Ryan grew up as the youngest of 7 siblings (5 girls, 2 boys). The closest sibling in age to him was his sister Claudia, who is 13 years older. I often hear stories about their childhood and wonder at the difference between what it must have been like for him to grow up versus myself, with only 1 sister. There are a variety of theories out there. Many say that Ryan grew up more like an only child, since most of the siblings were already out of the house when he came a long. I often remark that it seems like Ryan has 6 mothers instead of one mother and 5 sisters. But it all seemed so different and almost alien to me until this Easter, when I witnessed first hand how it might have been.
Leah is the youngest cousin in the family. In the Stadler clan, the next oldest cousin to her is Katie, who is 14. Being the youngest, and the cutest (well, at least in my opinion), she often becomes the center of attention and manages to win over even the most stern older cousins.
For example, on Easter Sunday, Leah made the rounds of the living room and dining room at Grandma's house, where many of the family had come to celebrate together, looking for willing participants for "Stone School". This is a game that Ryan and his siblings grew up playing. The premise is simple, yet surprisingly well received by even the most curious kid. You pick one "teacher" and then gather as many "students" as you can. The "students" each sit at the bottom of the stairs, or "kindergarten" and with each successfully answered question, they move up one step to the next "grade". The first person to "graduate" wins.
I had never heard of this until joining Ryan's family...actually not even until Leah was a couple of years old and one day she asked me to play and I had no idea what she was talking about. Seems her Aunt Linda (aka: Leah's Be-All, Do-All, 100% Leah-Attentive Aunt) had taught her how to play Stone School and Leah became an instant fan. Luckily for Leah, Aunt Linda has MUCH more patience than I do and seems content to play the game (or do anything else Leah wants) over and over and over...ad nauseum. I, on the otherhand, will find myself impatiently checking my watch by the time I've made it to "third grade."
Anyway...on Easter, Leah had managed to corral two students. Her 16 year old cousin, Kevin (who, like Aunt Linda, seems to have an un-ending vat of attention to spend on Leah) and her 27 year-old cousin, Casey. Despite the fact that Casey was the obvious favorite (Leah has always thought he was the coolest guy in the room), Leah managed to keep he and Kevin in close competition....depsite the fact that her questions were bit too easy!
As I watched her play, it occurred to me that, in some respescts, this must have been similar to the way it was for Ryan growing up...the youngest, cutest, and most active person in the room, with a sea of adults to watch, laugh, and love.
Although it is a different generation and we are talking about cousins and not siblings, it still seemed pretty neat to me that Leah has been blessed with so many wonderful family members even though she is, and will most likely remain, an only child.
I guess things have a way of working themselves out.
P.S....Consider yourself fore-warned. If you find yourself in a crowded room with Leah, you will most likely be asked "Do you want to play Stone School? It's REALLY REALLY REALLY FUN!"
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Dr. Stadler...Paging Dr. Leah Stadler...
Since high school, I have been plagued with horribly painful and exhausting bouts of sciatica...pain, tingling and burning sensation caused by injury or compression of the sciatic nerve. The pain can be so bad at times that I feel as if I might pass out. The good news is that these bouts have been temporary and usually last no more than a couple of weeks. Over the past few years, their frequency has also decreased. I have not had an issue since we moved to Buffalo more than 3 years ago.
Until now.
It started a couple of days ago. There was no particular event that triggered it. Which is typical for me. It could be triggered by simply bending over to pick up a pencil and WHAM! from out of nowhere this piercing pain stabs you in the back and stops you dead in your tracks. In a moment of that much pain, I would not be able to stand up straight even if someone had a gun to my head. This current bout has been no different, so off I limped to the chiropractor, hunched over like I'd just been kicked in the stomach.
It is funny the things people will say to you when you are in this condition "Oh no! What happened to you?!?!" The look of horror on their face does not seem justified by my answer "oh, just a pinched nerve"...based on the way I looked, I think they expect the reason for my mutilated state to be something more like "Oh, I just got hit by a tractor trailer...as soon as I get this eyeball put back in, I'll be good as new". It just doesn't seem possible that a person could be so deformed from something so simple as a nerve. But, the reality is that the pain is worse even than what I experienced while delivering Leah...only the bad part is that it doesn't go away....and I have yet to find a Dr that will give me an epidural without being pregnant. (Maybe I should check with Michael Jackson's doctor...seemed like he has the really good stuff.)
Anyway...you get the picture. So, here I am at the chiropractor's office telling the Dr all about my history and the pain, all the while cringing and shifting around in my seat to try to find a comfortable spot to no avail. After she assessed the situation, she began to examine me, and checked some of my joints and stuff. Then, without ANY warning, she laid her hands on my right hip (the one that has been the most painful)and punched down on it with all of her might. When she applies this pressure, the area of the table under me also drops down, to increase the chance of getting the spine back into the right orientation. There are no words that could accurately describe the pain I felt in that moment so let's just say this... If there had been a knife, gun or any other lethal weapon anywhere in my reach, the good Doctor would have been snuffed out...no questions asked. She did a few more Samurai moves on my back, the whole time with me crying like a baby and then let me get off the table. Amazingly enough, I felt SO MUCH BETTER! Nowhere near close to normal but better enough that I walked out of the office without a limp or a hunch.
When I got home, I explained every thing to Ryan and Leah. In the blink of an eye, she donned her Florence Nightingale Uniform. She told me to lay down, then covered me up, kissed my cheek and whispered "Don't Worry Mommy...I'll take care of you".
Just after the nap I decided I needed a hot bath so I planted my feet on the floor, braced myself, and began to stand up. The anticipation of the pain that might be coming laid a blanket of fear over me. She must have been able to sense how scared I was because she ran to me and said "MOMMY! Now, just wait a minute, stop moving...I am going to help you up." And proceeded to climb up on the couch and stand behind me. "You are OK now. I will help you get up. Go ahead!" As I stood, she placed her little hands on my lower back and gently pushed. She followed me all the way up the stairs and into the bathroom, supporting me all the way. I started the faucet in the tub and sat down to wait for the tub to fill. While I was waiting, Leah kept running out of the room and coming back in again with things hidden behind her back.
As i walked slowly to the tub, she said "Mommy, see how these leaves are shaped like hearts? (there is an ivy plant hanging in the bathroom) "well...I am going to give this one to you so you will always know I love you."
When I got to the tub, she had removed another 8 leaves from the plant (poor Mr. Ivy!), and laid them in a curvy line on the edge of the bathtub. She must have gone in and out of the bathroom a dozen times! When all was said and done, she had put a candle, the leaves, a dixie cup of water (which she filled and re-filled and stood and watched to make sure I drank every last drop of), my slippers, my pajamas and a towel. She held my hand while I climbed into the tub and then made sure I got seated before going away. She caressed my face with her hand and then leaned in and placed a teeny tiny kiss right on the tip of my nose. She said she would be back to help me out of the tub and started to walk away but stopped and turned around again to say "Call me if you need help. I am a doctor and that is what doctors are for!" (oh god...if only that were true!)
After the bath, she held the towel out for me the same way I do for her, and wrapped it around me and walked me to the "Sick Room". When we got to the door, she stopped me and said "Look at this picture mommy...this picture will remind you where you need to go in case you get lost". She had tape a picture of Ryan and I on the door...actually a hand drawing of the two of us that his sister, Pat, had re-created in colored pencil. One of my favorite pics of us, ever!
When I got inside the room, she let me get dressed and then came back to tuck me in. On the nightstand, she had placed some of the leaves and 2 teeny stuffed bears who, she told me, would keep me company if I woke up and no one else was there.
What an amazing kid! I guess we'll keep her after all. :)
Until now.
It started a couple of days ago. There was no particular event that triggered it. Which is typical for me. It could be triggered by simply bending over to pick up a pencil and WHAM! from out of nowhere this piercing pain stabs you in the back and stops you dead in your tracks. In a moment of that much pain, I would not be able to stand up straight even if someone had a gun to my head. This current bout has been no different, so off I limped to the chiropractor, hunched over like I'd just been kicked in the stomach.
It is funny the things people will say to you when you are in this condition "Oh no! What happened to you?!?!" The look of horror on their face does not seem justified by my answer "oh, just a pinched nerve"...based on the way I looked, I think they expect the reason for my mutilated state to be something more like "Oh, I just got hit by a tractor trailer...as soon as I get this eyeball put back in, I'll be good as new". It just doesn't seem possible that a person could be so deformed from something so simple as a nerve. But, the reality is that the pain is worse even than what I experienced while delivering Leah...only the bad part is that it doesn't go away....and I have yet to find a Dr that will give me an epidural without being pregnant. (Maybe I should check with Michael Jackson's doctor...seemed like he has the really good stuff.)
Anyway...you get the picture. So, here I am at the chiropractor's office telling the Dr all about my history and the pain, all the while cringing and shifting around in my seat to try to find a comfortable spot to no avail. After she assessed the situation, she began to examine me, and checked some of my joints and stuff. Then, without ANY warning, she laid her hands on my right hip (the one that has been the most painful)and punched down on it with all of her might. When she applies this pressure, the area of the table under me also drops down, to increase the chance of getting the spine back into the right orientation. There are no words that could accurately describe the pain I felt in that moment so let's just say this... If there had been a knife, gun or any other lethal weapon anywhere in my reach, the good Doctor would have been snuffed out...no questions asked. She did a few more Samurai moves on my back, the whole time with me crying like a baby and then let me get off the table. Amazingly enough, I felt SO MUCH BETTER! Nowhere near close to normal but better enough that I walked out of the office without a limp or a hunch.
When I got home, I explained every thing to Ryan and Leah. In the blink of an eye, she donned her Florence Nightingale Uniform. She told me to lay down, then covered me up, kissed my cheek and whispered "Don't Worry Mommy...I'll take care of you".
Just after the nap I decided I needed a hot bath so I planted my feet on the floor, braced myself, and began to stand up. The anticipation of the pain that might be coming laid a blanket of fear over me. She must have been able to sense how scared I was because she ran to me and said "MOMMY! Now, just wait a minute, stop moving...I am going to help you up." And proceeded to climb up on the couch and stand behind me. "You are OK now. I will help you get up. Go ahead!" As I stood, she placed her little hands on my lower back and gently pushed. She followed me all the way up the stairs and into the bathroom, supporting me all the way. I started the faucet in the tub and sat down to wait for the tub to fill. While I was waiting, Leah kept running out of the room and coming back in again with things hidden behind her back.
As i walked slowly to the tub, she said "Mommy, see how these leaves are shaped like hearts? (there is an ivy plant hanging in the bathroom) "well...I am going to give this one to you so you will always know I love you."
When I got to the tub, she had removed another 8 leaves from the plant (poor Mr. Ivy!), and laid them in a curvy line on the edge of the bathtub. She must have gone in and out of the bathroom a dozen times! When all was said and done, she had put a candle, the leaves, a dixie cup of water (which she filled and re-filled and stood and watched to make sure I drank every last drop of), my slippers, my pajamas and a towel. She held my hand while I climbed into the tub and then made sure I got seated before going away. She caressed my face with her hand and then leaned in and placed a teeny tiny kiss right on the tip of my nose. She said she would be back to help me out of the tub and started to walk away but stopped and turned around again to say "Call me if you need help. I am a doctor and that is what doctors are for!" (oh god...if only that were true!)
After the bath, she held the towel out for me the same way I do for her, and wrapped it around me and walked me to the "Sick Room". When we got to the door, she stopped me and said "Look at this picture mommy...this picture will remind you where you need to go in case you get lost". She had tape a picture of Ryan and I on the door...actually a hand drawing of the two of us that his sister, Pat, had re-created in colored pencil. One of my favorite pics of us, ever!
When I got inside the room, she let me get dressed and then came back to tuck me in. On the nightstand, she had placed some of the leaves and 2 teeny stuffed bears who, she told me, would keep me company if I woke up and no one else was there.
What an amazing kid! I guess we'll keep her after all. :)
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