be a good mother

10 years ago I met Gabriel on this day.

My shining star, my only star, the star that shines brightest in my sky.

happy birthday to my little boy. no matter how old you grow, you will always be my little boy. the little prince that reigns my world.

I went to a parent-teacher conference yesterday. Usually, I am not too fond of these meetings because I usually end up being upset. My son is not the most attentive boy in the world and loves to horse around. But wow! Was I shocked at what the teacher told me! She told me he has made a lot of progress and she would like to “brag” about him! Gosh. I was beaming with pride and joy at everything she said. My boy is growing up. He really is. He’s been making more responsible choices in regards to his behavior. Not just that but also in regards to his schoolwork. He’s really been enjoying reading chapter books lately and has just made so many positive changes, both behaviorally and academically. I couldn’t be any more proud!

Becoming a mother was one of the best things that ever happened to me, if not THE BEST. I am enjoying every minute of it, everyday, every second! Gabie turned 8 this year, and he is still my sweet little daredevil. He never ceases to amaze me with his brilliance, his energy, and his unconditional love for humans and animals everywhere. I am proud to be his mama! I am looking forward to a new year with my little boy.

Gabie had his last day of 1st grade last week. WOW! I can’t believe how fast the school year flew by. In a couple of months he will be starting 2nd grade. I still cannot believe how quickly my boy is growing!

My boy Gabie is quite rambunctious at times. He is energetic, and that is putting it mildly. Well, what 7 yr old boy isn’t? Since the day my boy was born, energy has been bursting out of him! This energy is fantastic and fun, but at times it can lead to some scary things. Such as last week.
He was on his bike. He was going fast on his bike and in the blink of an eye he nearly crashed into our neighbor’s 3 yr old granddaughter who was suddenly in the sidewalk. Gabie avoided hitting her by quickly turning his bike which he lost control of and landed on top of the handlebar. A few tears later and some ice on his eye, I could see a black eye was going to be the outcome.
My heart was a broken mess! I dealt with it as best I could though. Tried to focus on keeping the swelling down. Gabie was very calm about the whole thing. The next morning, his eye was nearly swollen shut. I put some ice on it and the swelling went down thankfully. It did not take away the black eye tho. For the next 7 days, the black eye turned all kinds of different colors. Finally one day it just disappeared.
I am proud of my little boy. He is strong and has a good, caring heart. I couldn’t be any prouder. I must say that being a mom to Gabie has taught me a lot of things. One of those is that parenting is unpredictable. You never know what’s coming your way next. And I’ve also learned that sometimes owie’s aren’t the end of the world.

Beautiful Boy by John Lennon
(substituted a few words)

Close your eyes,
Have no fear,
The monsters gone,
He’s on the run and your mommy’s here,

Beautiful,
Beautiful, beautiful,
Beautiful Boy,

Before you go to sleep,
Say a little prayer,
Every day in every way,
It’s getting better and better,

Beautiful,
Beautiful, beautiful,
Beautiful Boy,

Out on the ocean sailing away,
I can hardly wait
To see you to come of age,
But I guess we’ll both,
Just have to be patient,
Yes it’s a long way to go,
But in the meantime,

Before you cross the street,
Take my hand,
Life is just what happens to you,
While your busy making other plans,

Beautiful,
Beautiful, beautiful,
Beautiful Boy,
Darling,
Darling,
Darling Gabriel.

This morning I took Gabie to his last day of Kindergarten. That is amazing! I cannot believe my little baby really is growing up. After this summer, he will be entering 1st grade. Wow.

A Mother’s Love
by Helen Steiner Rice

A Mother’s love is something
that no on can explain,
It is made of deep devotion
and of sacrifice and pain,
It is endless and unselfish
and enduring come what may
For nothing can destroy it
or take that love away . . .
It is patient and forgiving
when all others are forsaking,
And it never fails or falters
even though the heart is breaking . . .
It believes beyond believing
when the world around condemns,
And it glows with all the beauty
of the rarest, brightest gems . . .
It is far beyond defining,
it defies all explanation,
And it still remains a secret
like the mysteries of creation . . .
A many splendoured miracle
man cannot understand
And another wondrous evidence
of God’s tender guiding hand.

Somedays I wish he came with an instruction manual and there are days I want to pull my hair out. No matter what though, at the end of the day I know it’s all worth it because he is my son.
I am in the process of getting Gabriel evaluated for ADD-inattentive type. It breaks my heart. He is a little dreamer, lost in the clouds, lost in his little world. A butterfly. As his mommy, I need to be that guiding hand, that shining light. He is at a time of need and I cannot fail him by breaking down. Somedays it is hard to keep up with him, somedays it is hard to reach him. I wish I could say I had a perfect child, but over the years I’ve learned that perfect doesn’t exist. Life’s not a fairy tale, at least not for me.
But what I do know is that I need to make the most of our lives. I am constantly reading up on how to help him, trying new things everyday. I’ll never give up. I know I’ll get him through it.

Friday was Gabie’s 6th birthday. What a nice little birthday he had. My mother came to town to visit for the weekend and we all went to the movies to see Beverly Hills Chihuahua. Gabie loves chihuahuas so it was perfect. We had some cake that night and gave him his presents. The next day was his birthday party at the children’s museum. It was a success! 11 children showed up, all of them excited to play! The parents dropped them off and the party began. The theme was Ben 10. (Gabie is obsessed with Ben 10). The kids sure were a handful, but with the help of my mom, sis, and Bri, it was a good time for us all. Before I knew it, the party was over. Sunday was my sister Cindy’s birthday. She was in town visiting too. We took her out for a nice dinner before they took off to go back home. Just as I was getting ready to kick back and relax, Gabie got a boo-boo. A kind of major boo-boo. He was playing with one of those weights that are used to hold balloons and was swinging it around his face before it struck him right on his eyebrow and sliced the skin open. Off to the emergency room we were, and luckily he didn’t get stitches (the doctor gave us the option of stitches or a kind of super glue). He is all bandaged up and good now. I am just thankful for that! What a weekend, to say the least.