And Kyle...

He happened upon us while we were planning the wedding. Yeah, happened because sex is always a surprise...heh. We got fairly lucky & he was born 3 weeks before our wedding. We couldn't change the date because the hall Dock man's mom chose gets booked up pretty early. Plans were set in place, so we ran with them.

I was pretty happy during my pregnancies, lucky that I never had morning sickness. Not once. During my pregnancy with Kyle I was jubilant through the whole thing. It was very odd to me, with hormones raging, nothing pissed me off - I could get there, but it was very difficult to do so. Happy during all my pregnancies and very long labors. Kyle's was the hardest labor I dealt with. I have this problem. My kids don't want to enter the world, they want to stay inside. Each one of them was induced. Kyle was induced the longest & finally Dr. just broke my water. I'm betting the world record (not really, but 3 10 hour days worth is much) amount of pitocin used in this induction had something to do with why it was the hardest labor. I called for an epidural! Regrettably, I just couldn't handle the intensity of it. I had both front & back labor with Kyle. Hard, hard labor.

Dock man & I had argued about his name, still hadn't agreed on which we were going with and he wanted his way - always does. I wanted Kyle Nicholas & he wanted Nicholas Kyle. "I think Nick is a more manly name..." his words. When he was finally delivered, the nurse asked Dock man what his name was and Dock man said "Kyle". Kyle's was the first & only labor & delivery Dock man could be an active part of. After he saw it all, he couldn't do it again. I feel for him & I understand. He almost fainted and I knew he didn't have the stomach for it even before we went in.

This beautiful boy entered our lives. He was a quiet baby and excellent baby (again, luck I had with all of them). He slept long hours early on. He was supremely alert. Because he was like my second first child, I revelled in being a new mommy & actually experiencing it first hand. I used to read to him all the time. In the pic above on the right, that will always be one of my favorite things he did as a baby. I used to call his name from all parts of the house & he would dash his head around to find where I was. Then he'd answer with that baby "uh?" kinda like he's saying "Yeah? You want something?". Then I'd make him grin.

As he got older, he got a little serious. He was very attached to me but he wasn't afraid of other people. From all the reading I did, at 18 months he could name all the letters of the alphabet on sight. That still amazes me - had I continued at that pace he prolly would've been reading at 3. I had to go back to work, though, among other things. Back to his seriousness. I've mentioned that Dock man is sarcastic. Dock man also like to mess with little kids. So does my older brother J. Kyle woudn't have that. He used to get angry. No joking with the boy. He had his share of fits. He liked to be a solitary child. If other kids came over, he would share everything with them but end up playing alone. It didn't bother him to play alone, I think he preferred it.

While we still lived in Illinois and even after we moved to Indiana, we used to head on out to Grandma's tavern at least once a month. I know from Kyle those were some great times for him. I'm not a drinker, so we'd have RC colas together at the bar when only a few old regulars were in there. Grandma always gave Kyle some chips to bring home & we'd get cases of RC to take with us, too. Kyle & I used to spend a lot of time hanging out with Grandma.




When he started school, that was really hard for me. I'd gotten so used to having him around all day, I knew I would miss him (when we moved to Indiana, I didn't have to work any more). He was happy to go, he'd looked forward to it. He did well until we moved from there. I think it was more to do with the age & transition rather than just the transition. We moved a lot when I was a kid, so I understand how hard it can be to start over. So, now he is an underachiever in school. I hope he gets that what I tell him is true - things for him now are supremely easy compared to what life truly is. It's work and it always will be. A good life is worth the long hours we put in, though. There are so many things I hope I can remember for a very long time, forever, even. Like the way he used to say "pertick" (perfect). When he was younger than 2, my mom had a voice mail (not anymore, sadly) that had him talking about getting sockem' boppers (member those? heh). Santa clAUs? was going to bring him sockEM BOPperS? The statements were questions then. And the stresses on the words, well, they were just adorable.




Kyle was in a play in 3rd grade & I am so glad we got a video tape of it. This drama program from one of the nearby universities went to different schools & would put on a play, training the students within the school system. They did this in one week. It was an amazing thing. I do have one regret about this, I went into labor with my daughter the weekend of the play. I had to miss his acting debut live. & the boy was incredible! He had the best time, too. It was a rewrite of the classic Rumplestiltskin. Kyle played the King, King Whatzat - the king was rather hard of hearing. Because of the individual attention they got, all of the kids were spot on in this, after only a week of learning lines & rehearsals. One week! It still baffles me how it was done & done so well. He's been a fan of drama since then. He was stage crew in another play, in choir & will probably be in more plays as time goes on. I look forward to the rest of his performances. In choir this year, he was one of the Jackson 5 for their Spring concert - if I can ever get the dang video uploaded, I will post it for you to enjoy!



The boy loves computer games & any gaming system in general. Sometimes I wish he loved to read (and I hope I instilled a love of books) as much as he loved to play. He still has toys & plays with them (not as often as he used to). He has gotten better at being responsible for himself. He's gotten better at doing things without being told. He has moments of utmost respect. I think we are lucky to have a 13 year old who is still really a kid, even if he thinks he's smarter than we are. I hope I helped him to remain one. When I mentioned I tried to instill a love of books, I used to read him kid novels before he could read them himself. We love the Harry Potter series & after we saw The Sorcerer's Stone, we got the next book. I read him those until the early middle of the Goblet of Fire, then he could read them himself. I've read him many short stories and we always enjoyed talking about the books we read. He still likes it when I read to him (them all, actually).



I always said he was going to be my good boy in highschool. I still believe that. He asked about college a few weeks back & I reminded him that he would have to help in the grades department. I hope that part catches on soon. He wants to chase storms when he's old enough, much to my horror. I can just imagine him getting sucked up by a twister - one of my big fears. He's talked about going on to meteorolgy, but who knows. Impressionable young minds change their options on the turn of a dime.