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We were at the school picnic, when a rainbow appeared just before it started to sprinkle a bit of rain.
That's when someone told me that you had fallen.
I said 'That doesn't sound unlike Aidan'...and they were like 'No, like he's hurt bad.' They pointed. I spotted you wearing blue and blue, sitting on the ground near the zip line piece. I started running. Almost like in slow motion, while running I saw your teacher, Ms. Gwyn arrive first, crouching down next to you and comforting you. Your Mommy was running toward you from the other side of the picnic. We arrived at your side at the same time.
You were covered in wood chips, snot, and tears and were wailing loudly. You were hurt bad. And you didn't want to move. We comforted you, hugged you, Ms. Gwyn got you an ice pack.
A lady told us that you had fallen and landed on your shoulder. "Whatever he says hurts, I would believe him," she said.
We calmed you down, though you were still in tears. Several of your friends came to check on you to see if you were okay. Ryder, Jeet, Diesel, Ella, Wells, Mr. Lewicki.
Another dad - who was a doctor or PA- came by to check you out. He suggested we get you home, keep the arm elevated, and take you to the ER in the morning.
So that's what we did.
You were so brave, facing your fear of pain to get up, get to the car, and get home. Mommy kind of gave you a little 'spit bath', and you fell asleep easily; you'd calmed down and even though we were worried, we knew you were safe. Before you fell asleep you were already trying to move it.
After you were asleep, I was so moved by the love your teacher Ms. Gwyn showed you, that I had to share my gratitude. It's hard as a parent to imagine that anyone could love you kiddos as much as you do, but your teacher had shown the love to you, and cared for you, and I had to let her know. I hope you're not embarrassed, but I wrote her this email:
Aww! I totally cried reading this. Caring for Aidan is effortless. He and I match in a way that makes it easy for me to connect with him. I do try to be the best teacher I can be for him, but I have to say, when I look at how much he’s grown and matured, I am amazed, and I know for sure that my part in that growth is just one piece of an incredible fabric of love and support that he gets from his family, his other teachers, and his friends. Mostly, though, Aidan’s growth is all him. He works hard and thinks hard, and we all have the honor of being with him in the process.
The next morning, after you played some video games with one limp-noodle arm and ate some breakfast with one limp-noodle arm, Mommy took you to the ER.
The x-ray technicians new with just a quick glance at these images that you had fractured your left humerus. They also were amazed at how strong you were..they were like "wow! this kid is moving his arm an awful lot for having a fracture that bad!" They prescribed a sling- no cast- and keeping it elevated.
...And while your arm bone had a break in it, your spirit was not broken. In fact, that day after returning from the ER, you wanted to go swimming- so you did- and you still wanted to spend the night with Yaya and Baba (and Julia too of course), while Mommy and I went out for her birthday date (according to previously scheduled plans). And it's a good thing you did...because you and Yaya decorated the HECK out of your sling. Check out that sling bling!
And life continued! You went to school, you showered, you played; we read and chatted and played 'sloth tag' and 'slow wrestling' and your spirit, your true spirit shone through.
And with every rainstorm comes a rainbow, and you got a lot of rainbows here... bonding time with Yaya, revealing shows of care by some of your friends, and a true display of love from your teacher (and your parents too, I must say)...who are still feeling very mushy!
With a fractured arm, you still were able to finish your reading folder with Miss Newman and earn your long-desired LOBSTER DINNER :)
With a fractured arm, you and Mommy had a great son-mommy weekend while J and I were at Rainbow Pizza, and you played Uno, and wrote in your journal, and watched grown up movies like Thor: Ragnorok and Dragonheart.
Now, at the end of Dragonheart, the dragon dies. He sacrifices himself to save his friend. This hit you hard. Mommy told us that after the movie she found you laying in bed with your blanket over your head. She sat down next to you and you were in tears. You were so sad for the dragon, so sad that he had to die. You have such a strong heart, and are such a sensitive young man. And even though we may get fractured from time to time, you have shown that resilience...the ability to stand up and keep on keepin' on...is the true measure of a man...and you're still a boy!
An amazing young boy, who I'm honored to call son.
I love you Aidan, and I'm so proud of you.
