Chapter 29: Micah

Eighteen months after Josiah was born it was Micah James Piva’s turn. Micah was a much faster delivery than Josiah. Nancy and I barely got “comfortable” in the hospital when Micah popped out into the doctor’s hands. Unfortunately, Micah’s luck of “landing in the doctor’s hands” wouldn’t continue as he became quite accident prone.

               At two Micah was pushing a toy truck in the backyard when the truck hit the sidewalk and Micah went over it and landed his forehead on the pavement. Five weeks earlier he hit his head falling off a change table and his bumps and bruises started making us consider keeping a helmet on him permanently.

At eight Micah had another head injury. This time we were playing dodgeball in a swimming pool on Christmas Day. I was about to throw a ball at his uncle when Micah dove in front of me to block the shot. My elbow connected with his head above his right eye. His forehead split open and started gushing blood. We grabbed a towel to stop the bleeding and headed for a medical clinic. Because it was Christmas Day there were not many opinions, and when we found one it wasn’t a good experience. The doctor must not have wanted to work that day, or was just a grumpy old man. When he came into the room and saw Micah crying he said, “Kid, if you want me to look at you, you’re going to have to stop crying.” He then looked at Micah’s wound, pulled out a needle, and said, “Stop moving Kid. I have to put this needle in your head and freeze the area for stitches. If you move I might poke you in the eye.” Micah didn’t move and after putting in five stitches the doctor left. The nurse told us we were free to go and then apologized for the doctor’s behaviour.     

               Half of Micah’s eighth year was also spent in a cast. It started when he slipped off a metal bench after school and broke his tibia. This saw him in a cast for thirteen weeks. Then, six weeks after the cast was off, Micah and his brother were playing on the trampoline when Micah called out that he broke his leg again. I didn’t believe him and took him into the house to put some ice on it. Micah insisted that his leg was broken and so I skeptically took him to the hospital. There we found out he was right. The leg was broken again, on the exact same spot. He was back in a cast for another nine weeks. And this time it happened on the first day of our summer holidays.

One of the weeks that summer was spent at Green Bay Bible Camp. We were there as a family and could see that Micah really wanted to go into the lake. We purchased a rubber cast protector to try and seal his leg from the water. It worked for a bit, but ended up letting water in and getting his cast wet. We tried to air it out with a fan, but his leg started to stink. This was especially unpleasant as we all had to share the same room. When the week was over we stopped by a hospital and, to the relief of us all, they took off his wet cast and put on a new one.  

               For the first few years of Micah’s life he struggled with croup. We were in and out of the hospital several times to get his airway opened up by a liquid steroid he would drink. The scariest time was when his breathing became so restricted that we had to call an ambulance. They rushed him to the hospital, got his airway opened up, and kept him for overnight monitoring.

               One of the more humorous things about Micah is his mobility while sleeping. It started with night terrors. These can be pretty freaky when you don’t know what they are, but once we knew how to handle them it was just a matter of getting through them. On the humorous side, Micah will get up in the night, walk around the house, sit down on the couch and have a conversation with me, all while sleeping. I’ll tell him about it in the morning and he will have no memory of it. This, alongside his tendency for accidents, has kept him out of a top bunk.

               Another one of Micah’s characteristic is his inquisitiveness. Micah likes to explore, ask a ton of questions and want to know “why” things are the way they are. He asks questions about the Bible that are deeper than many ten year old (and forty year old) questions. We should have recognized this quality in him when, a few days before his second Christmas, he crawled under the tree and started exploring. There he got hold of a small present that smelled good. Figuring it was something to eat Micah bit right through the wrapping paper and into a bar of soap! Micah’s never bit into soap again.

Micah is extremely social. He loves to talk. He loves playing board games. And he loves being on stage. He’s quick to try new things (except for food). Whether he is the first one off the zip-line, high diving board or rollercoaster, Micah is always full of positive enthusiasm. A couple of years ago he decided to learn to play the guitar. Inspired by him, I decided to pick it up and learn alongside him myself.

Micah is sensitive to the needs of other people and will often be the first to notice (and ask) when someone is hurt. He loves babies and is good at entertaining them and making them laugh. He has a gentle spirit. He is affectionate and loves to hold my hand when we go for a walk or cuddle up on the couch to watch a movie. Micah can be a stickler about following the rules and making sure that everything is fair.

Micah, I love you. You are so easy to talk with. You are positive and enthusiastic about life. You are a loyal and caring friend to others. Try not to become jaded, cynical or judgmental as you discover that not everyone is as nice as you. Keep on loving life and loving the Lord of life!                 

Question: Share a story about your middle child or, if you are a middle child, share a story about being a middle child.