1~ He loves to be loved, snuggled, cuddled.
2~ He gets me to plan for dinner as soon as breakfast is over.
3~ He is persistent.
4~ He is innocent.
5~ He looks like his daddy.
6~ He tries hard to get things right, and celebrates each new victory - no matter how small.
7~ His crooked, toothless smile.
Max is 7 years old today. It's hard to believe. 7 years ago today we saw this tiny (the smallest of all our babies) little baby for the first time.
We had known from our 20 week ultrasound, that he only had 1 kidney, and that he'd immediately be put on antibiotics, and need to be examined at Primary Children's Hospital. But we weren't prepared for the on-call pediatrician to come in and tell us that he had heard a significant heart murmur, and that we'd have to go straight from the hospital to Primarys. He had ASD & VSD. Basically, the chambers in his heart hadn't fully closed. But it wasn't life threatening, and in most cases, the holes seal themselves. It just meant regular appointments at the cardiology department. So, home we went, and I had noticed that the inner corner of Max's eye didn't look quite right - swollen or unformed. But no one at the hospital had mentioned it, so I didn't worry too much about it until his 2 week check up with the regular pediatrician. I asked about it, and he went to check his books, called a pediatric opthomologist, and was told to send us up to Primarys right away. Off again I went. Only to be told that he had a cyst in his tear duct, and if we didn't take care of it right away, it could result in infection that could lead to blindness - would we like to go into surgery that day, or the next? The next day, I fearfully handed over my tiny baby to the nurse who would take him back under general anesthesia to remove the cyst through his nose. The procedure was over quickly, but it was the first of many long nights spent at the hospital with the oxygen mask held near his face.
When I took him in for his circumsician, there was another problem diagnosed (hypospadia), so that procedure was quickly reversed, and an appointment with the urologist was made. (The same urolgist had addressed the kidney issue - resulting in the discovery of reflux from bladder to kidney, requiring a ureter reimplant...) She also took care of the undescended testicle (that was strangulated) and at the same time as one of these other surgeries, a hernia was repaired... Also, sometime in there we spent a night at Primarys with some sort of virus that had rendered him so dehydrated he was vomiting bile. (one of the most horrible nights. he was so lethargic, that he didn't even cry when they strapped him to a board to do some sort of dye test. just layed there...)
All of the procedures and problems have blended into a mass of doctors appointments and surgeries. Not one of his problems was life threatening, but all required attention. I became conditioned to fear even the well-child checkups, because each one brought more bad news. Even up to last year, I went, and we discovered his enlarged thyroid gland. Which has led to meds, blood tests and additional appointments.
I take Max in today for his 7 year check up.
A little apprehensive.
Can you blame me?
I am so grateful for Max in our family. He reminds us to slow down, enjoy the simple things, and that even the little victories are worth celebrating.
Happy Birthday, Kid!
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