#5 in your program... #1 in your heart!

 Today was Sam's first Challenger baseball game of the year.  At first I think he was a bit disappointed because there was no mud on the field (there is usually more mud than field)... but he found a way to get dirty anyway.  Sam still does not want to wear his hat, batting helmet and will only occasionally agree to wear his mitt but I am pleased to say that he stayed on the field the entire game.  Pat got a work out but Sam didn't escape once and he didn't throw any balls into the road... the 8 foot fence worked to our advantage.  

I think Sam gets bored in the field and would rather play in the dirt but he seems to have caught on to base running.  In his own round-about way he makes it to first base and eventually all the way around... he even slid into home plate!  

WTG Challengers!!!! Great game today!

checking out the field

play ball

choosing a bat

keep your eye on the ball

slugger

look at that form!

running... bases

safe on first

a busy weekend in three short chapters...

Chapater 1

Mother's Day program at Andrew's school.  There was singing and poems read and fabulous art work and all the mothers were all served cookies and lemonade.  

Chapter 2

Andrew's First Communion at Prince of Peace Catholic Church.  Andrew was chosen to be one of the children to bring up the host for the mass.  He did a wonderful job and he looked so very handsome in his suit.  After the Mass we went to the Olive Garden for lunch (Andrew's choice) and had a really nice afternoon with family.

Chapter 3

Mother's Day.  Since Grandma Moore (and Papa Moore too) and Grandma Mema were here for Andrew's First Communion I was able to take my mom and MIL to get pedicures.  Now we all have pretty feet and painted toes.  ***OK... we will use the term "pretty" loosely LOL but they are painted all the same***  Pat cooked ribs on the grill, we went for a walk and the boys went fishing and everyone had a nice day.  

It was a very nice weekend.   

take me out to the ballpark...

So let me set the scene...

It is a warm summer evening and there is a nice breeze.  The baseball field is full of kids of all abilities playing catch and getting serious about their sport....Challenger baseball!

Sam is at baseball practice and his Dad is his buddy and is coaxing him to participate.  I am standing some distance away at a small playground area with Andrew, Sean and a few other kids.  All the Challenger baseball kids,  of all abilities, have partnered up and are throwing balls back and forth.  Sam is running in the grass and has more interest in making Pat run after balls than an actual game of catch.

From a distance I am watching Sam run bases... his way (which is just another way of saying that Sam was running around a lot with no real direction). He is stealing other kids balls and throwing them in every direction.  I really think that the idea of playing catch completely escapes him... either that or he just likes to watch people run after balls.  Pat has no doubt broken a sweat at this point.  Sam (AKA The Grounds Keeper) is all over the field.  At one point I hear the coach yell "WE HAVE A RUNNER" as I turn to look and see that Sam has gotten out of the fenced area and is running full tilt towards the road.

This has become a game of sorts.

He waits until he thinks no one is paying attention and then he bolts.  His giggles are that of a child who wants to get caught... but not before he lets you know that the score is Sam 1, parent-unaware 0.  I am sure this was much more comical from a distance where I got to see the whole scene unfold.

Sam started making his way toward the gate.  Bigger kids moved out of the way and actually assisted him to navigate the bats and helmets that slowed his progress a bit.  And then he shifted into 4th gear.  I hear the coach yell.  I see Pat who was helping another kid bat, spring up and scan the field only to realize that Sam was gone.  Just as Sam reached the street Pat scooped him up and brought him back inside the fence.  

Now Sam has a mission.  He is now determined that he will make it to the street.  And now another idea occurs to him.... if I can't go into the street I can make others go into the street.

So now I see Sam pick up a ball and throw it.  Not to anyone in particular but a good throw all the same.  He then walks over to his ball, picks it up and throws it again.  Good job Sam, I am thinking.  Slowly but surely he is making his way across the field... until he reaches the fence.  He then tosses the ball over the fence and into the road.  Cars are breaking, adults are running and Sam is quite pleased with himself.  Over the course of the practice Sam threw 2 balls into the street and escaped 3 times. 

About 3/4 of the way through practice Sam is DONE.  He is exhausted from all the "base running".  He makes another break for it and starts to head over towards the small playground, takes a brief break at the swings and then takes off towards a concrete area that is behind the school.  I try to coax him back to the game but he is... done.  Sam is a master of the famous "stop, drop and flop" and he executes this perfectly making it impossible for me to lift him.  As if to tell me that he is not moving another inch... he rolls to his back and puts his hands behind his head and just lounges there on the hard cement.   He has had a good day, a fun practice and now he is pooped out.  

Briefly he joins the team again but under protest.  With very little cooperation from Sam we get him, Andrew and Sean loaded into the van.  With practice over we are headed home for baths and bed.  

Another great practice.

you can't take just one!

OK... seriously... I can hardly stand how cute these babies are.  Sadly, Garth's passing has left a hole in our family.  And like Garth,  all our cats have sort of found us.  However, in this case I have been on the hunt but I knew that the right cat would find its way to us.  

So I posted a little plea on facebook and literally seconds later I got a response that there were some available kittens in need of a good home.  You will notice that we are going in a new direction this time... as all our past cats (Nikki, Krammer and Garth) were all black.  In the beginning that was a stipulation enforced by Pat... "the cat must be all black"... as if he thought there was a shortage of black cats, therefore reducing the likelihood of us getting one.  Obviously his plan backfired as I never had any problems finding black cats.  However, these yellow-delightful balls of fluff are going to do just fine.  So I went over today to take a peek.  It was an done deal!

We will be adopting 2... the one Sean is holding and another one of the same sex (whatever that may be).  But don't tell Pat... he as agreed to 1 but I am sure that he will soon realize the logic of having two.  Of course it will have been his idea all along (to adopt 2 kittens) and we will all acknowledge his keen foresight, generosity and humanitarian obligation.  LOL.  

As of right now Sean has named his cat "Kitty 2" (gonna have to work on that)... they won't be ready to leave their mother for a few more weeks so that will give us some time.  

Good-Kitty Garth

Last night I made a hard decision that I know was for the best but my heart is still breaking.  For the past several weeks our cat has been vomiting and has been getting slowly worse.  Changing his diet and other interventions didn't help any but the last straw was when I saw him struggling to get up the steps.  My heart sank and I knew what had to be done but it is such a hard call to make.

Garth has been with us since I was 6 months pregnant with Andrew.  He used to sleep on my hip every night and purr.  He only did this when I was pregnant and we actually joked about this when Garth started sleeping on my chest before I found out I was pregnant with Sean.  He knew before we did.

Garth was a stray that used to hang around my parent's house and sleep on my uncle's roof.  Pat did NOT want another cat but he said that if the cat was around when we were ready to leave we could take him back home with us.  I know he was thinking that we would never see that cat again... well almost on cue Garth came out from under a car and started figure eights around Pat's legs.  And he has been with us ever since.

He was such a good cat with a silky black coat and crazy yellow eyes.  He had all of his claws and never once lashed out at my boys with his claws out.  Now that is saying a lot if you know how they toted him around and "loved" him.  If they got to rough he would come over and bite me!  He was gentle and playful and a really wonderful part of our family.

So as I hunt around for more kleenex I can tell you that although it was so very hard to make the final decision to put him to rest I think it would have been so much harder to watch him get any worse.  The boys all got their chance to say good-bye and even Sam and Sean realized the gravity of the situation.  Sam gave him kisses and rubbed his ear and Sean pointed out his eyes and nose and Andrew told him how much he loved him and would never forget him.

So may you rest in peace good-kitty Garth we love you and miss you.  

Garth 

RIP 4/21/10

Beauty in the eye of a special needs mom

Wow... It seems like forever since my last post... maybe because it has been! Several things have happened since my last post including the passing of a friend (ELE), a wedding, set a date to have the crappy windows replaced (and out those crappy windows also went any hopes of getting an iphone anytime soon),   a trip to Michigan, cat vomit and more cat vomit, Easter x2, the kick off of soccer season and much more.

Needless to say we have been busy.  That statement could be followed up with "well when are you not busy" but busy is good and it means that everyone is healthy and active.  

In vain I have tried to keep up with the house work.  You would be hard pressed to walk into my house and fine a tidy area.  It is not that I have not tried but when you are followed by tornadoes all day what is left in the wake is destruction and chaos and a faint unpleasant scent.  There is however, a roughly sketched plan that in the end will leave me with a tidy space and a place to hide chaos rather than put it on display.  This plan involves a few built ins, a very large garage sale, a few bottles of wine and patience!

Piles of laundry are currently heaped on the couch waiting to be folded and put away... secretly I like to think of it as a staging area for all the clothes that fit.  I am gearing up for the mother of all garage sales and most of the clothes that are actually still in the boys drawers don't fit (otherwise they would have been worn and washed and in a heap on the couch)... so slowly I am trying to remove those clothes, reshuffle closets and get organized for the garage sale.  So you see there is some logic to my madness.  

Amidst all this chaos that has become our norm... something wonderful has taken place.  Something that to the naked eye may seem common place and insignificant.  Something that in a moment of distraction would have been missed.  Something that despite its incredible beauty is under appreciated by most.  

Yesterday as effortlessly as you please, Sam walked up 2 steps on our front porch, reached the door and rang the door bell.  Then stood there waiting patiently to enter the house.  

Now why is this such a big deal you might ask... well it is because Sam did it!  This quite, unassuming moment is a big-black-sharpie-marker-line in Sam's developmental time line. Sam has never, without dropping to all fours or without holding someone's hand climbed these stairs on his own.  There is no handrail for support or balance.  He didn't even break his stride... he just marched right up those steps like he had been doing it all along and then he didn't drop to his knees... he stood patiently and waited.  We have been working on stair climbing (up and down) with Sam for a very long time but this was an unexpected surprise.  

It was only 2 steps.... 2 beautiful steps taken with such mastery that I had to stop and pinch myself to make sure that I actually saw what I just saw.  When Sam learns a new skill it is not without first enduring months and years of repetitive practice.  Rarely does Sam let on that this new skill is sinking in or even that he is any closer to mastering it then he was 6 months or even 2 years ago.   I have learned with Sam that "nothing is impossible... the impossible just takes a little longer" but even then I sometimes get wrapped up in a wet blanket of possibility that there are things that he will never "get".  Yet, like a shock wave of clarity he nails a new and unexpected skill all at once... and that is just how he rolls.  There is no pre-warning, there is no almost there... there is only ON and OFF with Sam.  The switch will remain off until Sam is ready to turn it on and then a new bright light shines where there was only darkness before.  It is truly a thing of beauty to behold the birth of a new light.

So for now my messy house and chaotic schedule are here to stay.  And as I slowly try to remedy my clutter situation I will remember those 2 beautiful little steps that lead the way... slow and steady wins the race.  

Mommy needs a break... or maybe just a happier ending.

Not that this hasn't crossed my mind before, but our recent movie marathon really got me thinking.  Have you ever really thought about  all the kids movies that seem to have this underlying dysfunctional-family format that does not include a Mother?  Just sit and think a moment about all the movies in which the Mom is dead or out of the picture or dies in the first 5 minutes of the movie... Bambi, Finding Nemo, Little Mermaid, Harry Potter, Astro Boy, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Chicken Little, Kung Fu Panda, Barnyard, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Snow White, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, Pocahontas, Dumbo just to name a few.

Now there are occasions when a mother figure is interjected after the apparent demise of the original loving mother... but that does not always work out well as in the case of Cinderella and Snow White for example.  Occasionally you will see a picture of "Mom" on the wall or in a book or a dream or there may be a brief mention that alludes to the fact that the main character's current problem would have been alleviated or the blow somewhat softened or even avoided all together if only "Mom were here"... "she would know what to do...".

Sometimes mom makes a brief cameo appearance in the beginning of the film but then is absent as a result of a horrible illness, forest fire, or maybe she sacrificed herself to save her family and sometimes she is not mentioned at all.  In any case Dad is left to carry on raising a small soul on his own.  And in most cases Dad rises to the occasion (as distant or strict as he may be at times before that one defining moment when father and child unite) and in the end the child(ren) tend to end up pretty well and find themselves wed into the royal family, or star of the baseball team, or save the world and ultimately live happily ever after... just what every parent wants for their child.  Kudos to Dad.  

There are few films in which mom survives.  The Incredibles, for instance, keeps both parents alive throughout the film.  But I can remember watching it for the first time just waiting for them to off Elasti-Girl (AKA Mom) and then being surprised that she "made it".  It just seems more common for the hero (or heroine) to loose one or both parents than it is for them to grow up in a "perfect" family.  Maybe this makes the main character more relatable or "real" or  builds compassion for his plight???  Perhaps the element of the missing parent is meant to punctuate the perseverance and ability to overcome great obstacles and succeed against all odds or just a poorly dealt hand in life???  

But why the need for the single parent family?  Is it too much work for the writers to spare Moms life?  Did it take the death of the person closest to the hero to catapult them to a higher level of greatness?   Really,  how significant to the plot is the fact that the Mother is dead and gone?  Could the hero of the story not succeed in a two parent household?  And how do we find entertainment in the loss of others and subject our children to such themes at such an early age... death, sadness and loss are present in all these films.  We laugh, we cry we by the action figures but do we ever really address these life issues with our children?  Granted there is usually a good moral to the story and everything turns out fine in the end but the road the heros and heroines travel is dark and difficult and full of pot holes and we seem to conveniently glaze over that part.  I was an adult before I realized just how gruesome fairytales really are and perhaps more true to life than we care to acknowledge.  I for one hope that my children continue to blindly enjoy their movies and are also well into adulthood before they fully grasp the underlying evils of their favorite classics. Fairytale heros, it would appear, are not spared from difficult families, loss and death, evil and misfortune... but perhaps that is the real moral of the story... What doesn't kill you makes you stronger... and then (if you are lucky) you marry the prince and live happily ever after.

Sometimes I want to think of Mom as a raving bitch that just ran off in a fit of drunken rage or as just a horrible person instead of someone who selflessly gave up their life to save that of her child... that way at least I am glad to see her gone and I don't feel so sad for this poor beautiful motherless child who must endure years of pain before ultimately full filling their destiny.  Even in fairytales life is never easy.  Happily Ever After does not come without a price it would appear.