Exactly 26 years ago I was giving birth to my second son. It was snowy. It was cold. The only vehicle we had was the company van my husband was driving that had one seat for the driver and the passenger a/k/a in labor woman a/k/a me had to sit on a kitchen chair. The roads were slick and the van fishtailed all over the road, I am still to this day not sure if the fishtailing was accidental or just caused by an overenthusiastic snow driver a/k/a husband of woman in labor. All I know was I was in labor and clutching the sides of the kitchen chair and wondering if we would make it to the hospital (which was really only about 5 minutes away but seemed like 5 hours). My poor husband it took all his begging and pleading and telephone calls to my mother to get me to go to the hospital. I was adamant I was NOT going to the hospital. I hated the hospitals. I hated the doctors. I knew this was gonna hurt and for some reason in my demented mind I thought if I did not go to the hospital I could bypass the whole "hurts really bad labor". I told my husband I was not leaving. I was not going to the hospital ever! He was frantic. He pleaded with me to please get in the van and go the hospital. I clung to the bathroom door declaring quite loudly, "I am NOT GOING TO THE HOSPITAL" He tried to reason with me. I was unreasonable. Finally, under the pressure of my husband and the threats of my mother I was coerced into the van. I made it to the hospital. I was right it did hurt. However, the pain was well worth it because Jamie came into the world. Now of course you all know him as James but he was Jamie to me from the day he was born and will be Jamie to me until the day I die. He was dark. He was hairy. He had a cleft in his chin just like his Grandpa Chuck. Without a doubt Groleau blood was in him. Jamie was colicky. Aunt Denise was about the only one who could calm him down. He spent the first year of his life in a baby swing in hopes of lulling him into a sweet happy mood. To this day I have a big bulging bicep from the constant winding up of the baby swing. In those days we did not have auto swings. It was crank, crank, crank, baby happy, swing stop, baby unhappy, crank, crank, crank, baby happy and so on and so on.
1) Had the biggest brownest eyes you have ever seen in your life! He would look at me with tear filled eyes and I would feel like the biggest meaniest baddest mommy in the world for scolding him.
2) I would come downstairs in the middle of the night and he would be perched on the kitchen countertop with a spoon in the peanut butter having himself a little midnight snack. He has had a lifelong love affair with peanut butter.
3)Colored monsters on my bedroom wall with red lipstick (which by the way does not get repaired by merely painting over it). He comes running out of my room, lipstick on his hand saying "I'm in big touble now" (yes he did not put an R in trouble). Grandpa Groleau was there that day and that became his favorite story to tell. And yes Jamie was in "Big Touble" but see number one for why he did not get spanked.
4) Had his own sense of style at a young age he became a dandy dresser. A trait he still has to this day. Jamie, as an adult, often says "Man I look good" His style was to wear three to four shirts each one progressively shorter over a pair of slightly baggy jeans. (not real baggy, just little boy skinny baggy). His top shirt of choice for several years were his football jerseys.
5)Liked to dig in the dirt and bury GI Joes and Matchbox Cars. Several years ago I unearthed a matchbox car. It brought tears to my eyes.
6)Always had dirty knees. I swear the dirt was permanently embedded. I should probably check out his knees today. I bet they are still dirty.
7) One day he came running into the house. He so very excited. He had a present for Mom. One of the neighbors was throwing out a Food Shredder (an electric one). He saw it and brought it home to me. I still have it to this day and cannot bear the thought of getting rid of it (and it still works and I use it at least once a year).
8) Jamie was a laughing happy kid. I got called to the school because he was being the class clown. He was not laughing when I got to school. He as unhappy. He told the principal "She's gonna kill me" The principal was talking to me while Jamie was sitting outside the principal office's by the secretary. He was laughing when he was telling me Jamie was begging him not to call me because "she would kill me" He said, "Are you gonna kill him" I laughed and said "Nah but he's gonna get a pretty good spanking". See number one as to why he did not get spanked. Jamie was advised not to be the class clown anymore. He never really quit but he did not ever cross the getting his parents called to school line.
9) Was always winning stuff. Won a bike, won autographed footballs...just would win stuff...
Opened up the paper one day and there was my son's picture in the Journal and Courier. A picture of him and his little friend sitting on the monkey bars looking out with telescopes.
10) Now this story he had a partner in crime, his older brother, I got up one morning to find one totally white Jamie...all white...just big brown eyes peering out of a powdered covered face. Every white powdery substance in my canisters had been emptied out onto my kitchen floor. He was probably 2 1/2 at the time of the incident. Flour, baking soda, salt EVERYWHERE. In the cracks of the floor and flourery footsteps through out the house. Little white powdery boy got dumped unceremoniously into the bath tub. Mean old Mommy did not care that powdery little boy was not at all happy about being dropped into a bathtub. Mean old Mommy disregarded the shrieks of unhappiness as he had cup after cup of water poured over his head. (Which actually made the flour even more difficult to get out as it "gummed up")
Oh bonus story: He cut the head off my chicken.
As with all my children I have so many stories I could write for hours and hours. Jamie was a good boy and he is a good man. His father says I must stop referring to him as Jamie. I do call him James but in my mind he is Jamie. He has a heart that is full of compassion though he tries his very best to cover it up! He still has the big brown eyes and the cute mischievous smile. You can always count on him if you need him! We love you Jamie and are very proud of you...oops I mean we love you James and are very proud of you.
Love Mean Old Mommy
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