thankful

Last week, Xavier had his first major accident, slipping face-first into the half wall of the tub. His eye lid split open, and in the end, it was just a scare with no real harm done. However, in the moments after, when his eye instantly swelled, he was shrieking, bleeding and not letting me anywhere near the injury, I was trying to figure out how I was going to get him to the ER. 

The drama unfolded. I was home alone (well, I was the only adult, there were five other living beings here with me). And once the situation was under control, I was simply thankful. 

Thankful for my sister-in-law who provided much needed medical advice and calm. Thankful for my neighbor who dropped everything and came over to help with the other boys, including Isaac who got himself out of the tub and was running around the house, dripping and naked. Thankful for the nurse on the pediatrician's answering service, who really took her time with me on the phone to figure out what was best for Xavier. Thankful for Mo, who kept checking in, even though he was physically too far away to do much. 

Since becoming a parent, I find that I have never been so thankful in my entire life. There are the little things I give thanks for: sleeping in until 7 am, exercising, a short line in the grocery store. There are the big things I'm thankful for: grandparents, teachers, babysitters, good health. But, I'm also so thankful when people go out of their way to do something above and beyond for a child.

For example, it's hard to explain how much it means when the trash collectors wave at the boys. Every Wednesday, the boys' noses are pressed to our living room windows, watching the trash truck work its way down our street. When it approaches our house, the boys wave and wave and wave. Sometimes, the trash guys wave back. It totally makes their morning. 

This week, we had another stranger go out of his way to do something special for the boys. The boys are currently obsessed with dinosaurs and have exhausted my knowledge on the subject. We're always on the hunt for an age appropriate, non-fiction dino book. And I'm always looking up who was a carnivore, who was a herbivore, in what time period they lived, etc. There's a fabulous PBS show, Dinosaur Train, that obviously thrills the kids in this house. It's hosted by Dr. Scott, the paleontologist. In a moment of desperation last week, I emailed him the boys' unanswered questions - to show them another way to find an answer to a question and then to show them some of the cool stuff on the Dr. Scott web site. I never expected a response. 

But, just a few days later, this showed up in my inbox:

Hello Finnian and Isaac,

Thank you for the message.  My guess is that you two know lots of dinosaurs.  Believe it or not, paleontologists have named over 800 different kinds!  There are many great places to look for dinosaurs in the US, including Montana, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Texas, and Arizona.  Triceratops is one of my favorites too Isaac.  And Finnian, we are finding bones from a new kind of Parasaurolophus in southern Utah, so stay tuned!  Ok, remember, get outside and make your own discoveries!

Best wishes,

Dr. Scott

What a treat! Thanks for adding to the magic of childhood, Dr. Scott. The big boys, and Xavier with his new little scar, are busy making all kinds of discoveries. 

And I continue to be thankful to watch them grow.