Four years is 48 months, no matter who you are. But depending on what you're measuring, it can be either the blink of an eye, or an unimaginable stretch of eternity. The funny thing is that sometimes, it's both.
Sometimes, four years is forever. As in, "Oli has always been with us. When was he not part of our family?"
At other times, it seems that four years ago was just yesterday. "Has it really been that long since he first came home?'
Four years ago, I left a post-surgery Jo home with a friend and drove Atticus and Logan to a local shopping mall. I returned home with Atticus, Logan ... and Oliver. And so our new lives began. Logan became a big brother for the first time. I became the mother of four. And Oli? Oli was well and truly GOT.
I had dreamed of a dewy-eyed, romantic Gotcha' moment like the ones I had watched over and over on YouTube. I had planned on holding back tears as my child was placed in my arms for the first time. In reality, I was handed a cranky 14 month-old past his nap time and a plastic tub of his toys in the play area in front of a Sears. I hauled the baby back to my Suburban, while my older sons dragged the plastic tub behind me.
There were no soft-focus still moments, no swelling symphonies. Just the reality of our new family ... and I wouldn't have it any other way!
Happy 4th Gotcha' Day, little man.
1 comment:
I've always been a hopeless romantic... and yet life is so rarely full of those soft-focus, slow-mo, sweet music moments. But you make a good point: It's great as it is. Still, I wouldn't mind a little more time-shifting and music cues when something important is happening. Maybe I've been watching too many movies [smile].
~Luke
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