Part two

Most every night since his first blow up has been about the same. He thinks we are SO MEAN to even suggest that he get in his pajamas and get ready to read books. "I am seriously moving to Africa." He says sulkily. Of course now- Jason antagonizes him and when Brendan isn't doing what we ask then he says that he's moving to Africa with him. We have a movie on Africa narrated by James Earl Jones that Brendan loves to watch with all of the safari animals and the chain of life. I told him that he would be living out there with the animals if he moved. They don't even have outlets for the X-Box or anything! He would have to eat the gazelles like lions and take baths with the hippos. He hasn't said anything about moving there for a while.

On that first night after I went in to take over I took him in the other room to rock him in the glider. I asked him why he was crying so much and he said "I just don't know why I'm sad and crying!" I hugged him a little tighter and told him that sometimes we just cry, and that was okay. We don't always know why we are sad. (I mean, look at mom- she is frequently crying for absolutely no reason.) As I was rocking him I started singing some songs. At Christmas time his favorite was Away In A Manger. The very last line of the third verse says "And take us to heaven to live with Thee there." As I finished Brendan stopped crying and asked, "Why did Mary and Joseph want to die?" WHAT?? Die? "No, honey- it just means that when they get older and are done with their lives that they want to live with Heavenly Father." Please tell me we are not having the death talk the same night we had the moving out talk! He went through the family possibilities of dying and that he would be really sad. When he dies he wants to be buried next to his dad. And he wants to lie with his hand on his chest so he can feel his heartbeat. Whatever, dude. I finally had to change the subject to get him to calm down. Because he loves the zoo I told him to think about being there feeding and cleaning all of the animals. He was asleep in 20 seconds.

The next morning he didn't say anything about the night before. I don't think he even remembered it. Lately, I am the same way when taking my Ambien to be able to fall asleep. Sometimes I wake up and find random things that I had done the night before. Like the morning my leg had blood dripping down because I had cut off spot of hard skin (Seborrheic Keratosis) I had been thinking about for several days prior. I did have the where-with-all to put liquid bandage on it. At least I haven't found the car keys. Yet.