When Hayden was a toddler, I was afraid people would think we abused him because he was always covered in BRUISES. His full-speed ahead attitude often left him bumped and battered, but he never cared. He just loved “going big.” Hayden also taught Jace to follow the same path of aggressive behavior. They’ve been indoctrinated by their father, their grandfathers, and their uncles that if they weren’t diving after the ball, they weren’t playing. So, as warped as it is, bruises give a sense of pride in our house… “Look at this one!” they’ll say, and then retell how they got it. “Man this one is huge!” and then explain the events leading to it. They both have pretty good stories too. From double broken arms to emergency room visits, we’ve seen our share of “boys being boys.”
You can imagine how difficult it has been then, to watch over the last nine months-- Jace’s pale skin grow baby soft with no evidence of rough play. Don’t get me wrong! As his mom I have loved his smooth legs and soft hands, and I have enjoyed our days of cuddling and book reading, but today I do have terrific news. After nine months of flawless, silky skin, I am happy to report- Jace has been playing hard enough to have a few bruises.
Since his last IV chemo, Jace has been going full-speed not even letting nausea get in his way. He managed an entire day at Lagoon without being carried or pushed, and he loved a weekend at the sand dunes riding four-wheelers and jumping over the edge of the sand hills seeing how far he could go. As people have asked how he’s been doing the last two weeks, my consistent answer has been, “So great.”
This isn’t to say he doesn’t have his difficult moments. Both Hayden and Jace taught me valuable lessons Friday as we were preparing to leave for baseball games. After receiving a heavy dose of oral meds on Thursday, Jace was feeling nauseated and slow going. He complained he felt sick (very normal every day), and I coaxed him to get up and get dressed. He did, and on his way out the door he said, “Mom, will you get the bowl?” This is also a daily request. In my haste, I forgot the bowl but remembered the cooler and umbrella. As I entered the garage, it was immediately obvious that Jace did actually need the bowl. Hayden ran for it, and returned to a very sick little brother. After a few minutes of me holding Jace from behind, his body violently rejecting the one drink of water he took that morning, Hayden looked at me with such sad eyes. He shook his head with complete disgust that Jace has to endure this and offered his own hands to his little best friend- “You ok, bud?” he whispered…and of course Jace’s answer was, “Yes.”
The two boys climbed into the vehicle without thinking, as I assessed the situation for a minute. In my adult brain I clicked over to the idea that Jace wouldn’t feel like going to his baseball game. I prematurely started thinking about where my phone was…call Matt… make arrangements for Hayden a ride... but I think Jace could read my mind. “Mom! I’m ok,” he said. “I want to go.”
So we did. In the tournament, our little men played a total of four games each. Hayden’s team went 4-0, and Hayd hit three over-the-fence homeruns! Go Hayd! Jace’s team went 0-4, and he had the time of his life. He got a few good hits, he struck-out once, he walked once, and he stole a few bases.
