Nine years ago my water finally broke and I still wasn’t contracting. I was livid with Genesys for not admitting me a few days prior, so I decided to be stubborn and take Claire to visit the Easter bunny with her grandparents like we had planned that Sunday morning. After all, my water wasn’t gushing out so it didn’t matter, right? After Claire cried in line about sitting with scary bunny, we decided to leave and eat at Applebee’s before I would not be allowed to eat at the hospital for some time. I still wasn’t contracting so a hearty lunch seemed like a smart idea. I texted Paul in Arizona and my parents that it would be awhile, then went to eat with my mother and father in law. We told the servers to make it a rush order, and my Fiesta Lime Chicken never tasted so good. On our way back to the house I made a couple of calls and got together sub plans with a friend, and only then did we race to the hospital. Still no contractions.
My parents met us there, my mom racing from a conference, and also my dear friend Wendy. It was all excitmen and eagerness for our baby to arrive until the nurse (she debuts as hairy mole rat in the book, Welcome Little Leo) yelled at me for prolonging the labor. I told her that he wasn’t ready or I would have started contracting plus I wanted a good meal before eating disgusting hospital food. She clucked her tongue at me and so began the pitocin. My water still hadn’t fully broke yet, so the resident broke my bag (apparently there are two layers) by hand without an warning and she became my new arch nemesis-meaner than hairy mole rat. Thankfully my primary nurse told everyone to leave the room and she would be in charge from now on. It was pretty smooth after that…my mom, mom in law, and bff all helped welcome little Leo into this world and he was surrounded with love from his sister and papa soon after. It was nothing short of amazing to say the least.
If you have not been around this kid lately, he has gotten his own You Tube Channel this year where he opens up Pokemon packs LIVE and details what is inside. He plans on doing more behind the scenes stuff and even videoed me last week at school teaching…undercover…not sure his plans on that footage just yet. You can follow him at: Sojourner IV.
He has also become quite the Gamer. Lately he has been on a Destiny kick and really enjoys his new set up from Santa and Papa: a TV in his room with video gaming chair and headphones. Now we can use the television in the basement to watch movies, but we still hear him above us jumping around like he is in the video game himself. I am sure he is not too far from getting some Virtual Reality stuff to make his experience even more realistic.
Leo also has become a big brother again…to another sister…he was bummed a first but is quite smitten with Isla. She is the first person he looks for each day to kiss good morning and his last kiss at night. He wants to hold her as much as possible but hasn’t changed a diaper yet…I am working on that venture!
Reading is is favorite subject this year because well, no math wars in 3rd grade. He has really enjoyed the “I Survived” series by Laura Tarshis. His favorite is I Survived The Nazi Invasion. He cannot get enough of these books and still loves Pokemon and Minecraft Guide Books as well.
His humor can get us all giggling and he loves Fail Videos on You Tube. He met with the Breakfast Club at Carman a few weeks ago and said, “Mom. I think I found my people.” They are all artists and gamers and I think he is right. I told him to start a club with Tammy Trombley next year at Gates. She is going to love him.
His chattiness is always something I usually love to listen to; mostly it is a solid reminder that I need to slow down and be patient! If you are around Leo, he is very much like his dad in that he explains everything in full detail. At dinner when we ask Leo about his favorite part of the day, he gives us his entire schedule from the moment he wakes until what he is eating for dinner (which we can plainly see) along with who said what at lunch and who was on yellow or purple at school. He is looking forward to becoming an engineer but I think he may talk too much for that profession…we’ll see.
We are so fortunate that this guy is a part of our family. He is my favorite son. I tell him this so often he gets annoyed! I know I am grateful for his testosterone and hugs, his empathy and willingness to try new things, and most of all his love for his sisters. He protects them fiercely. Happy 9th birthday! I love you more than ice cream.