The Worst Day

Yesterday we experienced a little bit of trauma in our family.  We had a great morning at church which was followed by a quick lunch at Panera - our kids' favorite place to have soup in a breadbowl.  We headed home to tidy up before the rest of the day began.

I was in the laundry room folding clothes, when I heard a scream from Cole that made me want to dash up the stairs to find him.  Evidently Tim read the scream the way I did because he was already half way there by the time I got moving.  Since he was on his way, I slowed down and continued up to see what had happened.  My heart quickened once again when I heard Tim saying, "go get your mom, go get your mom"!  Of course by then, I was in full panic mode as I tried to imagine what would constitute my need to be there, when Tim (who is always calm and objective) was there already.  So, you can only imagine my apprehension as I rounded the corner and got to the top of the stairs.  I could see Tim and Cole standing in the bathroom and I was looking all over for signs of blood.  The floor and carpet were still white, but Tim's face was not looking good and Cole was hysterical.  As he turned to see me, with tears streaming down his face, I noticed that he was missing something.  He had broken one of his permanent front teeth - it now looked like a triangle, rather than the beautiful white rectangle that had been there just minutes before.

I picked the poor baby up and took him away from the mirror as I tried to settle him down, and Tim went off to find the remnants of his tooth.  I held him as tight as I could, and he cried, "this is the worst day of my entire life"!  I wanted to burst into tears for him.  A broken tooth in the very front will be there for the rest of his life.  How insightful for him to realize what a sad event he'd just endured.  I don't know if you've even broken a tooth, but when it happens, your tongue just keeps messing with the deformity.  I don't know why - it is wierd - but it's like the brain just keeps sending the tongue to see if the tooth is repaired yet.

Tim went downstairs to call Dr. Pete, a good friend of our family.  He asked a few questions and then told Tim to bring him to the office and he would fix our Cole up!  Cole was settling down and we began to get him ready to go.  Reed came in and saw the damage and his first comment was, "Cole, if you could just break the other one off, you'd look like a vampire"!  I didn't think that was very funny, but Cole sure did.  I think he even contemplated it for a second.  Brooks came in and sat with him for a few minutes and told him some facts about Mars.  Caroline was close by, too, helping him with her hugs and compassionate comments.  

Dr. Pete was terrific.  He checked the situation out and molded some bonding material to the broken tooth.  He was his usual happy and encouraging self - cracking jokes and talking 90 miles a minute.  Cole was a trooper.  He didn't cry anymore after the initial accident.  He was so still in Pete's chair and was patient through the entire procedure.  I wasn't feeling quite as calm, but he was calm, cool, and collected.

As the day went on, I was able to rehash the entire afternoon.  I think our children helped Cole in their reaction just as much or more than Tim and I did.  Reed brought humor to the situation - and everyone who is familiar with our little Cole knows how much he loves to laugh.  Brooks and Caroline didn't hesitate to rush in with a hug and an encouraging word.  Who thinks to talk about Mars at a time like that?  Caroline immediately revamped her afternoon plans with a friend to allow both Tim and I to go to Pete's office.  The 3 older kids helped Cole, Tim, and I by making things feel less serious and complicated.

A horrible thing happened today, yet as I think about it in relation to the rest of his life, I hope he's right.  If a broken front tooth is the worst thing that will ever happen to him in his life, then I'll take it.  

Seven

a post that's just a month late!!

He's SEVEN today.  Our little Cole Franklin.  I have to be careful - he won't be "little"much longer, although I have to say that I think he loves being the youngest in our family.  This boy is full of fire  - everyday, all day long.  He's been that way since he was in my belly.  The day he arrived was a celebration for all.  It ended my life as a pregnant woman - huge as I was (51 lbs heavier than normal)!

Seven years of fun began on this 24th day.  He was due on Halloween, but I convinced the doctor that I really wanted to be home from delivering long before the 31st! Caro, Brooks and Reed couldn't wait to meet our "boo baby".  What would he look like and when would he be able to walk and talk?  

Cole, you are a blast!  People always say you talk with your eyes and you laugh all of the time. 

 I watched those eyes change from blue to green as yellow streaks emerged around the age of 1.  I thought for sure you would join your sister as a blue eyed child, but at the last minute, you surprised us all and now your eyes are green.  Yes, you have filled our lives with surprises.

Cole, you might be my fourth child, but you have provided many firsts.  You were the first to insist (with incessant crying) that I drive around in the middle of the night until you fell asleep.  I always said "I'll never do that!".  You were the first to refuse all baby food.  How could you eat real food when you had no teeth and were less than 1??  You surprised me and mashed everything with those little gums.  You were the first to write on my walls with a  Sharpie marker and the first to play in the dishwasher detergent.  Maybe I should say you were the only one.  You were just trying to help at the age of 18 months - dumping the gel in the dispenser, right were it belongs.  'Cause "I can do it BY MYSELF"!  You were the youngest to jump off the high dive in Houston and the youngest to jump from the 2-story deck at the Robinson's lake house.  I thought for sure that jump would end your bravery, but no, you came up out of the water announcing that you were going to do it again!  You did a flip off our diving board at 2-1/2 - your water wings flew off and you began to sink. Once your dad pulled you out, you just giggled and hurried off to do it again! 

You never like to be alone.  You are absolutely attached and in love with your brothers and sister. 

 Any day they are gone you ask me multiple times when they will be home. You coined the phrase "BrooksReed" - "when will BrooksReed be home?"  

You are the master at keeping up.  You can ride your bike as far and as fast as they can. You can discuss movies and play games as well as those big brothers.  Your memory is like your sister's.  You can still remember details from life in Mississippi - and we moved away when you were 2-1/2.

Cole, you are a loving, silly, smart, fearless, delightful little boy. 

 You bring joy to my life.  I love to snuggle with you in the mornings and I love to hold you on my lap.  I wish I could bottle you up and keep you at the age of seven forever and ever, but then I wouldn't have the chance to watch you grow into a man.

  My heart swells when you say, "Mommy, I really missed you!" or "Mommy, I really love you!"  It thrills me to hear you read and to watch you smack that baseball. 

You've had a lot of firsts this year.  You lost your first tooth, in fact you lost 6!  You completed Kindergarten, and learned to read.  Math is fun for you - especially counting money and telling time.  You also began taking piano lessons.  I love to hear you playing "Spooky Halloween" and "Jingle Bells"!  You are a Tiger Cub although you've already been camping with the scouts for 4 years!  This year is exciting because your best friend, Nate, is a scout, too!

You are the light of my life and I am so thankful to have a boy named Cole Franklin to call my very own.