"Always kiss your children goodnight - even if they're already asleep."  ~H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

----------------

Here's something I forgot to mention, but it was so special I just wanted to share it.

As I've mentioned, last Friday was my birthday.  (Not trying to milk any more birthday wishes out of anybody here.)

It's late and I'm tucking Jacob in to bed.  He is so snuggly at bedtime and I always go in and get my hugs and kisses.  I just love it!! 

I lean over.  We're forehead to forehead.  After a couple of seconds, he pulls back and looks at me.  He pauses, cocks his head.  Then says in the most quiet, precious voice, "Mom, did you have a good birthday?"

Yes, buddy, I sure did.  Thanks to you. 

What a precious boy.

"Birthdays are good for you.  Statistics show that the people who have the most live the longest."  ~Larry Lorenzoni

---------------------------

I wrote nothing last week!  So sad.  Not that there was nothing to write about.  I just have be "in the mood" so to speak.  Still can't say I'm totally inspired today, but here are a few odds and ends.

My birthday.

Yes.  I had a birthday last week. 

I am inching ever closer to 40.  Of course, as I like to tell people, Oprah (that's "Queen O" to you.) says 40 is the new 30 and we ALL know that whatever Oprah says is gospel. Hah!  I guess 38 isn't as scary as I thought it might be.  But really, I just hardly notice anymore because one birthday is pretty much like the last one.  Sad, but true.  And the majority of my VAST readership (snicker) will know what I'm talking about.  At any rate, my sister-in-law came to visit and a friend of hers tagged along...as did her dog Zoey.  We had cake...OF COURSE.  Cake 'n steak.  (I'm cake, hubby's steak! LOL)  It was a lot of fun.  My hubby asked me what I wanted for my birthday and I told him I wanted cake and I wanted seafood.  Got my seafood Saturday night.  I'm not too hard to please. 

My brilliant children.

Yes.  My children are brilliant. 

I am not ashamed to say so.  This should not be any major revelation, but now I have the paper to prove it.  They both got interim reports from school last week and they are doing an awesome job!!  They make a mama proud. Not only are they brilliant, but they cook too!!  The kids made us all breakfast Saturday morning (only a little help from mama).  Their Aunt Paula was impressed!  It was delicious.  Best bacon and eggs ever.

My new town.

I would just like to say how much I love my new town.  People are so friendly here.  We loved strolling down Short Central this weekend and showing off our new town to Aunt Paula, who had not been here before.  We went in all the shops  and restaurants and everyone was so warm.  I especially love The Eclectic Chef (Ben) and Central Ave Coffee (Pam)!  The Art Gallery was great and we had the best time in a shop called Marigolds.  They have vintage stuff in there--furniture, old buttons, old aprons, civil war bullets, the squirty perfume bottles, well, you get the picture.  They also had some vintage clothes and our friend Amber and Emma had a little dress up time.  The gal in the shop was thinking we were all a little off our rockers because we were playing dress up and taking pictures!   If she only knew how FAR off our rockers we are!!  It was such a blast.  Next time I'm in need of an antique coke machine (or a flapper dress), well, I know exactly where to go!  Later we drove down to Mt Pleasant and ate dinner.  Then went on over to Charleston...Amber was in need of some fudge. An all around great day. 

I guess that about covers it. We laughed a lot and ate too much.  I'm paying for the cake 'n steak, and the seafood, but it sure was worth it.

...And now the odds must come to an end. 

--------------------------

The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.  ~e.e. cummings

Pain is inevitable.  Suffering is optional.  ~M. Kathleen Casey

------------------

It's been a long time since we've had one and unfortunately, I guess I've gotten sort of complacent.  

I don't write about this much because our lives aren't defined by our son's autism.  I don't want people thinking it's all of who Jacob is and I don't want people's pity. (I do, on the other hand, want their understanding.)  He's SO much more than Asperger's Syndrome.  It's something we deal with on a daily basis and it's become such a routine part of how we live that sometimes, I think I forget...well not really, but...he's come such a LOONNG way.  He's really quite amazing.  But some days, his autism becomes too big for him.  He works so hard every day to maintain control over the things that challenge him.  I'm so immensely proud of him.  But then it also breaks my heart all at the same time that he has to work so hard at it.

Today, I've had a reality check.  Some days, autism does run the show.  Some days, I can't talk him through difficult moments.  Some days are hard.  They are much fewer and much farther between, but they do come, occasionally.

Jacob hasn't felt well for a few days and so I took him to the doc this morning.  I expected a test for "strep" since he had been complaining of a sore throat.  So I had prepared him for that.  What I didn't expect is for the strep test to come back negative and for them to do a MONO test.  Apparently it's been going around.  YIKES. 

Mono test  =  blood test = drawing blood = FREAK OUT. 

I didn't anticipate the freak out part of the equation--I should have. I was trying to "talk him down" as it were.  But today, he wasn't having it.  There was so reasoning.  Today, the autism won--for a little while.

Here's a visual:  Screaming, writhing 12 yr old boy. Two nurses and me restraining screaming, writhing 12 yr old boy. "Stop siphoning blood from by body!!!" (It would have been funny if it weren't so heartbreaking.) Nurse 1 doing the finger stick.  Admittedly, those finger sticks hurt WAY worse than the syringe-in-the-crook-of-the-arm blood draw, in my opinion.  And they hurt even worse when you've got a moving target.  What's more, she didn't get a good stick the first time and had to have a second go.  OY VEY.

End result:  crying, hyperventilating child and crying mother complete with running nose.  Gross, I know.  But I couldn't exactly wipe it because my arms were occupied!!!  That skinny little booger is a lot stronger than you think. 

I want to give the nurses come credit though, they were very kind and were just doing their job and worked hard to try and make him feel better, so it wasn't their fault.  He just couldn't help it.  And mom couldn't help him "help it".  Y'all ever have a case of the "cain't help its"??  Mom's magic wand was fresh out of pixie dust, apparently. 

{Thankfully, mono test was negative and his blood work was good.  "Just" a viral allergy thing.}

Every once in a while, I allow myself to cry about it.  But only every once in a long while.  It doesn't change what is.  Why mourn something that doesn't exist?  Why mourn when I have been given such an incredible child to love and nurture?  He is a precious gift and we celebrate him every day.  And if there were a "cure", I wouldn't want it--at least not for my sake.  If it could make Jacob feel better about himself.  If it would make him happy.  If he wanted it.  If it would prevent him from feeling like an outcast or an alien (as he likes to say), then yes.  By all means, bring on the cure.  A cure wouldn't prevent him from experiencing the pain any other "normal" kid experiences, though.  Would I want him any other way?  Would I want him "normal"?  No way.  Not in a million light-years.  He is an awesome kid.  He's adorable, hilarious, kind and loving.  He's brilliant.  And I love him to the point where I feel like my heart will explode.  These days come and then as quickly as they've come, they go.  We take things as they come and pray for wisdom and strength to walk through it.  God gives us strength and we survive.  We survive and we grow and we love our amazing son.  A little TLC and hot chocolate go a long way.   

-------------------

We have no right to ask when sorrow comes, "Why did this happen to me?" unless we ask the same question for every moment of happiness that comes our way.  ~Author Unknown

If all the cars in the United States were placed end to end, it would probably be Labor Day Weekend.  ~Doug Larson

--------------------

Labor Day.  Not real sure why we celebrate it.  (It's sad, I know)  I know everyone is glad we DO, mostly because nearly everyone gets a day off because of it.  But regardless of why we do, I'm glad.  Gives people an excuse to have one last hurrah before summer is officially over.  Myself included. 

SIDEBAR:  I'm suddenly reminded of the last scenes of "Dirty Dancing" where they are singing the "Kellerman's" song the last night of summer vacay at the resort (You know it, sing with me--and do the motions-- "join hearts and hands and voices, voices, hearts and hands.  At Kellerman's the friendships last, long as the mountain stands") Crazy random flashbacks...they happen sometimes. 

We had a rainy weekend, but a fun one.  My bff Kristi and her family came for the long weekend.  We have officially dubbed our screened porch the "party porch" where the grown ups hung out, had a couple of drinks and mostly cracked up.  Even the "menfolk"!  And Kristi's oldest son (he's 13 and he's in that I'm-too-cool-for-the-little-kids-but-not-quite-old-enough-to-really-hang-with-the-adults awkward phase)would join us for periods of time until he started getting TMI about when Kristi and I were kids ourselves!  It was pretty funny.  He's a great kid--love ya T, or should I say "Magic T".  He's the next Mind Freak, mark my words!  The younger boys and the girls were just running around inside playing.  Having a blast.  It's nice to be in the phase of life where you don't have to keep both eyeballs on the kids all the time and they can have a little fun on their own...just one eyeball seems to be enough.  (Yes, we've become "those mothers"...the old lady soccer moms.  Mothers of school-age children.  YIKES.)  We went to the beach in spite of the rain...not gonna let a little rain ruin our weekend.  And mostly it seemed like we ate.  A LOT.  Oh, and we unpacked a few boxes.  Thanks, girl! 

 I'd have to say we laughed a lot and had a lot of fun.  I've heard it said that you can't have too much fun, but I'm rethinking that one...

Hope Sarah doesn't mind me poking a little fun at her.  But she made it so easy! Notice the drool, if you can.  She has plenty of time to hate her Aunt Jo later...for now, I just couldn't resist. 

There isn't much better in life than getting to spend time with people you love and who love you and who wouldn't really care if they had to sleep on top of a few boxes in order to do so.  I'm so lucky. 

-----------------------

A true friend is one who thinks you are a good egg even if you are half-cracked.  ~Author Unknown

Cartoon courtesy of Toothpaste for Dinner. Check them out!