Camp Mom

And so Summer vacation begins. When I was a kid, there was nothing better than waking up on that first day of summer vacation. No more school. The days and weeks of summer stretched out luxuriously in front of you.

Now it's my least favorite week of the year. Summer still stretches out, but it doesn't feel luxurious anymore. The only time I have to myself is the time Maggie spends in school. Now I have to be on 24 hours a day. Maggie and I have fun together but it is exhausting to think about all the lifting and physical requirements ahead. It's never as bad as I imagine because we will find a rhythm, but the anticipation is less than delightful. We have 10 days until summer school begins and then a month after it ends.

In addition to the physical demands on me, summertime is hard on Maggie. School is Maggie's social and recreational center as well as her academic center. It's fine that everyone needs a break from the academic rigors of school, but there are zero social or recreational opportunities for Maggie when school is out.  That means old mom becomes social director and camp counselor for a few weeks.

On the plus side, though, Maggie is about the easiest person in the world to entertain. Yesterday we went looking for a new mattress. Every time Steve or I laid down on a mattress to try it out (which was frequent) Maggie laughed so hard she would have trouble breathing. The poor salesman didn't know how to react. We would laugh and jump up and suction her. That made her laugh too. 

So we will begin our summer today. We will go somewhere every morning. Might be the park, or the museum or shopping. It doesn't matter because Maggie will love it. If I get too worn out we can go back to the mattress store and lie down. That will keep her entertained and I can rest. 

If anyone has ideas for outings that we can do in a couple of hours, feel free to share. 

Just Maggie

Every once in a while I get a glimpse of what life with Maggie might have been like if she wasn't who she is. I mean if she was typically developing and healthy. I don't look for these glimpses and I'm always surprised when I get one. They come from nowhere. And they make me both happy and sad at the same time. 

It happens frequently when I see my neighbor Daniella.  She is finishing her junior year in high school, she is on the volleyball team, goes out with boys and drives the family car. She is tall and kind and pretty. She has been my neighbor since she was born just five weeks after Maggie was. Her mom and I were pregnant together. 


Sometimes when I see her hopping into a car with her friends or leaving for school I think. And I wonder. She and Maggie would have grown up together and either have been close friends or simply tolerated each other. Don't get me wrong. Daniella is lovely. she always greets Maggie and is very sweet, but they are not peers. She is living Maggie's other life, the one way back in my imagination that only gets dusted off periodically. 

I had another one of those moments today when I saw Maggie's class project for the end of the year. All the kids did one and I'm not even certain how it was done. But I love this picture, drawing or whatever it is. It looks like a typical kid. There's no trach, no wheelchair, no equipment of any kind. Those things have come to be such a part of Maggie that I don't even see them anymore. But I noticed immediately when they were absent. And it made me both happy and sad at the same time..  .

 

I scanned it the best I could but it wouldn't fit. The frame has descriptive words about Maggie all around it, Sassy, happy, cheerful, shy (?), loves music, etc.  I think I'm going to hang this one in my room.

 

 It's just Maggie - stripped down to her personhood. 

 

She's still cool.

 

Adios, Adieu, Auf wiedersehen

What do Poland, Vietnam, Tennessee and China have in common?

Give up?

These are the destinations of Maggie’s former teachers and nurse. In the last four years one of Maggie’s teachers, or in one case her nurse, have moved out of San Francisco immediately after spending a year with Maggie.  First, it was the elementary school teacher Ms. Nail landing a job in an international school in Poland. Then her nurse Sally moved to Vietnam to teach English. Last year her high school teacher Ms. 

Taylor moved to Tennessee to be closer to family and now Ms. Derkash is leaving for China.  

Could there possibly be a correlation between teaching or caring for Maggie and wanting to get as far away as possible?

 Naaaaa.

Today is the last day of school and that means we have to say good-bye to Tanya Derkash. It will be hard because it has been such a great year.  I knew after a conversation we had in January or February that she was going to leave San Francisco. She did not come out and say it, but it was clear to me.  As I have mentioned before, this is a hard place for young people to make a life because it is so expensive. Of course, I thought I was so clever figuring out that she would return to Colorado where she was raised.

Uhhh, no. Try China.

China. Wow! I admire her adventurous spirit. It is a red-letter day for me if I leave the City and County of San Francisco and the thought of starting a new life in China just makes me tired. However, Tanya can do it. She will be in an international school with other adventurous teachers, which will make things easier for her. In addition, her big smile, big heart and willingness to jump in and try things give her the perfect temperament for this.  

Still, we will miss her here. Maggie adores her and the energy in the classroom was always positive and upbeat.  Tanya stepped in after Ms. Taylor left and the transition was seamless. Tanya has been at Mission high for several years and already knew the kids before she took over the class.  (Hmm. Let’s review. Same job for several years. Teaches Maggie for one year. Leaves for China. Hmmm.)    

Maggie will get another new teacher in the fall and I am sure he or she will be great. Maggie has been blessed with great teachers throughout her school years.  Of course, at the end of the year, we will be prepared to bid the new teacher adieu as he or she heads off to spend a year in Antarctica.  Maggie just seems to have that effect on people.

Good-bye Ms. Derkash and Good luck. It was a great year and we want to hear from you and your students in China.

Maternal Instinct

I just love this picture of my friend Jennifer and her daughter Rae in their (mis)matched shirts. The shirts, the expressions on their respective faces and all of it capture perfectly the mother daughter reality. and especially the reality of a mom and her special needs daughter, which this is. 

This made me laugh out loud. Click on the picture to make it larger. 

The Word is Spreading!

The campaign to end the "R" word has been near and dear to my heart for many years, well before Maggie came into my life. I am glad to see the movement taking off. You will be seeing this public service announcement on tv. Pay attention and Spread the Word!

Maggie' Magical Night

Here are all thepictures from Maggie's prom. this slideshow is from the shutterfly site we made (http://missionprom2011.shutterfly.com). The pictures are in the basic order of the event from the first dress we had to take back to the pooped out prom queen at the end. Family pictures, pictures with the teachers, the principal and the dean and all her friends. My favorite batch is of Maggie and her friend Tyre are trying to reach each other, Neither has great control of their limbs, but they eventually figure it out.

Click here to view these pictures larger

I have to give you all an update about the prom. It was great. Maggie looked beautiful and had a ton of fun. I've been playing with the pictures and will post a link as soon as I get them organized and named. For now, though I want to show you what Maggie looked like as she primped and as she left for the evening. I am also including  a couple of pics of her and me just before we got on the elevator. I never like pictures of the two of us, but I do like these.

Finish the Scrubbing because it's time for the BALL

Prom day has arrived and Miss Maggie is beyond excited. She wanted to try on her dress again yesterday but I told her she had to wait . She starts working on her talker and then I hear.

"I dress up tomorrow."

I just had to go in and give her a big kiss after that. Her enthusiasm is infectious. 

The prom fantasy has captured many a young woman. Sometimes the fantasy is realized and the night is magical. Too often, though teenage girls have set their expectations unrealistically high and are extremely disappointed when the actual night roles around. I can say with certainty that will not be a problem for Maggie. There is no boy drama, no competition with the other girls, just unmitigated joy at going to a social outing with her friends. Dressing up is just the icing on the cake. 

Kindness of two friends has added to the magic of the prom week. My friend Kathleen saw the post the other day about the dress not fitting. She want to make certain that Maggie had something to wear and she knew time was of the essence. Without saying a word, she packed up a box of possible accessories and a lacy black skirt which arrived via fedex yesterday.  That was beyond thoughtful. 

And then there's Kelly. Kelly is lawyer who works with Steve. She's only met Maggie once but she always asks about her and sent home a Christmas present for her. That was nothing compared to this week. Kelly brought a package into Steve to give to Maggie. It is a tiara for her to wear to the prom. But not just any tiara, it's the one Kelly wore in her own wedding. 

It is the perfect accessory to her fancy dress. Maggie will look even more like a princess. But Maggie is not good with anything on her head and she tends to fling it off as quickly as she can. We are going to give it a try and will certainly take pictures, but the thought of Maggie hurling that wedding tiara across the room is creating a pit in my stomach.  The gesture was incredibly generous and thoughtful, I'm just not sure Maggie is princess enough to go through with it. Maggie's princess persona may be more like Princess Leia or Elvira, Princess of the Dark than Kate Middleton or Cinderella.

Have a good weekend everyone. Think of Maggie this evening as she is dancing the night away.
. 

We Have a Winner

I bought another prom dress to replace the ill fitting gown from yesterday. It took me quite a while, the dresses are quite a bit more revealing in the Junior Department. I showed this to Maggie as she got off the bus and she was chomping at the bit to try it on. The bus driver gave it a thumbs up. She will use the same burnt orange wrap I showed yesterday.To tell you the truth, if it doesn't warm up she may travel to the prom in a snuggie which we will pull off for her grand entrance.

I had to grab a quick picture of her in the dress because you have never seen anyone so happy. 

We even took off her straps and oxygen for a couple of minutes so we can see the dress. I was worried she was going to slide out of the chair without the straps, but she stayed put long enough to grab a photo. We're hoping the oxygen is completely gone  by Friday. (She's getting there)

Now to get a wheelchair accessible pumpkin.

If it does not fit, you must acquit

Maggie went to school for a couple of hours today, but I had to go get her about 11. That's fine, it's all part of operation stamina. Perhaps tomorrow she'll go until noon.

When we got home I told her we would try on her prom dress and take some pictures. Good thing we did. It's too small. My daughter is no longer a little girl. It's a body shape thing more than a size thing. I guess it's time to move up to juniors. Those will probably swim on her. She's just between world, in fashion and everything else.

I have to take it back and find something else.By Friday. And Maggie needs additional care from me. Also this  afternoon is out because she has ANOTHER doctor's appointment.

Maggie is not at all pleased with this development. She is using her talker to say "Mom, I want dress. Mom, I am good. Mom I am happy, dress. Please"  I am trying to explain it has nothing to do with her, the dress simply does not fit.  

As Gary Puckett used to sing "This girl is a woman now."

Pushing toward Friday

Maggie continues to inch her way toward wellness, but it is excruciatingly slow. According to the doctor improvement is the key, even if it's measured in nannobytes.

The end of the year activities are coming fast and furiously. As I wrote the other day, Maggie missed Special Olympics day, which was spectacularly unfair.* Today was the picnic, and I did take her over there for a while. She still needs supplemental oxygen and does all right for a while, and then you can see her fade. It's like a curtain comes down on her energy level. Fortunately the picnic was in Golden Gate park, about 5 minutes from the house, so we could pop over and leave early without difficulty.

It's a stamina issue. I have to push her a little so she can increase her stamina, but not too much so she goes in the wrong direction. It's a balancing act.  But there is a goal. Maggie's prom is Friday night. We need her well enough to go.

This afternoon after the nurse arrived and we did all the procedures I decided it was time to plan for the positive. I bought Maggie's prom dress. It's not easy to find an appropriate dress for a variety of reasons. Maggie is very small in stature and we have to buy it in the little girls department. But her body, while small, is not that of a little girl. While she has certain physical attributes, she does not a shred of modesty. Any low cut dress or spaghetti straps are a wardrobe malfunction waiting to happen. The dress has to be malfunction proof, which means a high cut party dress..  But this is not a 8 year old birthday party, it's a high school prom. So we have to use more sophisticated  accessories. I think this just might work. Maggie perked up when she saw it and reached her hand out to feel the fabric.

Now let's hope she gets to wear it.

*quoted from Notting Hill. We've been stuck in the house watching a lot of movies.

I see the sky because we are looking UP.

Just a quick update. Maggie does seem better today and I am hoping that means she has turned the corner. Nights are the hardest, though because all her symptoms are worse when she's lying down. Still, things are better today than yesterday. She still needs oxygen, but I have safely lowered the rate. Couldn't lower it yesterday without creating difficulties. Not sure if the antibiotics are working now that they've been on board for two days  or if it's viral and it's finally starting to break down. Either way, I'll take it.

This is a direction I would like to continue following, thankyouverymuch.

Put the LIme in the coconut, then you feel lbetter

Maggie missed special Olympics. 

 It's Friday 13th. And it started early.  

The nurse woke me at 12:45 because Maggie's sats(oxygen saturation levels)  were dropping and she was needing more and more oxygen. We got her stabilized and she fell asleep. I decided to wait on the ER because she needed the rest. She was stable and we were dong everything they would do at the hospital. Things are just easier in the cool light of morning. I came back down around 5:45 and she was still needing a ton of oxygen. 

I called the pulmonologist. He does't know Maggie - never seen her. I talked to him the other day after the xray which he called "equivocal". He gave me some attitude immediately and put the hair on the back of my neck at attention. Not a good idea. he said, "Recall I suggested we see her yesterday." I responded with "yes, that's Right, doctor and she wasn't that sick then.  TODAY she is sicker and I'm wondering if I should bring her to the ER."  pause, "Well I certainly would." A little jab, but I ignored it.   

Ok. We go to the ER, she has another chest xray and a ton of lab work. She has a very high heart rate (like 140) and  low sats (like 83) and needs a ton of O2. The also give her a litre of fluids because she's dehydrated. We are doing great in the ER and then this same doc from the phone call  comes down with a sort of "I don't know why you are here" attitude. 

 Really, dude? You guilt me for not coming, and then question why I've come. Even the ER doc and nurse called him on that. I wanted to say "Pick a side and stay there - don't just be opposite of me. It's not a fun place to be." - but I didn't.

 He figured it out soon enough. 

I got a little snippy with him and insisted we have a game plan. He threatened admission. I said "do you think she needs that" He said No, I said  "then why are you suggesting it? don't think that's what I want. I just want to know when I should be worried enough to come back."  He said come back if she needs increased oxygen and has a high heart rate. I looked at Steve and at the ER doc incredulously and said, "you mean like NOW?" He said I guess I mean higher than this. What's the highest O2 need she's ever had?  I said "this is it." He said. ok, if it gets any higher. 

 He wasn't making any sense, but I discerned it isn't an obvious  bacterial issue and the drugs she is on should be ok. Or it's viral and they won't help and neither will any other drug.  I can handle this at home, but I don't want to be stupid or cavalier about when we should go.  

When he left the room I looked at Steve and shook my head. I said "that was unnecessarily difficult. Steve just smiled wanly and said, "he was teetering on the brink." I said "Brink of what" Steve just paused and said "we both know." I smiled because I did know. I was snippy, but I didn't take his head off like I can and will if I have to. But he WAS on the brink of that. I'm getting better in my old age. 

So we are home and hoping two things. 1) this starts to go in a positive direction or 2) that's he's not on call this weekend. I need someone I can work with and he aint' it.  The ER doc and nurse kept telling me NOT TO HESITATE TO RETURN.

We left there with a dx of "presumptive viral pneumonia"  and told "to get plenty of rest and fluids."  After all tht it sounded like a commercial for Bayer aspirin. 

Apparently Maggie's only olympic event was rapid breathing. She medaled. 

Everyone's a winner

Neurology for $200, Alex

Maggie suffered a brain injury either before she was born or shortly after or both. It’s never been entirely clear because there was always so much going on that her delayed development was attributed to her medical issues unrelated to her brain. Eventually it became clear there was more going on and we started checking things out.  That meant visits with neurologists.

 A consultation with a neurologist first happened when Maggie was about two months old and still in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit. That doctor told me a a thick European accent, that “yore babee eez floppy.”  What did that even mean? I could feel panic rising. The nurse told me she says that about every baby and Maggie had all these medical problems so of course she was floppy.  Not wanting anymore problems, I ignored that doctor. Of course she was right.  Maggie was floppy and her medical problems were not enough of an explanation. But I had to deal with things we could DO something about.

I think we next saw a neurologist when Maggie was a year old because that is when we got the spastic quadriplegia diagnosis (a form of cerebral palsy). By the time we heard those words, though, we were already quite aware of her problems. It was confirming what we already knew. Maggie did not and does not have any seizures. Her neurological problems are what they are and other than constant therapy and occasional monitoring, we don’t need to see neurologists very often.  And  that is A-OK with me.  We’ve probably only seen one five times in her life. Now I go every three years and have a nice chat with the neurologist.

 As is their very difficult job, the neurologist tells you all the things your child will not be able to do and the limitations she will face. When Maggie was little, I would listen to the parade of horrible and wish I was somewhere else.  It’s never fun.  In fact I read an excellent blog post describing what it can be like for many families, especially those looking for answers.Check out  Annoyed at the Neurologist 

We, of course, are not like many families. I actually have a neurologist story that makes me laugh to remember. When Maggie was about three we had an especially entertaining visit. Well, entertaining for us anyway.  The attending neurologist was preening a bit for his residents and going on at length about what Maggie would never be able to achieve. I sat there like a punching bag largely ignoring him, because it wasn’t being said for my benefit. Don’t’ get me wrong, he was correct in his assessments, but just kind of coldly listing them off.

I interrupted him at one point and said, “Yes, she does have physical limitations, but she is cognitively intact.” 

There was a long silence until the neurologist said to me in a rather patronizing way,

“And just HOW do YOU know THAT?”

I looked at the several doctors and said with a grin, “she laughs at my jokes. She MUST be smart”

Silence again, except for my snickers (and probably Maggie’s). The doctor just looked at me and made a notation in the chart. That was the end of that visit. I don’t know what he wrote that day, but I presume it’s something like “Mother delusional.” Again, he may have hit the nail on the head there, but I was right about Maggie’s intellect.

Maybe I should publish a study.

What's Brewing?

Maggie's school year will be over by Memorial Day. That means we are down to the last couple of weeks when all the fun stuff happens. Maggie has a huge week or so scheduled. Special Olympics is on Friday. The special ed picnic is on Monday and the Prom is NEXT Friday.

And today she is getting sick.

Come ON. Don't make her miss out on this stuff. It is just not fair.

She's needed supplemental oxygen since yesterday and now she's sleepy and coughing up strange colors. I've called the doctor, but I suspect we will have to wait for this to fully rear its ugly head to deal with it. She could be brewing up another pneumonia - that seems to be her "go to" illness. And, if I'm right that will knock her out for a week or so.

I hope I'm wrong, but my antennae are up

.

Mothers Day weekend

Monday arrived putting an end to a busy weekend.

I hope all you mothers or those acting in the role of mother enjoyed your special day yesterday. I did. I saw two of my children, talked to the third and spent time with my own mother, one of two brothers and three of four sisters.

Wow, that's a lot of math.

Maggie and her classmates made Mothers Day Cards at school. Maggie made the message on her dynavox and then they print it out on the computer. Her first message was not expressing quite the sentiment the staff thought was appropriate. They told Maggie they thought her evil twin Melissa must have written it. So I received two cards, one from Maggie and one from her evil twin/alter ego Melissa.

The card were almost identical,. Just a few words different.

The Maggie card said:
"Sweet Mom, you are fun and friendly, Love, Maggie"

The Melissa card said:

sweet Mom, you are stinky. Love Melissa

Makes a mom proud.

Saturday Stroll

 Maggie and Steve and I decided to head down to Coghlan Beach for a walk this morning. The nice weather of earlier in the week is changing, and we don't want to waste any good days before the storm comes in tomorrow. Man oh Man. I would say that storm is a' comin  because the wind was howling at the end of that spit of land behind the Marina Green and harbor.  We stayed about 30 seconds because it was too much to handle. Of course I can get a picture in about 5 seconds, but I had to make sure those brakes were firmly locked in place.

Steve ran about 1/4 mile back to get the car so we could get Maggie out of the wind ASAP. All of us were having a hard time, though she had her game face on. As soon as we got home, though Maggie just started to cry. It really was overwhelming. And not just for us. It looked like a couple of sailboat were getting a little overwhelmed as well.  . 

Windy, but Beautiful. 

Maggie is happier now.

Maggie in the news

Maggie World was featured on google news!

http://newshawksreview.com/blog/a-young-lady-her-mother-and-their-blog-2-happy-and-strong-women/4668/

A Cinderella Story

To match the fairy tale that is her life (sarcasm), Maggie emulates Cinderella. 

NO, we don't make her scrub the floors or lock her in a tower and she isn't headed to the ball to meet her handsome prince. In fact, she's takes after Cinderella in only one way - she loses a single shoe all the time. 

Because of her dystonia and cerebral palsy, Maggie moves constantly. Her body is in motion somewhere even when she's all strapped into her chair. A lot of times she is moving her legs and feet.  Her feet are very small. She is 17 years old and still in children's sizes. She wears a child's size 12 or 13 which is generally appropriate for a child about 5 or 6 years old. Her feet are little and skinny. Between the movement and the teeny feet, it is difficult to find shoes that will stay on her feet.  Most styles are right out.

Invariably when we go for a walk, someone tells us she's dropped a shoe. After a couple of tries putting it on again,  I will give up and stick it in my purse. We have been lucky that we retrieve so many.   With this new problem with her wheelchair footpad (see yesterdays post), her feet are out of sight and no one sees it drop. She lost one shoe last week while on an outing from school. They retraced their steps, but never found it. Then I lost another shoe that I tossed in the car after she dropped it. Hope springs eternal that one will still show up.  

Saturday morning I took Maggie to buy some new shoes. She thought that was the greatest time ever. We've done it before, but she never reacted one way or the other. That has now changed. Shoe shopping is the bomb!  I let her choose between a glittery/sparkly pair of high tops and some slip ons with peace signs. My girl went for the bling, of course. We also bought the white athletic shoes from yesterdays post. When we returned to Steve, she quickly said "Dad look new shoes." She repeated it over and over again until she felt his praise was sufficient.



Sunday morning came and Maggie and I were heading out to run some errands. I said, "Mag, where do you want to go today." She didn't hesitate at all. She just started making a sentence "Mom, shoe shopping please."  I had to nix that idea and quick.  I may have created a monster. 

Maggie may have feet the size of a small child, but when it comes to shopping, she definitely acts like a 17 year old.

More gruel sir?

Turns out Maggie diets about as well as her mother. One week and it's over.

After a week of cutting her nighttime feeds something was off. I had to call the nurse practitioner today. Mary Margaret is unable to stay awake at school. It's been going all week, since right after we cut her feeds. I waited because her body should adjust to the lower calorie level and I wanted to make sure she was getting enough sleep at night. Last night she was asleep by eight and other than dealing with coughing fits and suction issues she slept until 6:30AM. She slept through all the other procedures. I figured that should take care of it,  but she slept all day in school again.

I left the nurse practitionery a message telling her what was going on. Maggie is not sick, she not lethargic (which is sign of very serious problems) she's just exhausted.  She called back within the hour and said to back to where we had it. Maggie is likely getting hypeglycemic from the change. Where I would go and sneak a carrot --ok a COOKIE -- to satisfy my hunger, she cannot.  But her body needs more energy. 


That's my Maggie. Tough as nails and as delicate as an orchid. 

Tonight we crank up the feeding pump and party all night long.

Barkeep! Vivonex all around!

 

Stretched to the Breaking Point

The title doesn't refer to my psyche, but to Maggie's chair. Her wheelchair is once again in need of attention and repair. She can use it, but it is tattered and sad.  The parts were ordered eons ago and we are waiting and waiting and waiting for them to be delivered and installed. In this day of overnight delivery and immediate attention, it blows my mind that these parts take three months to get.

The most unsightly part of the repair is the fabric behind Maggie’s legs that is designed to help Maggie  keep her feet in place. This neoprene fabric  is stretched behind Maggie’s legs to keep her feet from dangling in space.  It is supposed to look something like this.  

Maggie tends to use it to rest her feet and the tone in her legs is so high that she exerts constant pressure on this fabric. Surprise surprise, she wore a hole in it.  The new one was ordered llong ago and they forgot about it. It was ordered again on the 1^st of March and now, 64 days later, we still don’t have it. That little hole got bigger and bigger. We turned the neoprene upside down so that the pressure would be on another part of the fabric, but that seemed only to exacerbate the problem. Now there is a gaping  hole all the way across the cihair. Maggie sticks her feet through it and looks like an amputee. They sent me this picture from school today.

We could just take it off, but even in its tattered state it is providing some protection for Maggie. When she sticks her legs through she is not keeping her feet in the right position, but the fabric is still between her legs and the footplates of the chair. Without the fabric, her legs would be behind the metal footplates and she would injure her shins on those sharp metal edges.  

But she looks like someone down on their luck hustling for handouts on the street.

Hmmm. Maybe she could earn her allowance.

Or she could contribute to her shoe fund.  A lot of shoes drop through that black hole.   The shoe story will follow.

Anniversary

May 3, 1986

Today is our 25th wedding anniversary. 25 years ago Steve and I promised to be true to each other in good times and in bad, and in sickness and in health. I think we kept our promise to each other.

What can I say? I married well.



 

Maggie the Magnificient

For those of you just tuning in, let me get you up to speed.

I have an amazing daughter.

Last night Maggie and I were home alone folding laundry and watching 60 minutes. Maggie hates television. She cannot see well enough to enjoy it and worst of all, when we are watching it that means we are NOT paying attention to her. This, of course is unacceptable.  She said what she always does.  “Mom, I don’t like TV.”  And I respond the way I always do , “too bad, I do and I’m watching this.”  That cracks her up so she does it over and over again and I give the same response. It’s a never ending game.

After about seven or eight rounds of this game, my friend Lori called me. She could not find CNN on the TV. Her teenage daughter told her something was up and they were trying to tune in to see what was going on. I told her it was channel 56 and turned it on myself. Wolf Blitzer was dancing around the announcement about Osama Bin Laden but not saying what was happening.  Presumably they were waiting for confirmation.  I had no idea what they were about to say, but the build up was huge. I called Steve at his friend’s house to tell them to turn on the news. Even though it was clearly something big,  my jaw dropped when they announced the news.  I stopped folding laundry and stared at the television completely ignoring Maggie.

I can safely say that Maggie does not have any understanding of Osama Bin Laden or breaking news or any such thing, (and I envy that a little).  But somehow she picked up on the gravity of what was going on. I talked to a couple of people on the phone and kept watching the television. Maggie sat there quietly until she started hitting her talker. I thought we would be back to the “I don’t like TV” statement, but that was not what she had to say. She worked clicking and moving until she said: “Dad, come see the TV.”

My jaw dropped again. My girl knew that this was something big and she figured her dad would want to know what was happening.   

She amazes me.  That is all.