Unexpected Milestones

With four kids, I’ve gotten used to reaching milestones—rolling over for the first time, learning to ride a bike, cutting teeth.  But this week, I’ve gotten to experience two very different and quite unexpected milestones.  And they both happened yesterday.

We have Bible camp this week, and a good friend of ours is visiting with her daughter.  So, we invited them over for dinner.  As we were cleaning the house, I called out, “Nater, come help me.”  And, sadly enough, my oldest decided to exert his independence.  “Mamma, don’t call me Nater anymore.”  What he was really saying was, “Mamma, I’m a big boy now and I don’t need your baby nickname for me.”  Ouch.  But, I obliged his almost-six-year-old wishes and called him by his full given name for the rest of the evening.

And so, a few hours later, I went to pick up our friends to bring them to our house for dinner.  I came home to Mr. M crying his heart out.  All he wanted was to snuggle Mamma.  Which was difficult, since it was time for Baby J to eat.  After a solid 15 minutes of snuggling, I had him calmed down enough to play baby swap; he sat on Daddy’s lap while I fed Baby J.  And 15 minutes later, he quite willingly went to bed—only to wake up 2 hours later, and then another 2 hours later. 

Talking with my husband, I learned Mr. M had fallen, hard, on his shoulder while goofing his siblings that evening.  And since he was still favoring that arm this morning, we took him to the pediatrician, who (after ruling out Nurse-Maid’s Elbow) sent us to get x-rays.  And, by this afternoon, we learned what I had already suspected—Mr. M has a broken collar bone.

Tomorrow brings yet another trip (although this isn’t a milestone)—we’ve got an appointment with a pediatric orthopedist.  We’ll find out then what his treatment will be.

Through this all, I’ve seen God’s hand.  My husband and I have been saying many, many prayers; we got to spend the day with Mr. M and Baby J (a treat for the little two, and the big two who got to be with their favorite babysitter); and we got to indulge Mr. M in snuggle time (which hasn’t happened as much since Baby J came).  I am so thankful for all the well-qualified and caring health professionals we’ve dealt with today.  I pray God continues to bless them and us through them.  But, I'm also praying for a speedy return to the normal milestones...