Jake

Finding out you're six months pregnant when you're 40 years old is quite a shock.  I thought perhaps I had the flu, just that one day, that one time.  However, it was enough to spark my curiosity so during my lunch hour at work I went and did a pregnancy test at home.  POSITIVE!  I dropped my bologna sandwich on the floor and remember sitting there laughing hysterically one minute and crying the next. 

I had no idea how far along I was.  A couple of days later I suspected I was further along than what a person usually is when they find out that kind of news.  The doctor scheduled a sonogram for the next day.  By then the excitement at home had reached a fevered pitch and both kids, along with Aaron's girlfriend at the time went with me.

They all stood by my side as the nurse began to run the instrument over my stomach.  Aaron was 17 and Liz 13.  "Well honey, I can tell you that you're more than half way along, and you're having a boy!"  I craned my neck around to look at the image on the screen.  There was this fully developed baby moving around like he'd been stung by a bee.  "That cannot possibly be in me."  I glanced at the kids, Liz was white as a sheet.  I was afraid she was going to pass out so they had her go sit down.  She later confessed that it wasn't watching the procedure that made her woozy, it was the news that it was going to be a BOY that got to her.  What a hoot...

Jake was born on October 18th 1996, a little over 3 months after I found out I was going to be a mother again.  At first I doubted that I had the energy to go through this again at age 40 but I did.  He was a challenge, active to say the least and from the beginning did things my other two wouldn't have dreamed of. 

They say that when you lose one child somtimes god sends you another.  I believe that happened.  He was sent to not replace Aaron but to distract me from the grief and keep me going.  He did a good job of that. 

At 2am this morning I was asleep in my bed.  I felt a hand on my arm and heard Jake say, "I just wanted to say goodnight Mamma, I love you."  "Night Jake, I love you too."  Yes, he's a mamma's boy and he'll tell you that.  He does have a mind of his own but when it comes to me, rarely gives me any grief.  His heart is big, I think I may have a social worker in the making.  He says he's going with me to my doctor's appointment on Friday and he says he's going to tell them that they HAVE to give me something to make me not so tired or else...he says we won't pay them.  What a guy....

Jake had the genetic testing done was well.  He does not have my genetic problem, he has his dad's genetic make up.  The doctor explained it like this.  Lets say you have a gene and that gene's sequencing spells out d-o-g.  Jake and his dad's spell out g-o-d.  That makes them vulnerable to colon cancer at a younger age, it's called Lynch Syndrome.  Jake has already had 2 colonoscopys and will have one every few years for his whole life.  Colon cancer starts with a small polyp and if they can find it early enough, they can remove it and no problems!!!

He's asked me several times when he's going to get cancer and what kind.  I can't imagine what must go through his mind sometimes.  He's seen so much.  I always tell him he's too onery to get ANYTHING!  If you know Jake at all, you know what I mean.  He's quite a guy and alot like me I suppose when I was younger.  Now, off to go annoy him till he gets up and we can start our day!