First Communion, Mother's Day and the Tooth Fairy Strikes Again!

What a whirlwind week!  All year we've been working with Noah to complete his studies so that he could receive his first communion.  It was a long year.  Every Sunday had he had to get up early and go to an hour class to learn about God, Jesus and the reasons we do the things we do in Mass each week.  It was good for him.  It was good for me.  I have such a sense of pride for him because he really never complained about going - it was more getting up out of bed, but once we were up and going he was happy and excited to go to church.  I think it helps to have friends also going through the process.

Thursday was the big day - they had 86 kids (both 2nd and some 3rd graders) to receive communion.  It was a great evening filled with lots of love from the congregation and family supporters.  I really felt like the teachers were thrilled for these little kids and the achievement they had made.  You could see their pride when they walked in after the kids procession.

He was so excited to wear his new clothes - the tie, the belt, the new shoes that were like his dad's.  I think he asked me three times throughout the week "Mom are you going to iron my shirt?"... I finally told him yes, but that he was going to help and learn himself.  It was fun watching him try not to burn himself or his shirt.  And it was super cute and somewhat overwhelming as a mother to watch Curt tie Noah's tie for him.  All the emotions with that scene.

During the week - poor Mark was feeling like a truck had hit him.  He's such a tough kid and tries really hard to just push through - this kid has such high resolve to just keep going.  Wednesday I got called to finally come get him - fever of 101.00.  We tried to take him to the Dr that afternoon, but unfortunately he threw up in the car so we just went home.  Finally Friday we got an appointment and found out he has Mono and Strep.  The mono was a shock - frankly I usually just assume we're going to have ear infections + antibiotics and move along.  The mono was textbook - so much so that the Dr. brought in the nurses (all three of them) and showed them what to look for on Mark = flushed cheeks, lethargic, enlarged lymph nodes, enlarged spleen  and liver -- apparently you should't be able to "feel the spleen"... so this was the trigger + white pus on his tonsils.  Mark thought he was hot stuff showing everyone his symptoms... even to the point of telling the nurses they could feel his "spuh-uleen, but please don't tickle me"...!   Because of the + test on strep we got a different type of antibiotics - one that you need to take 3x / day... he also said usually kids can kick the mono virus in 8-10 days... unlike teens and adults that take months to recover.  I guess one more perk of being little and super fast metabolism.  I am just praying that no one else in the family gets this mess.

Mother's day was Sunday - a nice quiet, rainy day - full of a great brunch and nap in the afternoon!  And this little turkey lost his first tooth!  Back to the toughness in this kid - we were driving up to eat breakfast and mentions nonchalantly "hey mom I have a loose tooth!"  I think well okay...we've got a few weeks to get this thing wiggled out...  Nope.  Right as breakfast came - he grabbed it with his little fingers and pulled it out - right at the table!  No pain.  The kid amazes me.

These three - they drive me crazy - a lot of the time.  I am in constant wonder if I do anything right, say anything with enough love and kindness and compassion -- if they get that my yelling isn't really at them, but at my own internal frustration... this motherhood thing is hard - i know a lot of people say that - like all the time - this is hard, hard, hard.  What I find interesting is though - they say those words, but then right after - maybe within the next sentence they say "I wouldn't trade it for anything!"... how many things in your life would you say that about?  It's hard, but I love it.  Would it mean something different if you said "I love it, but it's hard"...say the + first instead of the negative?

I love each of these little guys so intently, so differently, so vastly.