Regarding Nathan

He is my only son, my third child, my closing act of motherhood.

When Nathan arrived Nadalene was 5 and Angelique was 7.  Oh my God, how much we loved this little boy who arrived and set the house aglow with his smiles and big brown eyes.

Wahid was over the moon, a son, a son at last.  He called him cool dude.  In fact, he is a very cool dude.

Of course, eventually as boys will do, he grew and grew and now today, he is 25.  I really can’t understand this because the time has rushed by so fast that my head spins when I think of it.

I am in wonder on both how clear my memories of Nathan are (as though his life has happened over months rather than years) and how much my life has changed since we first brought him home.  No matter how things evolve, there is always joy.  Nathan is one of my three greatest joys.

The past is still here with me right now.  I haven’t forgotten much of what it felt like back then when Nathan was just a little boy or the many things we said to each other.

Its okay that I’m crying right now isn’t it?  After all, my baby is now a man.

I can’t share all my memories of Nathan with you, because some of those memories are just ours and also, there are just too many to recall here.

When Nathan was a baby he was crazy about two things; cars and cookies.  Angelique and Nadalene got the biggest kick out of him when we would drive in a car because his head would spin off his shoulders in all directions yelling car car car car car (you might want to thank me here for only putting in five cars).  Of course like many small children, when he saw a truck it was a #u##.

Nathan never walked till 13 months and that is because Wahid said that we loved him so much that his feet never got a chance to touch the ground.  Nadalene do you remember walking him around the living room and I told you that you were the only one who could get him to sleep.  Imagine this tiny little girl carrying a baby almost the same size as her around and around and around and making a shushing sound to anyone in the vicinity.

Nathan talked very early and cooed all the time.  Of course he had his own private coach in Angelique.  Angelique would talk to Nathan while he was on the floor, in his walker, in his jolly jumper, or sitting beside her on the couch.  Angelique has an amazing calm that Nathan would just look up at her and repeat everything she said, only it always sounded like a coo.

Angelique always let Nathan crawl into bed with her and Nadalene.  That was the place he liked to sleep the best.

Every Saturday morning Nathan and I would go and rent a video game, get some hockey cards, and a new comic book.  Nathan loved to collect things.  We would whisper to each other that this was our date.  He would wake me up and say “Mommy is it time to go yet.”  ‘We have to wait till 8:00 Nathan, that will be pretty soon.’

8:00 on the nose we would leave the house and Nathan would open my door and say “After you Madam.”  ‘Thank you Monsieur.’  “This is our date right Mom.”  ‘It sure is.’  “Are you having fun Mom?”  ‘I sure am Nathan.’  “After you Madam.”  ‘Thanks.’

Nathan loved to play outside with his best friend Ryan.  They would jump out of trees on any other passing child.  They would ride their bikes around the block dressed as Vikings from head to toe with big Viking swords in their hands.  I thought it was so cute.  Nadalene thought they were terrorizing the neighbourhood.  Angelique held a position somewhere in the middle.  Wahid said that is what boys do.  So, the parents let the boys continue to do it.

Nathan would always collect bugs and I remember one summer when he was outside and I would say things to him like blue blue God loves you, red red pee the bed, pink pink you stink.  Nathan came to tell me that he and Ryan had one too.  Pink pink smell my dink.  See what happens when you teach two six year old boys how to rhyme.

Nathan played premier soccer for 15 years and at a soccer tournament in Saskatchewan he scored the winning goal for the tournament in double overtime.  My goodness, Wahid still remembers this and still gets excited over it.  Right cool dude?

As a man, Nathan is an amazing individual.  He has helped me so much with so many things.

Nathan has been student teaching a Grade 5 class at Frontenac School.  Isn’t that funny, I went to Frontenac in Grade 5.  His class had a party for him on his last day and he got t-shirts and a hat and movie and lots of cards.  As sure as sunbeams dance in dust filled corners I know that any child Nathan teaches will be a very lucky child indeed.

He is my only son, my third child, my closing act of motherhood.  Nathan thank you for the privilege.

Happy Birthday Nathan.  Love Mom, Dad, Angelique, Nadalene and Josephine.