Friday, June 15, 2012

Falling in Love Again

Two days of intense and painful swollen neck glands and a knife sharp pain on one side of my throat when I swallow has been the way Thursday and Friday have gone for me.  Heavy doses of pain killing PM sleep drugs to get me through the two nights.  I am home alone as hubby has headed to the city for a meeting and a doctor's checkup and a toddler's graduation.  Impossible to figure out how I caught this as my exposure to small children was not intimate at the seedling booth that I worked last week and I used the bacteria wipes at the grocery store as I always do...although I did sit with hubby in a doctor's waiting room, but never touched the magazines!

I am missing the toddler's (little gal) graduation from preschool with regret but was feeling so sick the regret is small.

On the third day I ate a sweet peach for lunch and then took a long afternoon nap.  When I woke at 4:00 PM it seemed the fever had finally lessened and my throat pain was no longer impossible to endure. I could actually swallow without thinking I had a knife plunged through one of my Eustachian tubes.

I pulled myself out of bed at long last.  Thinking my weekend visit with the kids coming here may get off to a great start after all.

Then just as I stepped out of the shower and dried my hair and put on fresh new clothes my best medicine cure arrived on dancing feet.  My 6 7-year-old grandson who came back with my husband ran into the house to greet me and see how I was doing.  He has lost both of the two front top teeth and both his bottom teeth and this toothless silly smile and lispy dialogue fills me with indescribable joy.

We had a 20 minute conversation about the loss of his teeth over the last few weeks,  the economics of the loss of teeth (such as daddy dropping one of the four teeth down the sink and they calling plumber to retrieve the dropped tooth).  I certainly went wrong in not teaching my children how to remove the elbow joint beneath the sink!  Then the next tooth was lost on the playground at school.  Several green bills later the fourth tooth is left with the tooth fairy and grandson has 12 dollars in his bank!!  Then our happy conversation drifts on to Harry Potter and how at 6 he has already read a shortened version of the first book and has brought the DVD with him so that he can finish seeing the visual of the story.  I ask if it is not too scary for him, and he insists he just gets scared at certain parts like where the troll is, but he knows it is just a movie.

Then with the twists and turns of magical conversations with young folk we talk about how he used to love Thomas the Train and how that time has passed so rapidly that he has forgotten the names of many of the trains which results in a brief search on the Internet down memory lane.

Then as I lay back on my sick bed, not really feeling sick anymore, he heads off to the kitchen where grandpa is making a grilled cheese sandwich with carrot sticks and freshly picked raspberries for dessert and the chore of picking more raspberries after dinner.



Remember when you fell in love and you could not do anything without working that person's name into the conversation, or working it into doodle or a daydream?  Well, it does happen again in old age.  I am so absolutely, positively lucky that this young boy has a happy and rich life and that he loves sharing it with me!  I do not deserve this, but I will not give it back!

23 comments:

  1. It is a wonderful surprise of one's elder years, all right. He's very cute and smart, just like my grandkids!

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  2. What a great post. Children are at their cutest when they lose those front teeth, but that's not the only great thing about this little guy, is it? He sounds like a wonderful child.

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  3. That is too funny. Really fun post to read. Remember Sasha Obama and all her missing teeth during the 2008 election? Someday she'll hate those pictures.

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  4. Smart of you to make the most of these special times.

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  5. Gtandchildren are definitely are treasures!!! Heart stolen..gladly!!

    Feel better soon
    Hugs
    SueAnn

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  6. This post has filled me with memories of young grandchildren bouncing into our home bringing such excitement and joy! It is a splendid time.

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  7. He is a cutie for sure. It is great to be a grandparent. Enjoy the visit and stay well.

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  8. this is precisely how i feel about the little girl. she is on my mind constantly and i just can't wait to see her. who knew i would be this smitten with a child this late in my life? it sounds like you have been dreadfully ill. i do hope you hope you are on the mend now!!

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  9. You do deserve him. :) He's delightful.

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  10. Anonymous12:00 PM

    $12??? Wow! Seems like it was just a year ago when I got a dime from the tooth fairy!

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  11. what a charmer. something about missing teeth makes a little person's smile all the more beguiling. not so much when we get older ;)

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  12. I smile because this is the same way my 2 little ones affect me.
    I smile, listen and their hug to grandma is priceless.
    My youngest just turned 7.
    Get well - I am so sorry you have not been feeling well.
    Tabor, you are so special to me.
    You were one of the first to respond when I started sharing 4 years ago. You always have an encouraging word for this One Woman.

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  13. Anonymous5:29 PM

    sorry for your down time - no fun to be sick -- I agree kids are totally cute with missing teeth.. sweet post..
    hugs

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  15. Your joy shines through! I remember that capitulation of heart even upon the mere learning that a grandchild was due. And it renews itself every time I see one of them. Of course you deserve that love! We all do!

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  16. Dang....$12.00 for a tooth? Or is that $3.00 per tooth? either way inflation is out of control. If it isn't inflation my children probably feel their teeth were undervalued. There we go again...I find one more area where my parenting missed the mark.

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  17. That was $3 a tooth. Some of his overrated classmates get $20per tooth!

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  18. I've also noticed that spending time with Little Ones cheers me right up. It's an excellent excuse to behave positively. J lost his front teeth this year too- He was so excited to look like me, missing teeth! So he didn't mind. I know exactly what you mean!
    If only I understood how it would be, but I had no clue!
    I hope you are fully recovered very soon.

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  19. Wow. Now there is something the dr. should prescribe more often.

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  20. He is a darling boy... I half fell in love with him myself just looking at his picture;-)

    I'm glad you're feeling better. I get strep throat at least once every year and it's the pitz fo sho.

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  21. Ain't love grand as Grands. Just returned from seeing our youngest, 10 & 11, two states northwest. The visit was far too fast and short. Glad to read you are on the mend. He's really cute,Tabor.

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  22. That's all Joe and I talk about these days, our shared love. Of course now the girls (chickens) take over a good part of our conversation.

    Love the RED photo with the beaming toothless smile!

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  23. Glad you're feeling better and can enjoy your grandson.

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Take your time...take a deep breath...then hit me with your best shot.