A Few More Pictures

Here are a few more pictures for you, from this week.  There are several that are similar, but I liked them all so well that I thought I'd just include them all!  Enjoy!

My Three.

It's very, very hard to get pictures of my three kids together...well, pictures that look half decent.  Here are a few recent ones of the kids together...none of them is great, but they're all pretty good.  It's been a while since I've posted any pictures, so here they are!  And there are others to come.

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At a local market, in early September:

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The kids love grocery shopping (though I don't, necessarily)...the boys cartwheel down every aisle, laughing or fighting all the while.  I can't say that we're a quiet or orderly bunch when we shop...I'm sure the store staff are glad to see the back of us when we're done!

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Mid-September...playing on a play structure.

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Three weeks ago, on our first day of homeschool.  Matthew went downstairs first and wrote out the welcome sign.  When is it too early to start spelling lessons???

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Two weeks ago, while enjoying one of the first h/school field trips of the season:

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First thing in the morning.  Lizzie loves to make faces for the camera - it's tough getting a shot of her without some goofy look on her face!  This was taken just over a week ago.

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The kids (the boys, basically - Lizzie just wanted to be included) voluntarily undertook leaf raking last week; they were out there for hours, over a few days, raking and collecting leaves.  Lizzie loved driving the boys a little crazy by walking through their piles and then laughing when they shrieked at her to stop!

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Picnicking last week, on another spectacular fall day.  My Mom surprised us with a picnic supper, and it was great to be outside for one last picnic of the year.

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On Friday, the kids enjoyed their snack in an unusual spot...on top of the van.  They spent an hour or so up there, enjoying the view of the trees and waving to cars passing by on the street.

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Still on the van...adorable, aren't they??!!

Thanksgiving

I love Thanksgiving weekend...it's one of my favourite weekends of the year.  I love the turkey and stuffing and pumpkin pie, I love that there's usually some sort of family get together, I love the fall decorations that adorn our church around this time of year, and I love the jolt of being reminded that there is so much to be thankful for.

There are so many things that I feel thankful for this year.  I woke up at about 3:30 this morning, fully awake and conscious, and thinking about all of the blessings in my life.  These are a few that came to mind in those first few moments of thoughtfulness:

• Of course I'm so terribly thankful this year that my family is complete.  Today marks four months since we took custody of Seth and Lizzie...four months since our lives changed irrevocably.  I am so thankful for my children - my three remarkable miracles who are my dream come true.  I think regularly about the day that Matthew was born and am moved to tears every time when I contemplate how much I longed for him and wanted him.  And of course, we also waited years for our Seth and Lizzie, who I can't imagine life without, even after just such a short time of being family together.  I am thankful, too, for the birth family of Seth and Lizzie - that in unbearably difficult circumstances, they made the decision that enabled us to complete our family; I can't even imagine what that decision was like to make or implement, but I am endlessly grateful for the merger of our lives, our families.
• Geoff gets his own bullet point on this Thanksgiving day.  Geoff and I have gone through some hard patches in our almost-seventeen years of married life...no doubt about it.  But a while ago, I lay in bed looking at the man sleeping next to me.  He was wearing his c-pap breathing mask, and I thought (as I have a hundred times in the years since he's been wearing it at night) that he looked like some kind of extra terrestrial creature!  But my heart was filled with gratitude as I thought about the fact that he was there.  Despite all of the obstacles, despite all of the crap that I dish out, despite the fact that life is just darn hard sometimes, Geoff is still here...still committed to us, still loving me, still parenting our kids.  He works darn hard to provide a good life for his family, and I'm simply thankful for him.  He had no way of knowing, as I lay there and looked at my very own ET, that my eyes were full of thankful tears for him.
• I also thought about my siblings.  Neither of them pays attention to my blog, so this bullet point is not here gratuitously...they truly warrant their own comment because of how thankful I am for them, how much I love them.  Between cancer and marriage breakdown, my siblings have gone through a lot of stuff in the past couple of years; their worlds have been rocked, and so too have their challenges rocked my world and challenged assumptions I have had about life.  These are people who have known me since birth and love me still despite that fact...especially as we get older, I am thankful that they are rooted in my life.
• When I woke up so early, thinking about the things that I am thankful for, the first people to cross my mind were my parents.  I probably don't talk enough about my parents...at least in flattering ways!  But as the years pass by, and as I reflect on my relationships with these people in my life, what occurs to me is that my parents have always simply been here for me when I have needed them.  There were years in my twenties when my mom and I didn't get along all that well, and I worked through issues I had with both of them during those years (I can only imagine the issues my kids will have with me some day).  But when I now, many years later, think about the constancy that they represent in my life, the ever-present landing pad that they are when things are hard and I need a soft place to fall, I am grateful.  My mom's listening ear and soft heart, and my dad's stalwart presence and unfailing generosity towards me, really grab my heart...they have given my life stability and an endless source of love, and I am very thankful for them.  They are also grandparents that I am thankful for.  All three of my kids adore their grandpa and grandma...and to my delight, the feeling seems to be mutual.  My parents have greeted their newest two grandchildren with open arms and hearts, and I don't take for granted that they love and pray for my children.  I really can't imagine not having my parents in my life, and I am truly thankful for them.
• My heart is also full thinking about my wonderful friends.  I have been blessed with incredible friends: friends who live near, and friends who live farther away; friends I have never met face-to-face and friends I see regularly; friends I have come to know through work experiences, and others who have entered my life through adoption; friends who are new, and friends I have known since early in life.  Amongst all of them are a few women in my life whom I consider 'lifers,' because I just know we're going to be in each other's lives in perpetuity; these women are beloved in my life - they challenge and change me, they inspire and motivate me, they share as well as listen, they're 'there' for me as I hope to be there for them, and they love me as I love them.  As I think of the friendships in my life, I know that I am blessed.
• Though it's strange and a little difficult to actually write these words, I'm also thankful to be a stay-at-home mom now.  I have a separate blog post coming soon about life as a stay-at-home mom.  Though I only worked very part-time since Matthew was born, I haven't worked at all since Seth and Lizzie have been home, and don't intend to resume my work for at least a while.  So I guess that makes me a stay-at-home mom.  It feels very odd to think that, because even working so part-time in the past has provided me with tremendous feelings of satisfaction.  I love my work, which is what helps me to understand what it means to make sacrifices in the best interests of one's children.  There's no doubt that it's harder to live on one income than 1+ income; and there's also no doubt that I feel a sense of loss that I am not in the workforce at all.  But on the other hand, I am very thankful that we are in a position that we can make it on one income, where I don't have to work. There are many women who would like to be in a place where they could be a stay-at-home mom, but can't, and I recognize the gift of being able to choose.  I'm also thankful for the opportunity that my being home provides us:  I can be with our kids during this important transition and attachment time in our family; we can h/school; and I can be present for every conversation my kids need/want to have.  Though there are lots of other ways to raise children and many other legit choices to make about one's career life, for this time, I am very thankful to be a stay-at-home mom.

I'll finish shortly.  But I have one more point of gratitude.  I've talked a fair bit about being thankful for the people who are constants in my life.  In my mind's morning meandering, the thought of constancy also brought to mind the undeserved continuity of God in my life.  I've been a Christian since I was six years old - the same age as Seth.  I remember very clearly making that decision in my life, as well as the decision in my twenties when I decided, after a few years of thinking and acting otherwise, that I really did want a personal relationship with God.  In the years since, I've messed that relationship up more than any other in my life, and I hate to think of what God must think of me.  And yet it's the one relationship that endures beyond any other.  I fail to understand what God could possibly see in me, but I guess being made in His image means that He's going to continue to love me and want the best for me.  It's true, as the Bible says, that I love Him because He first loved me.  But I also love him because he continues to love me and care for me and be a constant in my life.  And for that, I am planning on being eternally grateful.

Happy Thanksgiving, my friends.  I wish you a day full of reflection and of joy and of thanksgiving.

Blessings,

Ruth

Taking Care

For the first time since the younger kids came home, I spent the better part of this morning feeling unwell.  I've been struggling with sleep again lately (not getting enough of it!), and as a result of that and probably not drinking enough water for the past couple of days, I got a doozy of a headache last night...and it stayed throughout the morning, along with some pretty big bouts of nausea.  It's now almost mid afternoon and I'm thankfully (almost surprisingly) feeling quite a bit better.  It was sweet to hear how the kids prayed for me at lunch time...and when I announced shortly after lunch that my headache was feeling a bit better, Matthew pointed out that it was likely God at work.  I'll add an amen to that sentiment.

Seth was worried about me this morning, there's no doubt about it.  I reassured him over and over that I was going to be fine.  But even my reassurances did little to appease him.  Given what he and Lizzie have been through already in their young lives, I can't say I blame him for being worried.  So I let him lead me to the couch, where I was instructed to sit down.  Seth then ran for a blanket and meticulously unfolded it and covered me up...tucking in the edges beside me.  Then he raised one side of the blanket again...just enough for him to climb under and lie against my side.  He stroked my stomach (because I'd said that I might vomit - they're always fascinated with vomit topics!), regularly reached up to stroke my cheeks or kiss me, and asked me repeatedly if I was getting better or if my head still hurt.  It was touching, and my heart was warmed by his care.

Realizing that he was not going to depart any time soon from his position of being plastered to my side, I finally suggested that we watch part of a movie.  As I've said before, Seth and Lizzie have absolutely no interest in tv, but I figured that I could at least keep Matthew occupied while I half reclined on the couch and closed my aching eyes.  Lizzie brought down one of her 'babies' and a toy police car with lots of flashing lights, and she played on the other side of me.  In the end, we crashed like that for almost an hour and, other than the dang headache, it was actually a lovely time.  Seth never left my side, even after I began to long for a little bit more space.  He kept offering to make me tea (though he would have needed me to help him with that, so I declined!), and instructed Matthew to bring me my water bottle.

I can't say I've ever been the object of caregiving by a child in such a way, though it's fully in keeping with Seth's character to do such a thing.  For all of the challenges he's endured, likely in part because he's gone through more already in his life than most of us ever will, he is a boy who understands the fragility of life and who takes care of the people he loves.  It's a beautiful thing.

Running Hard

I'm so sorry that I'm not blogging more frequently these days.  I'm dying to write more and have so much to write about, but I often don't have time to sit down for a moment's relaxation between about 6:00am (when Seth wakes up) until 10:00/11:00 (when Matthew finally falls asleep).

This is our third week of h/schooling for this fall and wow - it's been a big transition, for me more than for the kids even.  I've been spending hours on each of the past three weekends getting ready for the coming week of school, and that time has to come from somewhere.  I guess that might explain why the state of my house has deteriorated.

Matthew is well into Grade 2 Curriculum now, in addition to the other stuff we're doing h/school wise.  The bigger challenge has been keeping the younger kids busy.  I'm doing some academic-like work with Seth, but really, neither of the younger kids are ready for school.  They are very bright children, but they have had so terribly much to adapt to and learn in the past four months that it's like their brains just can't hold any more new information.  So, for example, it took Seth about two weeks to really get the letter "A."  When, a month or two ago, I tried to teach him colours, he simply couldn't get it; but now suddenly, he's picking it up with amazing speed...just more indication that when he's ready to learn something, he can just do it at his usual breakneck speed.

As one dear friend recently emailed me, it really would be enough 'schooling' if, in the coming months, all three kids simply learn to adjust to each other and form a close-knit family; if we don't get much school done, that would be ok.  In my head I fully agree with this, especially because it's been less than four months since S&L came home; but in my heart, I really would like to get some school work done because I'm always terrified of failing my kids given our choice to h/school (do you see how it's all about me sometimes??!).  Frankly, all three kids (here's a miracle for you!) really want to be doing school...I get asked from morning to night if we can go downstairs into the classroom - the onus is on me to have enough ideas to keep the younger two kids doing something that feels like learning for them but isn't very hard.  So for now we'll try, and I've made a daily schedule, but I recognize that I may need to adjust things as we go ahead.

As I write this now, it's 7:00am and, though showered and dressed for the day, I am sitting on my bed with all three kids in bed with me or nearby.  Seth woke up just before 6, Matthew has been in our bed since about 3:30am, and Lizzie stumbled into the room about fifteen minutes ago.  Matthew is now still asleep beside me, Lizzie is grunting on the toilet in the adjoining bathroom (any second I'll hear "mommy, kaka - could you please my bum?" She always forgets the word 'wipe'!), and Seth is draped over my back watching me write this, while performing some kind of twist hairstyle thing in my hair (he can't figure out why the finished twist doesn't just stay in my hair when he's done, as it would with Lizzie's hair, and I keep telling him that my hair is very different than his or Lizzie's and just won't hold a twist!).

The adrenaline of the first few months of the kids being home has worn off, and we're in the grind now, the day-to-day grind of training up our children.  Some days (like the last four) the grind is really, really hard, and on those days I still feel a need to run away and hide.  But increasingly, there are days when things look a little better, and when I think for a moment ok, maybe I can do this after all.  Yesterday, I was asked by another h/schooling mom if she could talk with me some time about adoption because she and her husband want to start the adoption process themselves  before the end of the year; she is at that early, eager, hopeful, naive stage of the process where the prospect seems great and the anticipation high - I recognize her face because I wore it myself many years ago when we were at the contemplation point. and well before a bit of cynicism crept in.  What I need to figure out is how to tell her that adoption is great and that I'm so glad that our family has been completed in this way...but that there is a long and twisty and very hard road ahead of her yet if they see this through to its wonderful end.

At any rate, this post will teach me to edit before pressing "publish post" because I've rambled on about various topics unchecked, unedited, and unclear.  Excuse my hurried state, please.  What I really feel like saying very simply and somewhat pessimistically, after a number of days of feeling utterly overwhelmed, is this:  Here's to another day survived!

Vocabulary Increasing

The kids' language is coming along great, I think, given that they've been home 'only' 3.5 months.  When they're in group situations where instructions are required (such as gym class or gymnastics), I notice that both kids still occasionally need some slower instruction, or a physical demonstration of what to do, but they pick things up almost immediately and are coping well...especially when Matthew takes them under wing and helps them out.  After Wednesday's gym class, where the boys were playing cricket, their gym teacher told me that Seth was doing great - in just a week, he noticed a huge difference in Seth's understanding and in his readiness and ability to talk when the teacher spoke to him.

Lizzie's sentences are shorter than Seth's, and her vocabulary isn't quite as extensive yet, but that's to be expected given that she's barely four and two years younger than Seth.  She often says things such as "Can I in?" when she means can I come in, but even in the last week she's started putting more verbs into her sentences.  Her pronunciation is fantastic - in the last few weeks, her enunciation of words has actually surpassed Seth's.  She understands soooo much and is very comical in how she uses certain phrases (such as "oh come on" when I ask her to do something she doesn't like, or when she asks me for something and I say 'no').  She's very dramatic in her facial expressions and blatantly uses them to try to get what she wants - for example, without any teaching on the matter, she started fluttering her eyelashes at me a number of weeks ago while asking me for something that she wanted.

Seth seems to understand pretty much everything we say to him at home.  His spoken language ability seems to come in spurts: for a couple of weeks at a time, he seems to hardly learn a new word; then suddenly, he starts saying new words and complete sentences that blow us all away.  Here are a few of Seth's phrase acquisitions from the last couple of days:

While impatiently waiting for Matthew to finish washing up after breakfast: "Hey Matthew, I'm going downstairs to play ok?  Are you coming now?  Hurry up!"

When I told him not to touch something...and apparently I'd already told him a couple of times: "Mommy, you tell me that two times already.  Now number three.  No more please."  Hmmm.

When Matthew demonstrated a new and creative use for playing with the air mattress: "Wow, that was very cool, Matthew. Very cool actually."

When I told the kids on Wednesday afternoon that I was going out by myself for a while in the evening:  "Mommy, you go in car two times by self.  No more in car by self.  Seth go too, or mommy stay home."

A phrase I taught him after getting a little bit tired of being ordered to wipe him up after a big bathroom deposit:  "Mommy, could you please come and wipe my bum."

Pointing to a spot where the boys were jumping and finding the landing a little hard:  "Matthew, we need more pillows right there.  Come on - let's go downstairs, get some more."

"Matthew, Mommy say clean up mess now.  Let's do it."

And a real treat, just this morning, a yell from another room:  "Mommy, Matthew pants off - and penis out - what's he doing?  Oh, pants up now.  Thanks Matthew....Mom, he's doing it again.  Gross."   I love the way he says gross, with an extensively rolled rrrr - adorable.

Just a few selections from this week...the phrases I actually wrote down so as to remember them.  I love that they're able to communicate more and Seth is learning to talk about why he gets mad sometimes, which is so helpful in being able to understand him more.  As tough as these months have been, I'm amazed when I think of how short the time has really been, to see how well their language is progressing and how well they are adjusting overall.

Imagining Snow.

Despite the glorious weather that we continue to enjoy this fall, it's a (sad) fact of life that winter is coming.  Last week, I went through my inventory of children's snow suit attire to see which items fit which kid, and to make a list of what I need to purchase before the first snowfall; and we're anticipating a trip to the mall shortly to outfit them all with winter boots.  This past weekend, we headed to a second hand store and to Canadian Tire to buy skates and helmets, knowing that they all begin skating lessons this coming Sunday.  The kids really can't understand what all of this 'equipment' and clothing are for, and think that we're outfitting them in clothing that is way too "hot and big."

So yesterday, I found pictures of snow on the internet and showed the kids various landscapes where the ground and trees were covered with the white stuff.  They stared at each picture for minutes, unable to comprehend what they were looking at.  Then I found a video of falling snow and Seth gasped, utterly riveted to the computer screen, when he saw the abundance of white flakes.  He asked "what is that?"  "That, my dear, is snow!" I told him.  I explained (rather poorly, frankly - how does one explain snow??!) that they could imagine it was raining outside but that the rain would be soft and white, and that they could pick it up and and throw it, or play in it.  Seth kept shaking his head - but really, how could he or Lizzie possibly understand what they have never seen?  They have told us that their 'Teacher' in our agency's transition house told them that there is winter in Canada and that it is cold outside, but they still deny that it will ever get cold outside; it must be hard for a teacher who has never experienced snow herself, or a Canadian winter, to explain it in such a way as to help children envision piles and piles of snow covering every surface.

Though I certainly hope to defer the snow experience for as long as possible, there is a part of me that can hardly wait for the day when I wake the kids up and say, "hey, take a look outside...and welcome to your very own winter wonderland."

A Popped Balloon.

I'm tired and it's not even mid morning.  I woke at 6:45 this morning (a very respectable hour) and, as usual, Geoff had already left for work.  By my side, in a row, were Matthew, Lizzie, and Seth.  I think Matthew had been there since some time during the night, so he was still sleeping; Lizzie and Seth were wide awake, watching me, and I smiled a morning greeting at them.  It was lovely to see my three kids curled up alongside me.  I reached over Matthew and Lizzie to pull the blanket over Seth and he smiled at me; I rubbed his arm and then Lizzie's and then wrapped myself up again so that we could all wake up slowly together.

Sadly, that lovely moment ended about ten seconds later, with the kind of stuff that continues to perplex me.  As I lay there smiling at the two kids who were awake, Seth purposefully rolled off of the edge of the bed and started crying.  Before I could even get out of bed to go to him, he jumped up and raced to his bedroom (leaving the door open), now screaming at the top of his lungs.  From zero to one hundred in ten seconds flat.

What?  I thought.  What just happened here?  As I stood there thinking for a second, trying to wake up, trying to figure out how to handle the situation, I felt my frustration sink down into my bones and my momentary happiness at a good start to the day dissolved.  I just wanted to crawl back into bed and cry, and not have to deal with this stuff any more.

But instead I went to see Seth and sat down on his bed with him and asked if he wanted a hug.  He nodded; still screaming, he climbed onto my lap and I held him.  We just sat like that for several minutes.  At that point, I heard the other two kids down the hall in my bedroom, and could tell by the heightened voices that intervention was going to be needed within the next minute.  I told Seth that I needed to go and check on the other kids and said that he was welcome to come with me and we could cuddle up together in bed.  He refused to come and lay on the floor, banging the door over and over, screaming, while I went to make peace with the other kids.

That pretty much described the next 75 minutes...the oldest and youngest wanting to cuddle on my bed (a usual ritual around here...though usually with all three), and the middle screaming at the top of his lungs in his room, except for the minutes that I went to spend with him, when he was quiet(er).

Finally, after well over an hour of this kind of back-and-forth, it came out that Seth was furious because he wanted to be the one lying immediately beside me in Geoff's/my bed, rather than Matthew.  Sigh.

I have to say that my first reaction, when I finally got this out of Seth, was of inner rage.  He didn't see that, but wow, was I mad.  I get so tired of the possessiveness - in fact, knowing now what I know about why he was mad, I should have been able to figure it out sooner because I know how needy he is of being very very close to me.  But really??  Really??  All of that because he wanted to lie two feet closer to me that he had been, when most of the time he's the one squished up beside me??  I thought about that, and listened to the other two kids squabbling in the other room, and I wanted to leave the house in that moment, and keep walking.

But instead, with feelings of anger and resentment hopefully buried deeply enough, I picked Seth up again and held him close for a few seconds.  I prayed during those seconds because I didn't want my anger to leak through.  Then I took a deep breath and said that I was glad that Seth wanted to be close to me and that I wanted to be close to him too.  I asked him if he understood that, and he said yes.  I gave him an extra squeeze and told him I loved him.  I then said to him that on mornings where he is lying next to me, that I love that.  And then I said that I also love lying next to Matthew and Lizzie sometimes and that, as hard as it is, he needs to take turns with them.  I said that I love him just as much if he's lying on the other size of Matthew or Lizzie, and that I knew he loved me too.  I also said that if he felt that he needed to cry about not lying right beside me, he could go into his room and cry and that I would come to visit him like I did this morning - and that it was ok with me if needed to cry.  Again, he said that he wanted to lie "right beside" me and I said that I would also like to do that, and that I would look forward to when it was his turn to be beside me.   He gave me a squeeze, then wanted to be put down so that he could go and play with Matthew.

Now, as we approach mid morning, we have deferred school for a while because Seth is cheerful again and the kids are doing a craft beside me here while chattering about stuff.

But, though it might sound silly, I have to tell you that the experience of earlier took pretty much everything out of me.  I think I handled it ok (at least I hope I did), but it felt like the day was wrecked for me.  I went into the bathroom and just cried for a few minutes after it was all settled because it just seems like too much sometimes.  I think a good part of that was the unexpectedness of the moment.  When I first woke up and saw this lovely sight of my children beside me, I was joyful, revelling in a moment such that I've dreamed about for so long.  And the frustration of trying to understand what had happened and how I could help my boy took a toll.

Overall things are going so much better, and I know that I have three such awesome kids.  It's just deflating when the day has an unfortunate start, I guess.

What is it about Boys??

As I write these words, the boys are in the bathroom watching each other do their business in the toilet.  They are laughing hysterically as they examine every item that exits the other boy's body, and groan with joy over every new smell or sound that is emitted.

While sitting on their parents' laps, the boys feel completely free to 'let one loose,' and the accompanying sensations and smells are truly atrocious...to the delight of the boys.

We struggle at every mealtime with the emissions exiting both upper and lower ends of their bodies, and try in vain to stifle the guffaws and shrieks of laughter that accompany each sound.  Just getting them to say "excuse me" on a consistent basis seems an insurmountable task.  Should I really have to remind them every time?

And what is it with boys needing to constantly put their hands down their pants?  Do they really think that a particular body part has gone missing since the last time they checked twenty seconds ago?

The more we attempt to 'deal' with these behaviours, the more fun we seem to create for them.  It's a rather perplexing situation.

In my twenties, I really thought that if you raised boys and girls the same way, there would be few discernible differences between them.  Boys could sit quietly and play with dolls; girls could be interested in power tools and dump trucks.  You get the idea.  But I was wrong...at least when it comes to my boys.  They're stereotypical.  Cavemen at times.  Though I'm sure there are girls out there who are similarly interested, I certainly seemed to have two bodily-funtion-obsessed boys in my household.

If it's true that the average person emits somewhere between 0.5 litre and 1.5 litres of gaseous substances every day, and if it's true that some people bring down that average by expelling only a small amount, I'm willing to bet (as I listen again to a chorus of noises and laughter coming from the bathroom) that I know who's pulling that average up.

First Hospital Visit

Well, given Seth's fearless attitude towards life, it was bound to happen...a visit to Emerg.  Thankfully it turned out well.

On Wednesday afternoon (not that long after the using-the-air-mattress-as-a-tobaggan-down-the-staircase activity), Seth was apparently standing straight upright on the back of our tall family room couch.  I say apparently because I didn't see him standing there...I saw the empty air just after I heard the crash of his head against the window sill about six inches off the floor.

It took an hour to stop the bleeding from the wound on his head.  When I could finally dig through his hair to see what was going on, I could see that the gash wasn't very long, but it did appear to be pretty deep.  So Geoff took him to Emerg when he got home.  Thankfully, the doctor was able to fix it up with glue, rather than with stitches, but we now have a wad of glue mucking up those lovely curls.

My mother likes (repeatedly) to advise me that I should calm the boys down and curb their wild dashes around the house/yard.  I have (just as repeatedly and with a great deal more desperation) asked her for her advice on how to do this with boys who have more energy that I have ever possessed, on a cumulative basis.  This is where she falls silent.  And with good reason.  My boys, particularly the younger one, are unbelievably active and energetic.  That day alone, we'd been outside for a considerable period of time (riding bikes, walking, playing), the boys had played through an intense hour of gym class, and we'd finished school for the day.  And still they felt that, where possible to run instead of walk, they would run; where possible to climb rather than to run, they would climb; and where possible to toboggan instead of to descend, they would toboggan.  As I have said to my mother, other than taking them off of their vitamins and hoping that this would sap them of even a little bit of their energy, it is simply water off of a duck's back to tell either of my boys to sit down/stay still/stop running.  From the time that they get up until the time that they fall asleep they move, and they actively seek out ways to expend that energy.

So, luckily this time, our trip to Emerg ended with a simple application of a glue gun.  But I know, I really just know, that it's just a matter of time before stitches are required.