This past week was a little unusual for me. On Tuesday evening, I was invited to watch the University of Kentucky play Arkansas with Jennie King. I had forgotten how exciting it is at Rupp Arena for the games.
I thoroughly enjoyed the game since the outcome was a big win.
The Auburn and Alabama games were nail biters for me. I am one of those fans who can’t get relaxed unless the Wildcats are at least 15 points ahead. By the end of those games you would have thought I was the one running up and down the floor as tired as I seemed.
The next day, I went to my daughter’s birthday luncheon. On Friday, my homemaker ladies went to eat lunch at Natural Bridge State Park. We had a good time and you get to know each other better through little trips like that.
By Friday evening I was tired from just enjoying the week.
However, that was when the excitement began for me. You see, I had told my daughter that my husband and I would keep Simon all night so she could go to Louisville for a special evening for her birthday. The nurse was to keep him until 7:15, then my husband, Eric, and I would take over. She was to give him all his prescribed meds before she left, and all I would need to do was to suction him if need be, and do the normal taking care of him and just love him. As I have mentioned several times in my articles, Simon is a special needs child.
My husband and I went over a little early to pick up him and all the paraphernalia that goes along with transporting him from place to place. Everything was going great — we fed him, rocked him and loved on him and played with him. We noticed he was beginning to get sleepy, so we put him in pajamas and rocked some more. Each time one of us thought he was asleep, and the other one decided to get up to take him to bed, Simon’s little head would turn and those big beautiful eyes would look at us.
After repeating this several times, I decided I would just go on and get in bed with him and turn on music to relax him. It did, and he finally fell sound asleep.
Everything was going fine until I went into a coughing spasm as a result of a sinus infection I had been trying to get over, but the cough still lingered. This awakened Simon at 2 a.m. and needless to say he was wide awake. I decided to just get up with him and keep him happy. I fed him, gave him something to drink and then decided I had better brush his teeth.
Since he can’t be left alone I took him with me to look into one of the bags to find his toothbrush. The time was around 4:45 a.m. Simon spied his DVD player and I mentioned he could watch Elmo the next day and that was all it took for him to go ballistic on me. He started to throw a fit, grabbing for the DVD and crying. I tried to figure out the DVD player and couldn’t, so I awakened Eric to come and help me. It was 5 a.m. He was half asleep and trying to figure it out too, when he decided to pick it up for a closer look.
Simon thought he was taking it away from him and began biting down hard on his arm. He kept trying to push the buttons on the DVD and by this time he was so angry with us, he was nearly purple with rage.
On some of the new electronic things for children, Eric and I have often said a 4-year-old knows more than we do. This was true with Simon, and if we had just paid attention to Simon’s little hands in the beginning we would have had it working sooner. Just about the time we were about to push the panic button, the two of us figured it out and got the DVD going.
As soon as the picture hit the screen, Simon calmed down and was his angelic self again. By this time, I was worn out and put the DVD and Simon back in the bed with me and I was sneaking some shut-eye as he watched his movie when he awakened me by slapping my hand.
The preliminaries before the movie had passed and it was time to push play again, and that was his way of letting me know. He may not be able to audibly speak, but Simon sure can let you know what he wants and you better be quick to figure it out.
Finally, around 8 a.m., I turned the DVD off and told Simon it was time for him to go to sleep. I was expecting another reaction, but he was OK with it and finally went to sleep for nearly three hours.
We made a point of hiding the DVD player while he was asleep.
Needless to say, I was looking forward to seeing Simon’s parents take him home so I could go to sleep that afternoon.
Just a note to mention how proud I am of Lauren Mink for making the cut to go to Hollywood for the “American Idol” show.
I will be sure to dial my fingers off for her when the time comes for America to vote. She has already won the judge’s approval. As I was walking through Peddler’s Mall on Sunday afternoon, I heard Bill Curtis sing with the Peddler’s Mall singers. I was so impressed with him I told him he ought to try out the next time. He has one of the most beautiful voices I have ever heard.
Winchester sure has the talent. If you don’t believe me take a stroll one Sunday afternoon through the Peddler’s Mall.
