I kissed my 6 year old goodnight tonight...

and in the morning I will be the proud Momma of a 7 year old. Zack asked me what time he was born and he gave me a little attitude when I told him I didn't know, so my reply was, jokingly "I don't know because I wasn't there". His reaction was so true to Zack's personality, he just said "oh ya that's right" and was satisfied. He has such a logical, rational sense about him. (I did find that he was born just before midnight). Zack has so many wonderful things about him, the way he rolls with some pretty hard punches and hops right back up again.

I say this every year, and I will say it again, Zack earns his birthdays and he deserves his birthdays. They are not just a given, every birthday for him is a milestone, and blessing. He asked if I would post for him, because he is so worn out lately. He stared first grade last week and has loved every minute of it! However, by the end of the school day he is wiped out. He is adjusting very well to the scholastic aspect of it, he is bringing home many 100% papers, if he does by chance miss something, it is only one question. Physically he is struggling. I have given him every opportunity to go short days or stay home, but he wants to be there, he wants to learn. What an amazing example of endurance this kid is.


So Zack wanted me to post about a few exciting things that have happened lately. Tonight he got his new Scooter. He thinks it is a super fast luxury bike, in reality it is a wheelchair. It was awesome to see him racing his friends up and down the street tonight. Zack and his friends were weaving back and forth in front of each other and it was like they were all on an equal playing field. For a minute he forgot that he was different from his friends. He is still determined to ride a bike and that is great, but I am so glad that he can be safe and go fast, and be envied by his friends.


When Zack is at school he is often helped out by a 504 paraprofessional, he has two of them, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. They are both amazing women. His morning helper was with him all through kindergarten, she is loved by all the kids in the class. During lunch Zack goes to the health room at school, (not to be called the sick room or the nurses station)after he is done eating in the lunch room. He goes there so that he can be bullus fed through his feeding tube. It is a pretty sweet deal, he gets to lay down for 20 minutes on a comfy bed and relax, I went along the first week of school to train his helper. On the second or third day of school he tells me with all the excitement that he can muster that he is able to tie his shoes. He was so thrilled and had such a sence of accomplishment and I was pretty amazed too. I had tried to teach Zack on several occasions to tie his shoes, but given the state of his little, less than flexible fingers, I didn't think it would ever happen. The kid read at 3.5 who cares if he can tie his shoes, but he proceeded to show me as he laid on his back with his long skinny leg pulled up over his feeding tube. His helper had shown him how to do it in 5 minutes of one day. She knew he could do it and he knew he wanted to, and that was just what it took. Zack now ties anything and everthing he can find.

I am so thankful to be Zack's mom. He is teaching me things on a daily basis that I have been trying to learn whole life. I won't lie, it is hard to wake up at 5:45am and do woundcare for 2 or 3 hours everyday, it down right stinks. I hate it when people say to me in front of Zack "I couldn't do it" or "I don't know how you can stand that" because quite frankly it is an honor. I wish more than anything on this planet that he would not have to endure that, but as long as he is willing to endure I will be happy to do it.

So HAPPY BIRTHDAY you amazing boy!