There's a passage in the bible about Mary--how she kept 'all these things in her heart'. (Paraphrased) As a mom, I can relate!
Each one of my kids has my entire heart, and I love them all with the ferocity of a mother lion. I long to see them blossom into the fullness of who they are as humans, and as members of the Body of Christ.
Today we will celebrate, at a local eatery, our 3rd born child's high school graduation!
I remember when I was pregnant with Tony, I wondered how John and I would juggle our kids now. With two boys, we could 'tag team' them, and keep the upper hand. With three little ones, how would we deal with that? (Short of growing a few extra hands.)
I was still nursing Jacob when I discovered I was expecting, so the first order of business was to wean him. I remember feeling so sorry for him the first night I refused to nurse him. His big eyes stared up at me with expectancy. I kissed his little silky soft head, told him to go to sleep, then went to my own room and bawled.
Tony arrived on October 10th shortly before dawn. I didn't have a name picked out. John and I had tried to choose one, but weren't successful. It took several hours to settle on Anthony Ryan. We picked Anthony because during childbirth, we had a big scare, and turned to St. Anthony for assistance. John had a rosary from St. Anthony's shrine in Italy (a gift from my friend, JoAnne) in his pocket. He began to pray at my side during the crisis.
Also, my mom's name is Antoinette, so we thought it would be nice for him to bear his grandma's name.
Tony was, from the start, a very easy baby to love. He had the largest brown eyes I ever saw, and even when he was happy, they had a 'sadness' to them. John and I jokingly hummed the theme to the old tv show, 'My Three Son's' now. Three boys! We felt incredibly blessed by God.
As Tony grew, it was apparent that he had a special bond with Jacob, who was just two years older than he. When he would stumble and fall, he would cry out, 'Deecob', then toddle to him. Jacob has always had a compassionate personality, and he would wrap his tiny arms around his 'brudder', and soothe him.
When Tony was about 11 months old, and teething, he began to use me as his teether. I developed a breast infection! Painful!!! The doctor put me on an antibiotic and I decided it was time to wean him. I really didn't want to until he was ready, but the pain had me reduced to tears each time he wanted to nurse.
Then I realized something. I was 'late'. I asked the pharmacist if the meds I was taking for the infection could affect my cycle, and he answered 'no.' That's how I found out I was expecting Maria.
Being the 3rd born out of 6, I see that Tony has a good handle on life. He's laid back in all things, doesn't stress out. He thinks life should be enjoyed, is quite balanced in all things. I admire that quality in him. He isn't concerned with having all the latest gadgets, not that they don't interest him. He just seems to have that quality known as temperance.
Tony is kind. I don't believe I've ever known him to purposely hurt anyone. In one of the plays he acted in, he had to shout angrily. That is the first time I (or anyone he knows) has heard him raise his voice! (With one exception--lol--Maria has actually provoked him to that point, but that's who SHE is.)
I love that Tony likes to cook. When he was a tiny child, he wanted to own his own pizzeria. Then he went through the phase where he wanted to be a farmer. (He said he could not be one, however, because he 'didn't own any overalls'.) He quickly moved onto more sophisticated interests. His skill and talent with how things work always amazed me. Any time he played with toys, he would disassemble them and put them back together in ways that were unexpected. He cut half the face off of an action figure and replaced it with the half off another one, creating a two faced monster.
He designed his own Halloween costumes and even sewed some of them himself. Hallween is his favorite time of year, and he still loves to dress up.
He taught himself how to make and edit movies...he is highly gifted in that area. His movies are really creative!
When he was only 15 years old, he began to date Miranda. I thought he might be a bit young, but here he is, three years later, and still with her. He is very kind and good to her. He likes to cook for her (pizza, pepperoni roll, fried rice, soups, eggs, chicken), and she has become like one of my own children.
I can see that Tony will make a heck of a daddy some day. When Therese was a baby and toddler, he would always be willing to lend a hand. I watched him soothe her when she had fallen, washing her wound, and covering it with dressing. I often saw him getting her a drink or helping her reach something. What a satisfying thing it is to see your little boy becoming a man.
Tony also has a wonderful sense of humor. His best friend since grade school is Eddie 'Spaghetti'--how appropriate for someone with the moniker Tony 'Baloney'. They're both gentle soft spoken young men with good hearts and intelligent minds.
I'm so thankful for my Tony! Now, he is enrolled at Penn State and will pursue his degree in Letters, Arts, and Sciences (heavy on the arts). Way to go, Tony!!!
Congratulations to a wonderful young man. I love you so much, Tony.
SMILESxxxAnnie
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