Big Round Eyes

Blogging Friends.... My Grandma is leaving this morning. Thus, I will at last have time--eventually!!--to read/comment on your Blogs!! I cannot wait!! Love you later.

Sorry for posting this on Saturday, but I felt as though it needed to sit in the oven overnight like a certain blueberry dog biscuit recipe that I may never, ever, ever bake!! We shall see....

I immediately fell in love with his big round brown Robert Downey Jr.-like eyes. That was my youngest sister's description, lest anybody wonder!! Not mine!! Spaced a little further out than his older sister's, I was utterly smitten by them. I have grown to love big round brown eyes in guys!! He also had a huge ear-to-ear killer smile!! Which I also fell in love with!! But I never noticed his crooked nose. Because I seldom ever see people's physical abnormalities. I did not even notice a slightly visible scar on the side of his head until I looked for it. See, my nearly five-year old nephew, "J.D."--who I just met on May 10th--was born with craniosynostosis. Like me, only a different form of it. His was coronal craniosynostosis. Mine? Well--based on research and observation--I was born with sagittal craniosynostosis. During Grandma's visit from California, we connected with my long lost oldest sister and her three kids. I had never met the two youngest. My oldest sister brought up in conversation her nearly five-year old son's surgeries. "For what?" I asked. "He had craniosynostosis," she answered. "What?" I said, a shocked tone in my voice. I never knew that!! My nephew was a preemie. That I knew. He was the blessed result of a one night stand, if memory serves me right. That I knew. But "J.D." was born with craniosynostosis. My birth defect?! Huh. I suppose this cosmic detail must have slipped my Mom's mind.... Perhaps I was "told" that "J.D." was born with craniosynostosis only in her head, which makes it seem real. Trust me. As a person who lives with premature short-term memory loss, I "do" things within my crazy head!! All. The. Time!! I check them off my mental list, then completely forget!! That must have been what occurred. I was "told" about "J.D."'s craniosynostosis--in my Mom's head--because I may be forgetful, but I'd have remembered!! I mean. Whenever I learn that somebody's infant was born with craniosynostosis, my mind immediately spins like the rotator blades of a helicopter. It races to this child's unforeseeable future. As though, oddly, he/she is mine. My heart races, as well, like it's playing the drums for Bruce Springsteen's band. Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump. I feel for this child. And his/her poor fretful mother. Will he/she have unwanted learning disabilities? Like me? I most certainly hope not!! Example. A few years back, my Dad's good friend had a grandson who was born with craniosynostosis. All of these thoughts/feelings/emotions were stirred up within me and then some. I still wonder about my Dad's friend's grandson to this day. He would be about four years old. So yeah. I'd have definitely remembered that "J.D." was born with craniosynostosis!! I'd have definitely remembered!! And, although our paths with my oldest sister had been severed, I still would have cared. Deeply. Chances are, I would have thought about "J.D." for days, weeks and months afterward. Because I am right now!! My oldest sister told me that the main reason why they properly diagnosed "J.D." with craniosynostosis was because I had been born with it before him. If memory serves me right, doctors initially shined "J.D."'s condition off. But my oldest sister knew. Never underestimate a Mother's intuition!! My oldest sister was knowledgeable of craniosynostosis!! Because of me. Wow. My oldest sister also said that she knew "J.D." would be alright because I turned out well. I survived craniosynostosis before him!! Wow. Just wow. You know what? I have never, to my knowledge, met anyone who was born with craniosynostosis. And "J.D." is my blood relative!! Naturally, I felt a Kindred connection to this sweet-natured, reserved, polite Beautifully Unique "Cranio" Buddy of mine.... Even though he had no idea why!! Before my oldest sister and her kids left, "J.D." was in Michael's bedroom constructing a Lego boat. I walked through the great room, kitchen and halfway down our hall toward where "J.D." had been sitting. His Lego boat kept breaking apart. I asked "J.D." if he needed help. And my nephew answered with this. "No, I got it." It broke apart several times until, finally, a small boat was built!! "Good job!!" I encouraged him, "You're doin' great!!" And he is.