I thought I'd be able to keep it together a little better than I have this week. You know, anytime it would come up in conversation that Jonah was starting Kindergarten this year, people would give me this knowing, pitying look. But I thought it would really be no big deal since he's been in Mother's Day Out for a couple of years. I couldn't have been more wrong.
Sunday night, I was a little weepy when we put him to bed. I just kept thinking, "Are we here already?" I kept thinking of him as a baby, or a toddler, or anything but a kindergartener. But I thought that would be it for the tears once we put him to bed. Wrong.
Todd was watching Saving Private Ryan and I just happened to be in the room during a particularly moving scene where a dying soldier calls out for his mama. That's all it took. I boo-hooed. I mean, sobbed, y'all. And pretty soon, Todd was sitting right beside me crying, too!
I was fine on Monday morning. After all, it was the "big event" we had been waiting on for weeks. Jonah was nervous, but shed no tears, so neither did I. We did drive past the school twice that day to try to see him, though.
Then, Tuesday morning, things weren't so great. I was really grouchy, got into a fight with Todd, and went and spied on Jonah at recess, only to see him sitting out because he was in some sort of trouble. More tears from Mommy.
Today is Friday, and I'm looking forward to having Jonah home for the weekend. I really don't think I was prepared for the emptiness of the day without Jonah around. If you know Jonah at all, you know he's a ball of energy, full of questions and plans and hugs and fun. It feels so weird for all that to be gone for 7 whole hours every day. I'm ready for Christmas holidays already.

I've been sick, y'all. I mean, really sick. First I thought it was a virus, then gall stones, but it turned out to be a severe urinary tract infection. (Sorry to say the word urinary on the blog.) You know, it's weird how incapacitating nausea and vomiting can be. It just completely takes away my powers of mobility. I was sitting there on my couch, throwing up right onto my living room floor, thinking, "I should probably try and walk to the bathroom" but knowing that there was absolutely no way I was going to move off that couch.



I remember the first time I got sick after I was married. All my life, my mom has brought me a cool washcloth and a cup of crushed ice when I was sick. I thought this was the universal treatment for nausea and vomiting. Imagine my surprise when I had to ASK my new husband for the washcloth and the ice. Imagine my even bigger surprise when he brought me a warm washcloth and 3 large cubes of ice (not even in a cup, he just put all three cubes right into my hand!)



So, my mom was at my house the other night, when I was sitting on the couch throwing up. And like magic, within mere seconds, she has the cool washcloth. It was almost like she already had it in her pocket, it was so fast. So, Mom, if you read this, thank you. Todd, if you read this, thank you too, for all the extra work you've done while I've been sick. Jesus, if you read this, thank you for answering my prayers that I wouldn't have to have gall bladder surgery.

Well, Jonah's debut as a ringbearer went off without a hitch (almost). I was a little worried..be-ing a ringbearer is a lot of pressure (for the mom.) I guess this really hit me when we went to try on and pick up his tux Thursday. I was really nervous he would get the tux dirty or wrinkled before the wedding. Then, right as we were about to take his tux off, he said, "I just peed a little bit." Great... I figured I'd have to have it dry cleaned before the wedding...but no damage was done.

On the way home from the tux store, Jonah told us his plan to "bow" once he got to the front of the church. I tried to talk him out of it as gently as possible. We went to the rehearsal the next night, and he did fine. The plan was that he and the flower girl would walk down the aisle and straight to their moms, who were sitting on the second row. He was cool with that, but he did express some concern that there weren't any rings on the little pillow he was carrying. I tried to explain why but he couldn't seem to understand.

The next day, we went an hour and a half early to the wedding, and he did really well (meaning he didn't destroy anything or sully his tux before the wedding.) They gave him his little pillow, and he was excited to see 2 silver ornamental rings tied onto the pillow. The wedding started, and he looked so cute walking down the aisle! He was so serious! I sat on the second row, relieved that the hard part was almost over. Then he stopped right in front of the groom and just stood there. The groomsmen tried to silently direct him to me, but he seemed confused. He looked around with this bewildered look on his face. He finally threw back his head and gave a little (but audible) exasperated sigh. I whispered his name 3 times before he finally headed to his seat beside me.

When he got there, he said, "How am I supposed to be the ringbearer if I don't give them the rings?!" He had stopped in front of the groom so he could give him the ornamental rings! I felt so bad I hadn't realized he thought those were the real rings... I tried to tell him those weren't the real rings and that the the best man had the real one...I told him he had done his job perfectly and he shouldn't be upset...he said, "Well, is this the wedding?" I said yes, it was. "Well, then I didn't do my job!!!," he said.

For a few tense seconds, I was afraid we were headed for a meltdown. I mean, he had that look. But he settled into his seat without much more grumbling. For the rest of the wedding, he wiggled and whispered, then made his exit beautifully with the flower girl (who had cried for most of the ceremony) at his side.

He posed for a few pics after the wedding, and he acted like a little grown up for all of that. Then we went to the reception where he promptly guzzled 3 cups of punch. All in all, I think the day was a success.