2,190 Days

In 2012, life was going well.  We were living in Ohio, with our two boys and two girls, the youngest had just started preschool and everything was going according to plan.  And then, as it often happens, we were thrown a curve ball.  The kids had been begging for that seventh seat in the van to be filled, and in July of that year, we told them their wish was going to come true.  A baby was on the way, and they would have a little brother.  We fondly referred to my growing bump as "Junior" and we busied ourselves with preparing the nursery and clothes and all the things this new little one would need.

Thanksgiving came and went, and then it was time.

There was a middle-of-the-night rush to the hospital, some anxious moments wondering if I'd make it to a delivery room, no time for pain management of any kind, lots of commotion getting everything set up, a few swear words from me, and then he was here.  Our unexpected but so very wanted gift: Nash.

It became clear, quite early on, that something wasn't agreeing with Nash.  He could be fine one moment and then have a huge flaming rash appear on his face in the next moment.  The doctor suggested that it was eczema or chapped winter cheeks, but I knew this wasn't normal.

We found out about his dairy allergy in a quite unfortunate way.  When Nash was nine months old, we took a family bicycle trip up to the Dairy Queen.  I figured he'd love some vanilla soft serve, but after just a bite of it, he started screaming and his lips began to swell.  That was the fastest bike ride home I've ever made and we quickly cleaned him off and gave him Benadryl and got him under control.  By the time he was 11 months old, I also had a suspicion that he was also allergic to peanuts, after a similar reaction had occurred after a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  Finally he was old enough for allergy testing and I took him in.  Much to our surprise (and dismay), Nash was not only allergic to dairy and peanuts, but also every other kind of nut out there, along with eggs and dogs.

We came home with EpiPens and a nebulizer, because when he eats a food he's allergic to it almost always triggers an asthma-like reaction which then turns into a full blown respiratory issue that lasts for about four days.

I am happy to report that in the past year, we have slowly been reintroducing dairy into Nash's diet.  While he's not up for a glass of cow's milk, or a giant ice cream cone, he is able to enjoy cake at birthday parties and even ate his first slice of pizza last week!  As he has grown out of the dairy allergy and the egg, too, he has acquired other allergies.  His original testing showed no allergies to outdoor or every day allergens, but it now shows strong allergies to grass, trees, pollen, and straw.  It was recommended that we keep our air conditioning on and the windows closed and keep Nash indoors as much as possible.  Have I mentioned that we live on a FARM and that we don't even HAVE air conditioning?!  So, we are doing what we can do.  He takes daily medication, which helps tremendously, and when something gets under his skin, he knows to ask for his breathing treatments.  My heart hurts for him that he has to grow up with these issues, but he seems to just take it all in stride.  Here's a little video of the last year and all of his "breathing treatment adventures."



 Nash is in Kindergarten this year, and he is GOOD at it.  He knew every other student in his class by name within the first two months of school, and I swear he teaches himself extra things, just to show off.

He knows how to read and write many words, and filled the silence the other day on a car ride by counting to 700.  He was hoping to get to "ten hundred" but sadly, we ran out of time.  In his short six year old life, Nash has made some great friends. He's just a kid you'd want to be around!

Even with all of his friends, Nash still makes time to give TONS of love to not only his pets, but to creatures of every shape and size.  He's very good at letting a random turtle or frog go when he's done playing with them, which keeps me from having to add to our ever-growing collection of animals.  I was going to just post a couple of photos here, but there are just too many to choose from, so here's another video.



When friends and animals aren't keeping him busy, Nash just makes his own fun.  He fishes...

He shoots guns...

He blows bubbles...

And he blows spit bubbles...

He loves being outside, from the forest to the beach.

He has given up trying to figure out which shoe goes on which foot, or even which shoes are a matching pair...

And he's decided that sticking his hand in the top of his pants is much easier than using his actual pockets.

This summer, he talked endlessly about smashing a pie in my face, so one night, I made it happen.  All that whipped cream on my face sure was worth the endless giggles from Nash!

He sounds like a pretty busy kid, right?  He plays hard, but he sleeps HARDER.  Think I'm joking?  Watch this...



For the past couple of years, Nash has been set on being a police officer when he grows up.  He even made me get him a complete uniform and is happy to arrest you, if needed.

He sounds like a pretty fun kid, right?  Well, he's not just fun, he's funny.  Almost daily he comes out with some of the most hysterical things I've ever heard!  Who is this kid?!

This year for his birthday, Nash wanted a dinosaur themed party, with all of his friends, and a pinata filled with all of his favorite candies.  He picked out cupcakes for me to make on Pinterest, and spent a lot of time filling that big number SIX with candy, one piece at a time.

I cannot imagine this family and this life without Nash.  He keeps all of us on our toes, every day.  He is always looking for something new to do, always ready for a new adventure.  My living room is constantly filled with box forts and cup towers and smashed up graham crackers.  I am constantly cleaning mud off of school shoes and grass stains out of the knees of pants.  Nash is ALL boy.



He is wild and crazy and yet he is so tender and sweet and loves to cuddle.  Sometimes I find him just sitting, deep in thought...

Or staring out at the deer in the field, he'll say, "Mommy, I want to ride one."

I don't know how I got to be the mother of this little boy, but he is a gift.  He wants nothing more in life than to always be with me.  Is it annoying?  Sometimes.  But most of the time, I love it.  These kids don't fit comfortably on laps forever, you know?  And there will come a time when he won't tell me every thought in his head.  But not yet.  Right now, he shares everything with me, whether I want to hear it or not.  He's not a baby anymore-he's not even a whiny toddler anymore.  He's a little boy with thoughts and dreams and he wants to share them with me.  I am the lucky one.

On the day of his birthday party, he was awake at 5:45am because he was so excited that his big event was finally here.  And then, when it was all over, he sat with me on the couch, talking about his favorite gifts and all of his friends who had come to celebrate with him.  He paused for a moment, and when I turned to look at him, he was asleep.

Nash waited a long time to be six-a whole  YEAR!  Every day for the past three months he asked me how many days he had left until his birthday.  And then, today he said, "Now that I'm six, how many days until my next birthday?"  Easy there, kiddo.

And that about sums up Nash.  Some of you only know him through the pictures and stories I share of him.  Some of you are lucky enough to be with him from time to time.  Me?  I'm the luckiest.  I get to be the first person he wants to talk to in the morning, and the last person he wants to talk to before he falls asleep.  Happy birthday, Nashypoo.  Mama loves you.