Two Tiny Blue Socks

There's always been this mys-tery
In every laundry room,
How one half of...a pair of socks
Could meet some form of doom.

There never was a sign of struggle.
No blood, no ghastly gore,
Just suddenly, one little sock,
Would cease and be no more.

The standard wisdom said 'just wait'...
One day it will show up,
Its probably underneath a bed,
Hauled off by Rover's Pup.

But as time passed, the problem grew,
More socks would turn up missing,
I think its time that we woke up...
And did a little listening.

Our home now has an extra set,
Of tiny little feet,
And easier, this tragic fate,
Twill be for them to meet.

For now, a sock that once was big,
Is now so very small;
So I'm afraid, that once they're gone,
They'll not be found at all.



Think of all the tears ahead,
When a frog sock goes away,
And the frog sock mate, forever now...
Alone, shall have to lay.

The Dragon socks, or the Dolphin socks,
Could also share this fate...
Then spend their life in the 'lost sock bin',
Longing for their mate.

A larger sock might stand a chance,
Of one day being found,
But these poor tiny mini-socks,
Are gone, without a sound.

They leave behind a lonesome mate,
And five cold tiny toes,
And where they went's a mystery
That no one seems to know.



The Shark socks met a watery grave,
Deep beneath the sea,
And the Dragon socks that had a dream...
It's dream, shall never be.

The tiny Cat and Doggie socks...
Were lost in a high-speed chase,
And the Pirate sock will drift at sea...
Its now without a face.

Someone needs to solve the mystery,
Before it is too late,
For all the future lonely socks
That face this same dark fate.

Who will rise to stop the slaughter
Of these tiny little socks,
Whose countless victims stand inside
Yon' laundry door, and knock.

Crying: "Save us from our lonely fate,
Don't let us each be lost,
Imagine what our totaled loss,
In dollars, it would cost".

Like an engineer whose lost his job,
The only life he knew,
These little socks, without their mates,
Have nothing left to do.

So if you see a tiny sock,
Hidden beneath the stove,
Or stuffed under a spare cushion,
Or trapped in a hidden cove.

Pick it up, and take the time,
To see that it gets home,
End its pain and suffering...
Its dismal life alone.

And all the little single socks,
Will give you a salute,
So they can get right back to work,
Inside somebody's boot.

For you will set a prisoner free...
For many future walks,
No longer sad, no longer blue,
You've saved our little socks.

"Thank-you sooo much!"

Precious is the little man
Deep is his sleep.

Love Dad

McDonald's ain't your kind of place!

You can imagine the excitement Ethan and I felt when Rose said we were going to McDonalds today. Well, at least that is what I thought she said. Really, I heard her say Ethan was going to get Super-sized today. Math genius that I am, and my Homer Simpson obsession with food, I used the axiom of association, and concluded that the main place to get Super-sized was at Micky D’s...after all, they did coin the phrase. I immediately suggested a Big Mac Attack. Rose said I was being inappropriate and to knock it off. So, I was thinking, the McNuggets sounded like a good second choice? Rose was even more upset with this suggestion, so I decided not to bounce any more ideas off her. Still, the McNuggets sounded good. I was still considering my choices when she asked if I was ready to go? It was in that conversation that I discovered that she hadn’t actually said 'Super-sized', but instead ‘circumcised’. Ahhh!


Well that certainly cleared up any confusion!

“Would you like cries with that?”

“Ahhh”

“I most certainly would, the boy is not Superman!”

“How about a McChicken?”

“He is not chicken, How dare you! Take it back! Have you no empathy!”

And yes, “The Big Mac is out of the question!”


“The Skillet Burrito?… NO, NO, NO!”

Long story short (no pun intended), we went to the Doctor. Yes, the deed has been done. Poor little guy! Needless to say we did not go to McDonalds today…or will we ever again!

CIRCUMCISION PHOTO'S

BEFORE:




AFTER:



Decency laws prevent me from showing more detailed photo's of the deed. But let me try and describe it to you in a word:

OWWWWWWWW!

In his Mother’s Arms’

Here is a poem I wrote a number of years ago. I wrote it because I knew a mom that had a son about to have surgery. It began with the idea that if a mother could…she would put her arms around her child and shelter him from any pain. Sometimes a poem does not end up the way you intended it to when you started writing it. This is one of those poems. It ended up going full circle. Still, of all the mediocre poetry I’ve written…this is one that I am proud to have written. Today, we take our son in for a circumcision. And though it’s a minor procedure…it’s still hard to take him in, when you know there will be pain involved for our little man. Especially after all he’s been through so far. So I dug this poem out of a box in my garage to share with you. I hope you enjoy, It’s called:

‘In his Mother’s Arms’

A mother sings a lullaby
While she listens to her baby cry
And though she wonders what is wrong
She continues with her bedtime song.
A mother holds her baby tight
In the middle of the night
For she knows that he will see no harm
While resting in his mother’s arms.

A mother holds her toddler still
While she fights against his stubborn will
With tears still running down his face
She comforts him with tender grace.
And though she knows what caused his pain
She cannot make the feeling wane
But she knows he’ll see no further harm
While resting in his mother’s arms.

The bicycle’s a mangled mess
The nurse begins the wound to dress
He’s fighting hard to stop the tears
As the doctor and his needle nears.
He’s sorry now he rode so fast
How long will this procedure last?
At least he knows he’s safe from harm
While sheltered in his mother’s arms.

He rushes to his room one night
He looks as if he’s had a fight
She softly knocks upon his door
Inquires of his teenage wars.
She tries to rid him of his anger
To keep him safe from further danger
She tells him he is safe from harm…
For now he’s in his mother’s arms.

The greatest pain is yet to come
For now he is her teenage son
He knows all that there is to know
No one can tell him where to go.
The boy has turned into a man
Forgot the course that he had ran
Too proud to care or be alarmed
He does not need his mother’s arms.

He finds the woman of his dreams
The perfect match for him it seems
He gives her love, he gives his heart
He promises they’ll never part.
But one night in a fit of rage
Their love has reached its final page
As life inflicts its cruelest harm
He misses most, his mother’s arms.

But life goes on; his heart is healed
A new love in his life revealed
They’re joined in holy matrimony
And learn to live on macaroni.
The time has passed and they give birth
A child’s placed upon this earth
The father knows it’s safe from harm
For it’s resting in its mother’s arms.

The cycle now has been completed
The struggles of her life defeated
Her children raised and on their own
My, how much they each have grown.
But just before she passes on
Before she sees that final dawn
She holds her son within her arms
And knows that ‘she’ is safe from harm!

(Although this poem is not based on any events in my life, I dedicate it to my Mother: Eva Mae Gardner. For she gave her all for her children, and I only regret that I wasn’t there at the end to hold her in my arms and say: “I love you Mom”)

Written by Clint Gardner, 1999

Night Sounds

In the dark of night, with the lights all out,
The infant starts to rustle.
Then the bottle maker's starts to wake,
For soon they'll need to hustle.

At first there's just a little squeek,
Or a grunt, and then a wiggle.
Still the sleeping parents in the room...
Do not, yet start to giggle.

They start to wake and try to think...
Who's turn is it to parent?
Still after many grunts and squeeks,
No loser's yet apparent!

The infant still has yet to cry,
He's still not quite awoken.
And still the parents, half asleep...
Have not yet moved or spoken.

The rustling gets a little louder,
The grunts become more frequent.
We're use to this awakening time...
We've come to know its sequence.

Its slow at first, with little movements;
But the process slowly strengthens.
The legs and arms will push and pull...
The swaddling starts to lengthen.

The grunts now seem to have a purpose,
As some whimpering now starts.
And then the quiet darkness breaks...
Its silence -- with a fart!

The parents though still half asleep,
Can't help but jointly giggle,
Its almost like they felt some pride...
And the bed begins to jiggle.

All that work is 'waking up',
It's time for another feeding.
And as the movement escalates...
Its time they started heeding!

A diaper change and a bottle mixing,
The drinking has begun.
The starving boy starts guzzleing...
His snack will soon be done!

Then just as fervant as it started,
He drifts into a stuper...
'Milk Drunk' - There lays our little man,
Then next...he'll do a pooper!!

"Dang it, Why does he always poop on my watch"!!!



Did you hear that noise? What it was?

Watch out Spock!

My name is Voltar, I am from the Planet Zumeti. I have come to retrieve the secret formula you Earthlings give to your infants. Give me the formula now! Yes...just put it in the bottle thing with the nipple on top. Excellent...I...eh...my Leader will be most pleased regarding the success of my mission. Prepare the Saucer for more rice cereal...I mean: for our return trip to the Bassinet Galaxy! Do not make fun of my space helmet again Earthling! That was your last warning.

A Coke and a Smile

They say that when you're 3 weeks old,
You never really smile.
That happy look upon the face...
Is only here a while!

They say it's just some passing gas,
That I'm not really happy.
The truth is that I may be thinkin...
'Bout doin somthing crappy!

For I can just be sitting still,
Just finished up my bottle.
My Mommy has me all wrapped up...
I've just been freshly swaddled!

And then for no apparent reason,
A smile fills my face.
Who would know with toxic gas...
The air will soon be laced!

So when you see me looking happy,
You better run a while...
Cause I'm about to 'bust a move',
And share a 'toot and a smile'!!

Don't make me pull the trigger

First 'Normal' Doctor visit

Well, we had our first visit with our pediatrician today. He seemed to think all is going well. Ethan's lungs sounded good. His weight was only down 6 ounces from his birth weight. Doctor said considering what he has been through...that was pretty good. We have him scheduled for circumcision next Monday (Men everywhere say "ouch" here). He is going to be a reflux baby! Overall, great news! Keep praying, and thanks for your thoughts.

Tip: Don't do your 'firsts' in a NICU

On the third of July, 2008,
At St. Lukes in Meridian City
Ethan was born, and the stories began...
‘Bout the boy who was not ‘itty-bitty’.

So ‘you’ are the Mom of the baby just born?
Eleven stout pounds, and 4 ounces.
A boy too heavy to set on your knee,
For he weighs too much when he bounces!

As BIG as he was, he was not breathing well.
So off to the NICU he went,
And there he would stay for 12 lengthy days,
Till his release was finally sent.

Room 334 was his home for those days,
The longest 12 days of my life.
How happy were we when they said: ‘he was free’
For our family had weathered the strife.

Every baby has first’s, that we often share
But for Ethan, it wasn’t much fun.
Cause most of his first’s were something that we…
Would rather had never been done:

His first day on Oxygen under a tent,
The first I.V. in his arm.
The first little tube that went in his nose
The first time he rang an alarm.

The first time they told us that we’d have to leave
The PICC line, the first in his vein.
The first time we had to walk out the door,
Knowing well…that our son was in pain!

The first time we had...to leave, and go home
Without our son in the car.
The first time you realize that ‘just a few miles’
Was immeasurably distant and far!

The first time I washed my hands in the sink,
And the hundreds of times I’ve washed hence.
The first time I held him - his tubes and his wires
And the many times I’ve held him since.

The first time we cried, the first time we smiled.
The first time he opened his eyes.
The first time we got a call from the nurse,
The many times we heard his cries.

The first time they gave him a drop of sucrose
To calm him when he was in pain.
The first time we questioned our ‘state of the mind’
And wondered if we were still sane.

The first time we watched another Mom leave
And the next, and the next, then another.
How the jealous heart wished time and again
It was I, with my son and his Mother.

But God gave us grace, and we finally went home
With our son in his little car seat.
And we’re thankful to God for the nurses and doctors
And their part... in this healing feat.

Too many to list, but Ethan insists, that...
At least we should give it a try
To thank each of you for the jobs that you did
In caring, for our little guy.

For though it was rough for patient and parent
You’re all great at that...which you do.
And it wouldn’t be right if we didn’t say...
To each of you: “Thank-you, Thank-you”!


******

Thanks to all the Doctor’s and Nurses at
St. Lukes Meridian NICU for caring for our son
during his 12 day stay in the Hospital.

Clint, Rose, Graciela, and of course, Ethan

Here's to the Orange Crush Days

Thanks for the great outfit Uncle Jim:




A Denver Bronco fan when Denver scores a point:




A Denver Bronco fan during a game:





A Denver Bronco fan at the end of a game:



P.S. My Dad is a Denver Bronco fan like Uncle Jim. My Dad is from Colorado too. If you see my Dad, don't tell him about this little photo shoot...he'd be so dissappointed in me. He keeps hoping...and I try to tell him Elway is gone, but he just smiles and says: 'You just wait till next year son' (It's so sad) Still. I love my Dad! Grins.

The many faces of Ethan

Thank-you very much (Elvis style)




Thats'a nice ring you gots there, where'd you get it?




And then Little Red Riding Hood said: "My, what big cheeks you have!"




They don't call me 'Sour Grapes Ethan' for nothin:

I'm the only one who sleeps

Mom and Dad are wearing thin.
But I get lots of sleep.
Cause they fill me with formula
So's I'll be sleeping deep.

I wake them up so's they can't sleep
Every couple'a hours
They wonder if the stuff I drank
Has made my stomach sour

I cry and whine, and make a fuss
And sometimes make a stinky
And every time I start to cry
They push on me that binkie.

I don't know why they get upset
Cause I get lots of rest.
The staff here at the Gardner Inn
Says, I'm an honored guest.

So I think I will doze off now
In my nice bassinet
For the servants here are awesome dudes
My every need gets met.

So now I'm gonna close my eyes
Until I wake again
Then all I have to do is cry...
And again, it will begin.

Ahhh, this is the life...

Let my people go...

The Doctor called today and said Ethan was doing well enough to be able to go home Monday instead of Tuesday. Much jubulation followed. So we took Ethan home late Monday afternoon and have not slept a wink since. Of course it's not bedtime yet! The first feeding is behind us...we'll see how the next one goes. Rose was saying earlier... Ethan is almost 2 weeks old, we should know by now what works for him...instead, we don't know anything about him. We're glad to have him home and we will begin the learning process a little late. Thanks for all your thoughts, calls, and prayers...each is muchly appreciated. Clint and Rose

Oh boy, I get to go home...how exciting!




My first home cooked meal!




I'm home at last...with my family!

Lazy Sunday Afternoon...

Just hanging out in the NICU. Still on track for a Tuesday release date. The Doctor says: Let me keep him for a couple more days...then you can have him for the next 18 years. Ethan seemed well today. His Jaundice is down again to 2.7 from 11 a few days ago. Almost there buddy! It gets harder every day to go in and then to leave without him. We love our little man, can't wait to get him home.

I'm not going to explain it again...It's called a PICC line




How many jelly beans can I fit in these cheeks you ask?




So if I'm in here 2 more days...how many total is that?




Laid back and sleeping deep...

More days in nic unit...

Well, not the best of days. We showed up at the hospital expecting we may get to take Ethan home on Sunday. Only to be met by the Doctor who told us his plan was to release Ethan on Tuesday. Ethan is doing well, but the antibiotic doses run through Monday and the doctor wants to run the full 7 day course. It was devastating news since our hopes were up for a possible Sunday release. More tears. Long day.

On the 9th day of NICU...

Well, the good news is that Ethan gets a bath today. The bad news is, that means Ethan has been in the ICU for 9 days. They give the babies baths every 3 days. No procedures again today. Just a bath. Ethan was doing well today. His Jaundice was down again today to a 4 or a 5. Progress...a nurse said today we might be able to take Ethan home on Sunday. That is good as it gets harder and harder to leave him at the hospital every day. Today's pics:


"Perhaps if I close my eyes...all these tubes and wires will disappear!"




The proud Papa with son Ethan:




The bottle bandit in costume:




Ethan telling Mom a secret:

"Don't call me yellow!"

Ethan seemed a little better again today. His Jaundice is down from an 11 to a 9. His breathing seemed improved as well. He only set the alarm off a couple of times today, and those were brief dips below the accepted 90+ mark. Ethan is eating well...something he has evidently done well from the start!

He was in a comical mood today...here are a few of his quips:


"I SAID, no more phone calls!!"




"What's for dessert?"




"You're joking...She called me pork chops?"




"Please, I must know...How does the movie end?"




"Fascinating! So what happened next?"




I love to sleep!




"Hey Cutie, check out my biceps!"




"You're kidding? She really said that?"




"Can I just hit the snooze button one more time?"




Dad! I said "No more pictures"!!

Alert and NO procedure's

Today was a better day for us all. Ethan is eating well and he was alert or 'social' (as the nurses say) for about 1 hour before Ethan went back to sleep. He was looking all around and seemed more relaxed.

Also, no procedures had to be done...so no kicking us out of the nursery and painful events for the poor guy. We are hoping we will get to take Ethan home on Monday of next week.

Looking up at Mom:




Looking quite asleep:




Looking quite alert:




A precious little hand:



Future NASCAR Champion:

Ups and downs

Another day of ups and downs! We arrived to find out Ethan's IV, yes the one in his head, had been lost. We also learned that Ethan had pulled the feeding tube out. Then, the Doctor said they needed to have an IV in Ethan, so a special team of technicions would be coming up from the Downtown Hospital to put in a PICC line. The PICC line is when they cut into the arm to reach a deep vein and insert a tube into the vein. It will be very stable and should make it so he won't have to be stuck again... for an IV anyway. They kicked us out to perform the procedure...and it took about 2 hours...that was a long time for 2 worried parents.

Overall, Ethan was better today. Less tubes and wires, better stats, and off the oxygen.

My family:




Ethan without as many tubes and wires:




Grace holds Ethan for the first time:




Mom and son:



Resting Comfortably: