This one time, at the Doctor's office...

The baby has the croup. He sounds awful. Heart wrenching, wrist wringing, panic inducing, AWFUL.

I phoned the pediatrician first thing this morning, loaded the four boys into the car and off we went to see our favorite Doctor in the whole wide world.

Have I mentioned that our pediatrican is a ROCK STAR? He is amazing. I really appreciate him.

The boys each received a doctor kit for Christmas so they were pretty pumped about going to the office with some of their tools in hand. We rode the elevator up to the fourth floor with our usual system. Baby in the pram, Babe hanging onto the left side, Cubs and the Bear hanging onto the right side. We look a bit like a chem lab drawing, multiplying hydrogens all clumped together. People either laugh or shake their heads when they see us coming.

The two nurse receptionists at the office are very kind and patient, crucial qualities in their line of work. They noticed the boys decked out in doctor gear and commented right away.  The youngest lady cooed at the Bear, "Ooooo, are you a Doctor?" The Bear slipped the stethescope from his ears, "Excuse me, can you say that again, I didn't hear ya?" he asks. "Are you a Doctor?" she repeats.

The Bear shakes his head and laughs, "No silly, I am not a doctor! I am just a kid PRETENDING to be a doctor with this kit my Mom got me for Christmas. Trust me, I don't have a license to give you medicine. I am JUST. A. KID."

You can imagine the ensuing laughter. We made our way into the waiting room, a few other parents were all ready seated. I parked the pram and sat down. The three eldest boys attacked the waiting room toys. An elderly lady across the room shook her head after a few minutes of watching us and she voiced aloud, "I don't know how you do it. I just don't know how you do it," one silver eyebrow was arched up as she said it. I smiled and gave a pat answer from my arsenal of typical rejoinders...something like "I love them a lot" or "I don't care if the house is messy" or "Huh? What kids?" or something like that. I just know that I did not voice my actual thought of "WOMAN, I AM HANGING ON BY A THREAD, MY KIDS ARE SICK AND ALL MY PANTS ARE WRINKLED!"  I definitely did not say that. Whatever I said resulted in a slight smirk from her and a snort from the mom next to me. Must have been of the sarcastic come backs I guess...

Well, Cubs and the Bear are trained to listen to adult conversation and they piped right up and began to recite our daily schedules, leaving this woman with no unanswered questions over "how we do it."

A few minutes went by and my mind started drifting to other things. I felt exhausted from the night before and to be honest, I checked out for a bit there.

When I snapped back to attention, a little girl stood in front of me. No parent in sight. Blue eyes, chubby cheeks, blonde ponytail caught high on her head. Purple dress, green coat, grey tights, and sneakers that were once a pale yellow color and are currently that inexplicable shade of color and health code violation known as "preschool sneaker."

"HI" she yelled.

"Hi." I can't help but smile at her. She had instant likeability.

She points a finger in the baby's face. "WHATS HIS NAME?"

I tell her.

"Huh. Wellll, he gets me. We have a connection. He understands me." Her arms are swinging back and forth, the cotton of her dress is swaying a bit.

The Bear hears a small child using full sentences with a decent vocabulary and he comes running. Moth to the flame.

His eyes are wide and he sticks out his hand. "Hi!!' He introduces himself. First, middle and last name. She reciprocates with all three of her names and adds a pretty, "Pleased to meet ya."

The Bear launches into a full on introduction of all his brothers. He is the pefect gentleman. He is utterly charming. He is talking waaay too much, as usual.

But then again, so is this little girl. In fact, they are both speaking rapidly to each other at the same time and both seem to be in possession of an adult sized vocabulary.

At one point the Bear exclaimed "this is all so ludicrous!" and she giggled a bit before purring, "you are sooo hilarious."

They were pleased to discover that they had eached turned five within the past few weeks. They chatted away for quite some time...

"Our baby is very sick. We brought him here to get a diagnosis and some medicine."

"Oh, I all ready got my diagnosis."

The Bear nods, "Hmmm. What could it be?"

"I have boogers and I am SPUNKY."

The Bear laughs and slaps his thigh, "Oh, you are such a funny, awesome girl. Do you know that?"

"Yes, I do!"

They keep talking at one another. I watch as he draws closer and closer to her side.

He is soaking in her warmth. He is completely captivated by her.

She is not oblivious to that fact.

Little Miss Sassy pants starts flirting more and more with my son.

Evetually, the connection is too great, his excitement builds, I can almost see his heart pounding through his t-shirt, love and adoration are shining in his eyes and my son is unable to refrain from telling her, "I have been waiting for you my whole life."

Yup.

That is what he said to her.

"I have been waiting for you my whole life."

Well....

My eyebrows crashed into my hair line.

The mom next to me giggled.

The little girl let out a wistful sigh.

Her mother walks in, having just finished checking out with the nurse receptionist and offers little girl a lollipop.

"Can I have sugar this early in the morning?" she asks.

Cubs nods his head, eyes bright, "you can have sugar ANY TIME of day."

The Bear can't take his eyes off her.

They begin chatting anew and eventually there is no choice but to physically remove them from the room so that we can each go about our busy day. The parting was not easy. Sweet sorrow you might say.

He misses her....or so he says every minute on the dot for the next forty-five minutes.

I catch him smiling a secret smile.

"Mom, wouldn't it be great if I saw her again when I am a big grown up?"

The romantic in me nods. "Yes...it really would be great."

"Don't forget to remind me about her, ok Mom?"

All right baby Bear, this is your reminder.

The day we took your baby brother for a check up because of the croup, you fell head over heels for a little girl named Megan Anne.

She wore a purple dress and you wore your heart on your sleeve.

You waited five whole years to meet her. :)