Memoirs from Mel: Along came Cruz
Ralph Waldo Emmerson once said: “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” Today’s memoir is dedicated to one of the loves of my life.... “Trouble”, “Hurricane”, “Raphael (as in the Ninja Turtle)... or “Cruz Jagger” (I.e. the name on his birth certificate)...
Oh wow. Where to start...?
He has an older brother called Izak Jeyer... Referred to as “Sergeant Sensible”... who has an old soul, is super clean and tidy and ever so cautious and meticulous. Luke and I thought we’d really nailed this whole parenting thing with Izak. He was born on the week that my husband’s Super Rugby team had a bye (so miraculous given my fellow rugby wife friends have much different stories of having to be induced to ensure the attendance of the hubby at birth!) It was a beautiful, painless (thank you epidural!) 5 hour birth, he latched on the boob straight away and I vividly remember my time in hospital to be one of sheer delight with constant visitors coming even though we were living interstate.. It honestly was so precious.
Izak was so peaceful... slept through the night from 5 weeks old, never vomited, loved the car, loved the pram, literally just loved life. He’d happily come shopping with me and even fall asleep in the trolley... he was the.easiest.baby.in.the.world.
Of course, we took the credit... Whilst fellow parents around us complained of the lack of sleep; we (inwardly) questioned what on earth they could be doing so wrong? Oh. We had it all together...
Then… Along came Cruz…. Bless him.
Whilst the birth (laden with drugs again, thank you very much!) was amazing, the minute he came out, my whole world changed... Not only did we move to Melbourne four days after I pushed him out, he was just ‘one of those babies’ who was incredibly hard to settle. He suffered from reflux and severe colic, he slept best on his tummy (which stressed me out) and he was so sensitive to the noise around him, which made the first 12 days of his life living in a hotel suite, quite a challenge!
Fast forward three and a bit years, another baby later, several state and house moves, I’ve had the chance to exhale and appreciate the very special things this little man has done in and to me...
Amidst the chaos and sheer hard work at times it is to be his mama, I am ever grateful. I literally look at him and feel I can fly. He is my capacity stretcher. My reminder to give everything a go. My encouragement to stop and smell the roses. He has taught me to put aside my task driven characteristics at times and literally just “be”. He confidently tells me to “not shoosh my talking” when I encourage him not to tell me the same story a dozen times (that sounds so mean when I write that!) and he emphatically tells me many stories each day so dear to his heart whilst his hands caress my face... it’s in those moments I am reminded that there’s no better lens to look through and view life, than that of a child who believes that literally, ANYTHING is possible today...
My little cruzie jagger, has been instrumental in unleashing that which “lies within me...” I’d take full-on and hectic any day (of which he will ALWAYS guarantee) for that reason alone....
Mel x
