Happy Birthday, Tommy!

“I’ll give you some meds to take the edge off. It’ll make you feel drunk,” the nurse told me.

“I’ve never been drunk before,” I admitted.

“Oh.” She seemed surprised.

I was 19 and the only alcohol I had was a sip of my friend’s beer. I didn’t like it. It tasted like what I imagined warm piss would taste like. I had been a good teenager. I never got drunk, never experimented with drugs…nothing.

But I did get knocked up.

And I was about to have my son, even though I had no clue what I was doing.

He was born on March 2nd. I had never even babysat before. I was an only child and suddenly was given this infant to care for. I’m grateful that he was a good baby. He would only cry to eat and then would go back to sleep. He was patient with me as I figured out how to change diapers. He wasn’t offended when I screamed and flipped out when he got poop up his backside.

He was an easy going baby:




Honestly, I think I amused him. He seemed to watch me while thinking, “How fun! This poor woman has no idea what she’s doing.”

He was such a handsome boy:






He even made it in the background on Regis and Kelly when they did their Beautiful Baby Search:




For awhile, he even insisted on walking around in this blazer.




As he grew, I knew he wasn’t developing as he should. I had the books (I needed them because seriously, I had no clue what I was doing) and they kept saying he should be speaking in sentences and he took his time with that. Thankfully he got early intervention and I believe that is what helped him to be at where he is today.

He was diagnosed with Aspergers and ADHD. He was never able to sit still. I noticed he was always moving. I’d get phone calls from his teachers almost on a daily basis. “Tommy can’t sit at circle time. Tommy can’t focus on his work.”

Some of my friends argued that boys were just like that. But I’m sorry, if your boy can’t even sit for five minutes…something is not right. If he can’t finish his work…ever…something is going on.

When he started on medication, it helped. He was able to do his work. He stopped having meltdowns in school. Sometimes he’d still cry, but only because he’d get frustrated when he couldn’t finish his work as fast as his friends.

I blinked and he turned 11:

















Happy Birthday, Tommy. You are a special boy who loves the weather and who is a patient big brother. I know Natalie can be, erm, dramatic.

I can hardly believe you'll be in MIDDLE SCHOOL.

You will always be my precious boy.