure we would ever enjoy together.

After the pumpkin project, I told him I wanted to lie down. I set the kitchen timer for thirty minutes, and asked him if he would come get me up when it went off. He said ok, and spent the next half hour in and out of my room with the game boy. I did not really nap, and got up right before the timer was supposed to go off. I found him in the kitchen sitting on a step stool in front of the oven. I asked him what he was doing, and he said he was "watching the timer." I guess he was going to make darn sure he got me up just as I said. For some reason that just tickled me.

This afternoon I told him a little bit about when he was born. I said I did not have my glasses on, and couldn't see him very well before they took him to clean him up. He had a perfect, soft little cheek though. And every day, when I got near the NICU, my step quickened, because I couldn't wait to see what he'd been doing that day.

Happy Birthday, my little lover of dogs, seashells, art projects, and Sponge Bob. Oh, and let's not forget chocolate. The first time I felt you move was after I'd eaten some. Very fitting for a kid of mine.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

The good: Torrential rains for two days meant the Kindergarten field trip to the fair was cancelled. I was half afraid they would still try to go the moment the skies cleared, meaning we would end up wading through waist-deep mud with 22 five-year-olds in tow.

The bad: The girl's ear infection has not cleared up in spite of antibiotics. She began complaining yesterday evening, and I knew I was going to have to call the doc and get that straightened out first thing this morning. She also woke in the wee hours whining and wimpering, saying, "Ouch my ear." At least she talks now and we can determine what is wrong.

The ugly: Eddie woke from a dead sleep at 4 a.m. and said, "The boy is throwing up." All over himself and the bed of course. Luckily, that was the only time and he seems fine now.

This adds up to mean Ed and I do not get to go on our long-awaited anniversary trip. My mother-in-law is a saint, and feebly said she could still keep the kids. But two sick ones, and anything to do with puking, is too much to leave her with.

I have some plans brewing for my birthday. Not sure if they will work out. I am trying to just look forward to that.

Anyone Seen a Spiderman Shoe?

It's been pretty busy here, but in an ok way. Friday night Eddie and the boy helped friends unload a truckload of pumpkins at a local church's pumpkin patch. Well, Eddie helped and Aaron ran around and got sweaty with all the other kids. They came home, cleaned up, and we headed to a friend's house to hang out.

Saturday the boy had belt testing at Tae Kwon Do. We treated ourselves to dropping off the girl at a babysitter's, since she doesn't put up with sitting around at these things. The boy is supposed to wear a mouthguard for sparring. I could not get the one that came with his gear, or the two others I bought at Academy to fit him. Too big. He was very anxious that Master Wadley would not let him test without a guard. So, we found the one that was most tolerable to him and he just had to put up with it. Poor kid, he was gagging and slobbering while wearing it, but managed. He did not do a great job, but who could while fighting the mouthguard? He is now a senior green belt, which is almost halfway to black belt. I am told the testing is just a formality, that the kids earn their belts by what they do in class. As they get closer to the next belt level, they get a total of 4 stripes on their belt. So, once they've gotten that last stripe, which they don't get if they aren't doing well in class, they've essentially earned the next belt.

The boy had been invited to a birthday party that started right as testing ended, and on the same side of town. We went to get his shoes from the pile where everyone leaves theirs, and found one spiderman flip-flop had disappeared. So we rushed back home and then on to the party for a little girl school friend. He bounced on the moonwalk and had a good time.

Last night we ate burgers out, because there was no way I was cooking after all of that.

This morning it was not too hot, so the kids and I went to the park. The girl is getting easier to take there, less prone to running off. She is also climbing better so I am less nervous with her on the HIGH slide.

Right now, Ed and the boy are at the gun club with a friend who has a membership. The boy had done some shooting on his last camping trip to Papa Fred's farm, so he was excited.

The beautiful part of this is the girl is napping, and the boys are out of the house. Ahhhh. Thirty more minutes till I need to wake the girl from her nap.

Looks like our trip to the casino is going to work out. I just have to live through next weekend (with Ed on nights and no school on Friday) and then it's off to make a million bucks on quarter slots.

Thumbs Up

This will be our bathroom. Well, not OUR bathroom, but the one in our hotel room at the L'Auberge du Lac Casino in Lake Charles. It is a brand-new resort/casino and looks like lots of fun. We are not that into gambling. But I still think we will have fun. Heck, I've told Eddie more than once I would vacation in Danbury if it was without kids.

The babysitting gods have smiled upon us and Eddie's mom will watch the kids so we can go celebrate our 10-year wedding anniversary. I do still need to make a reservation. Last week they had rooms available, but I need to hurry up and call.

Today has been strangely good. Both kids went to school. (funny how all my good days seem to start like that). My friend Holly fixed us lunch in her beautiful brand-new home. Later, when I went to get Maddie at school, her teacher informed me she had pooped on the toilet!

And later, I discovered that I will have another mom to be room mother with. That makes me feel much better. I still have no clue why the boy's teacher called and asked me to do it, but I don't care at this point.

The boy got his last stripe on his belt, so he is ready to test on Saturday. This is the first time he will have to spar as part of the testing. Whoo boy.