Me Tarzan, You Momma

This, obviously, is a BOY story. So, all you moms of boys out there, sit back, laugh, and know you're not alone. Those of you who don't have your own boys - well, laugh anyway....

Mason unloads the dishwasher for me as his chore. And what a chore. I know, because I've been doing it for years. Not that it's hard, just.... boring, repetitive, tedious.... Hey, you're a mom, so you understand. I'm very grateful for my dishwasher, but I must confess I tend to go brain-dead while emptying this particular machine.

I am also very grateful to have a son who is tall enough and responsible enough to be entrusted with this chore.

Today, I was trying to finish up an early prep of dinner while Melanie and Marsha "requested" their lunch, TJ sang at the bar (loudly), and Emma wanted help with Math. Oh, and Mason was unloading the dishwasher. You would think he might get lost in that mix, considering that unloading the dishwasher is such a, well, background kind of job. But, this is a boy I'm telling you about. So, it was no surprise that when Mason unloaded the two 1-cup measuring cups, they were immediately turned upside down so they could appropriately tap out a rhythm on my back, with vocal accompaniment, of course. All the while, Melanie and Marsha are squawking from the living room, TJ is still talking about something in a song he is creating as he goes, and Emma is continuing her math questions. At this point, I calmly ask Mason to cease and desist from pounding on my back. He is a boy and didn't quite understand that it was now time to actually put the measuring cups away. So, he moved over to Emma's back and resumed his rhythm and rhyme. Emma is, of course, having a hard time ignoring him but does attempt to continue her math discussion. I finally asked Mason to look at my face; once we had eye contact, I slowly said, "put them away, in the drawer, without further contact with anyone's body." He was quite willing to obey but obviously had no concept he was being, well, annoying.

In the midst of the chaos, my helpful best friend volunteered a title to this blog when she giggled and chirped, "Me Tarzan, You Momma." I'm pretty sure she was only laughing because her house was quiet.

But you know what? In the midst of hearing so many moms say they can't wait for school to start, I will be glad for the noise. I am so blessed by all of my children, especially my very own little drummer boy! What an adventure they bring to each and every day!

Mason and Fertility

Mason is a great kid. He's helpful, polite (mostly), smart, adventurous, kind, tough, gentle (when necessary), and generous to a fault. He loves to read, play football, build legos, wrestle with his dad or his kid brother - or just about anyone for that matter. He is a hard worker and already knows what chronic pain is but still smiles every morning when he hobbles into the kitchen for his medicines. He's great company and at that age where he's becoming aware of the world around him.

In all kinds of ways.

Wow. Mason's ten. He came into the kitchen while I was rolling sushi and asked, "Mom, was I born because of invitro fertilization?" Apparently TLC is more educational than I realized. Can that count as health class?

After I picked up my chin, I asked Mason what exactly he understood invitro to be. He did in fact have a basic understanding of the procedure. I told him that no, we had not had him through invitro. That was all I said - after all, I'm in the kitchen rolling sushi.

But he did tell me that when he grows up he's going to have children through invitro fertilization because the other way is just too germy. Kids.

Can he be ten forever?

A Future in Finance?

I have always been intrigued by how my children handle money. Mason takes after me - it goes out as quick as it comes in. Hannah, on the other hand, is definitely her Pop's girl - she keeps every last penny and knows exactly what she has.

So Mason and Hannah make an interesting pair. I knew Mason occasionally borrowed money from Hannah, but that was the extent of my knowledge. Then, one day in our family wisdom search, we were reading in Proverbs about not lending money at usury. Hannah's eyebrows furrowed, and she asked her daddy what usury was. He explained the concept of interest, and Hannah looked heart broken! Apparently, she had been making a pretty good return on those loans.

A few weeks ago, Robert and the kids were at Wal-Mart (yes, again at Wal-Mart). Mason wanted to borrow a dollar from Hannah for a pack of gum. Hannah told him that was fine, but he would have to repay a dollar and a quarter. He got all huffy and reminded her that God didn't like usury..... And Hannah assured him that he need not worry about her immortal soul because she wasn't charging him interest, this was merely a "service fee."

I'm not exactly sure where Hannah learned about service fees.... we're an all-cash family.... She never fails to keep us on our toes!

Pay It Forward

This seems like fun!

I will send a hand made gift to the first three people who leave a comment on this post requesting to join the PIF exchange. All the gifts will be made and sent out sometime soon within the year. How exciting to not know when your surprise package will arrive. What you need to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog. This exchange is only open to those with active websites or blogs. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS PROMISE TO POST THIS SAME 'PAY IT FORWARD' MESSAGE ON YOUR BLOG, WHICH MUST BE ACTIVE IN ORDER TO PLAY. YOU WILL PAY IT FORWARD TO THREE PEOPLE WHO COMMENT ON YOUR BLOG. Recap: The first three people who comment, commit to the PIF thing. The gifts are supposed to be hand made. I know a lot of you are probably thinking that you can't get in on it because you aren't "crafty" enough. If you really want in on it but don't find yourself crafty enough, I am sure it would be okay to support someone you know that has a handmade crafty kind of business. Buy a gift from them.

Got it?

And those of you who know me are surely wondering what homemade gift I could possible make...that anyone would want (and no, I'm not giving away children). You know you're dying to see what I'm going to do, so comment now!

Wonders of Autism

In honor of Autism Awareness Month, and of Hannah, who is wonderful....

Autism is a scary word for a parent. No one understands what causes it, and there is no magic cure for it. All along you've been hoping that maybe this is just a phase. But now you have that word, and it's not a phase... it's forever.

For me, I pushed all those tangled emotions aside and started to fight for my child. It was important to start intervention, and no one knew her potential the way I did. And to be honest, it was a lot easier to jump in and do something than to deal with the emotions of forever.

But eventually, the emotions surface. For me, it was Sunday morning on the way to church. I was thinking about Abraham... I had read about him that morning. And I thought he was pretty cool, because he was willing to give up his son when God asked for him, and I surely wasn't. What? As I thought that, I realized that I was fighting with God. I wouldn't admit that this was Hannah... this was the best of Hannah, forever. No words, no relationship. Not like I wanted, anyway.

So, in the car on the way to church the emotional and spiritual reality broke to the surface. Was I willing to give Hannah to God? To trust that whatever he had planned for her was good and right? Well, I never made it to church that day, not to the building, anyway. But I did meet God, and I did give him my child. For whatever he wanted. And it was the hardest thing I've ever done. I'm not sure I've ever cried so much.

Hannah was almost four then. A month later, she used her first spontaneous sign. I have no idea what any of my other children said first, but I'll never forget that day.... Hannah was watching me cook bacon in the electric skillet when she tugged at my shirt and signed "hot". Yes, Hannah, it's hot! Wow! I was so excited! And from there, Hannah just took off.

Watching Marsha, our youngest, and wondering.... it's been hard, and scary, all over again. But this time it's a little easier to hold her up to God and know that He will be faithful again. Maybe not the way I want.....but, ultimately, the way I need.

In thinking about Hannah, and wondering about Marsha.... I've concluded that autism is not just a scary thing... it's also a thing of wonder.

Here are just a few incredible things about my child....

10. Has no concept of trying to impress people, so totally doesn't even bother.
9. Hyperlexia. I now know what this is because Hannah was reading before she was talking.
Go figure.
8. Very concrete thinkers. Makes their relationship with God so very, very special.
7. Very concrete thinkers. Don't really get sarcasm, at all. In fact, Hannah is so literal she seems sarcastic.
6. Very visual. She worked jigsaw puzzles picture-side down when she was five and six. Now she thinks of words like pieces of a puzzle and memorizes huge amounts of material with very little effort.
5. Hyperfocusing. Never have to fight her about completing school work. Maybe about taking breaks, but never about finishing.
4. Simple joys. Like spinning in circles.
3. Very routine oriented. This has been good for me as it has forced me to be more organized and structured, and I've been good for her as I've helped her function on a schedule rather than a routine.
2. Thanks to Hannah, I know more about electricity, baker's yeast, the planets, and pineapples than I would ever have thought possible.
1. "I love you" means so very, very much.

Dinner.... or not

I love to cook. And I must say that I have come a long, long way since high school. Just ask Amanda... or my mom.

But tonight was a flashback. I created my own casserole, which would have been good. If you'd like to try it, here goes:
chicken (pulled from the bone, not used last night in chicken and dumplings)
cooked rice (about a cup, whatever you have will work just adjust the rest of the ingredients accordingly)
frozen chopped brocolli (I used half a bag)
cream cheese (8 0z, melted and mixed with other ingredients)
chicken broth (just enough to keep it moist while it baked)
cheddar cheese, grated
seasoning of choice, I used a little salt and pepper and a garlic lemon seasoning that I love

I mixed everything but the cheddar cheese and packed it into a casserole dish. If you put it in a smaller container and pack it firmly, it will stay moist and sliceable (is that a word?). Put on the lid and cook it at 350. After about thirty minutes, take off the lid, sprinkle with cheese and bake uncovered until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Let the casserole sit for 25 to 30 minutes before cutting.

I'm pretty sure this would be tasty, but.... I can tell you that FORGETTING that you put the casserole in the oven is not a good idea.

I do know that the batteries in my smoke detector need to be replaced. That's always good to know. So it wasn't totally wasted, right? I also know that Hannah really doesn't like the smell of smoke. No big surprise there. I also know exactly how long it takes for my husband to drive to the pizza place here in town.

And, fortunately, I should be safe to cook again tomorrow because at dinner Mason prayed that God would "please let mommy stay being a good cook." Thanks.... I think.

If you make my casserole before I do, let me know what you think.

It's Here!

Have you noticed how beautiful babies are? It's amazing how perfectly formed they are...even their personalities. Melanie was born with an opinion and a voice. Marsha was born calm and reserved. Marsha likes to study things, and she loves to cuddle. Melanie likes to grab things, and she loves to wiggle. They both love each other, and I absolutely adore them both.

Melanie was chewing her fingers this afternoon when her eyes suddenly rounded, and she emitted a sound somewhere between a shriek and a cry. She sat there for a minuted, frozen, and then she started to cry. I scooped Mellie up and gave her a finger to chew on...only to shriek myself when she bit down...with a tooth! Melanie has her first tooth! Yeah!

Now, it might seem that six and a half months is not particularly late as far as teeth go, especially for a slightly premature baby...but the rest of my babies (except Marsha, who is still all gums) all had teeth early. Mason's first two teeth were readily visible in his three month pictures. I'm pretty sure he was born teething. Hannah was the slowest teether, and she had her first tooth by five months. So, six and a half months seemed so long for me....

What is really sweet about Melanie's tooth, though, is how she responded to our impromptu party..... She was so excited that I was excited about that tooth! She has been all grins all afternoon long. And she is actually opening her mouth for people this evening! Seriously.... I can say, "show me your tooth" and the jaw drops and juts forward! What a clown!

It's amazing to me that so much personality can be packed into a thirteen pound, six month old body!