Texas Bus Driver Shocked by Near-Miss With Baby in Road

Okay.. What is wrong with people?!  First of all, why on earth didn't the father thank the bus driver for not running over his child?  And second, why the hell is your child in the middle of the street, all alone, at 12:45 AM?  The mother said during an interview on The Today Show, "Things like this happen.  People think that they don't, but they do."


Um, no Mrs. Flores.  They don't.  Maybe things like this happen in YOUR dysfunctional house where it's okay that your children roam around, during all hours of the night (when they should be safely tucked in bed), unattended and unsafe from harms like city buses.  Shame on you.  I don't blame DCFS for conducting a serious investigation on the wellbeing of your children.  


I'm not perfect.  Lord knows I make mistakes.  And I'm certainly not saying that I won't have times where I screw up.  But this is big.  It really makes me angry that there are people out there that are blessed with children and they're so careless, while the person next door can't have children and would be a far more superior parent.  I just don't get it.


Read more of the story and see video by clicking below:

FOXNews.com - Texas Bus Driver Shocked by Near-Miss With Baby in Road

Dear Ava....

May 16, 2010:

Wow, so much has happened since I last wrote to you, Ava!  We took a trip to Quincy to visit Nana and Aunt Steph.  You and I took the train and stayed there for 4 days!  While we were there, we had lots of fun!  You got to swing in a baby swing for the first time... and you LOVED it!  You cried when I tried to take you out!  

You and I napped together in bed a lot during our visit.  I just love sleeping with you.  You snuggle up perfectly in the crook of my arm.  You throw your arm over my tummy and sleep so peacefully.  Every now and then you’ll startle and stiffen up but then you just fall back asleep.  You’re so sweet.  

While we were there you met Nana’s neighbor boy, Noah.  You really liked him.  You liked him so much, you leaned forward a few times to give him a kiss.   It was so cute!  We got pictures and video of you doing it! 

 

We took you to Aunt Steph’s workplace so we could show you off to all of her friends!  Boy you brightened their day!  You were so cute in your leapard headband with the hot pink flower!  You just smiled at everyone, melting their hearts! 

The weekend after our visit to Quincy was Mother’s Day!  I was so excited to be celebrating my very first Mother’s Day!!  Your Daddy did a GREAT job at making me feel extra special!  He gave me 3 dozen roses, a card from the 2 of you and a gorgeous cabinet to keep all of my jewelry.  We went to mass that morning at St. Josaphat (the same church that we were married at... and where you were baptized).  During mass you fell asleep on my chest.  It was precious.   

After mass, we went to brunch at Branch 27.  Your dad had made reservations earlier that week for us to have a special table, right by the window. After brunch, we went home and took you to the park so you could swing.  Your Dad didn’t know how much you loved it until he saw for himself!  You just giggle with so much happiness with each and every push.  Not all kids smile like you do... they tend to just sit there, staring off into space.  Not you though!!  Happy girl!

You continue to flip your wrist toward your mouth, as if you’re trying to conduct an orchestra..  I think you do it when you’re trying to tell me you want milk.  I’m serious!!  I think you’re trying to communicate!  I read in a sign language book that babies will make up their own signs.  You’re sooo smart Ava!!  It’s very cute.  Here's a clip of you doing it while in Florida... Pay no attention to your Dad's perverse attempts with the camera!

You can now put yourself back into a sitting position from your belly.  This is considered another milestone.  You’ve also started pulling yourself up on your knees.  You do it all the time in your crib.  You're also pulling up onto your feet.  It's scary because I worry about you falling over and getting bruises.  I guess a few bumps never really hurt anybody!  

Days are getting warmer now so we’ve been able to get out a lot more.  You wake up each day around 6:30... you’ll play in the living room after eating some fruit around 7:00.  You go down for your morning nap around 8:30 and will sleep anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours!  After you wake up, we venture outside to either go for a walk or to the gym.  We’ll grab lunch while we’re out but then need to head home because you go back down for another nap at 1:00.   When you wake up from that nap, we sometimes run errands or go for another walk outside.  Some days you decide to take a third nap... some days you don’t.  You’re going to bed now around 7:30 and are sleeping through the night without any problems.  Some nights I’ll wake up at 3:00 AM and I’ll see you in your crib (through the video monitor), sitting up and just talking and playing by yourself in your crib.  It’s so cute.  Part of me feels like I should go in and get you... but all of the books I’ve read say it’s healthy for you to soothe yourself back to sleep.  So I watch you play and before I know it, both you and I have fallen back asleep.  

We have a little game you like to play.  I sneak up behind you while you’re on your tummy... and I make these little “I’m gonna get you moans”.... and you turn and smile that HUGE smile and then you nuzzle your head into my cheek, with your mouth wide open.  I think you’re trying to give me a kiss but I ‘m not sure!  I love it!!  You do it each time I sneak up on you!

Boo!

In the mornings, I will play the "BOO!" game with Ava. I bend down outside of her crib, far enough to where she can't see me anymore. Inevitably, she comes looking for me and I'll pop up just in time to scare her. She absolutely LOVES being spooked! This video is my new favorite... it's impossible not to crack up!

Before I was a Mom...

The piece below was not written by me, yet I understand each of these statements, deep in my bones.  To my friends and family on Mother's Day, celebrating life as a Mother... I'm sure each of you can relate to every one of these lines.  

Before I was a Mom -

I slept as late as I wanted and never worried about how late I got into bed. I brushed my hair and my teeth everyday.

Before I was a Mom -

I cleaned my house each day. I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby. I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous. I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom -

I had never been puked on - Pooped on - Spit on - Chewed on, or Peed on. I had complete control of my mind and My thoughts. I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom -

I never held down a screaming child so that doctors could do tests...or give shots. I never looked into teary eyes and cried. I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin. I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom -

I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put it down. I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt. I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much. I never knew that I could love someone so much. I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom -

I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body. I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby. I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child. I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important.

Before I was a Mom -

I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay. I had never known The warmth, The joy, The love, The heartache, The wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom. I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much before I was a Mom.

My Mother...

My Mother is special to me because:

I perform, she cheers.

I fail, she consoles.

I laugh, she laughs.

I cry, she understands.

I complain, she listens.

I celebrate, she smiles.

I take, she gives.

I try to show her I love her, 

she has already shown me. 

A very big thank you to my dear friend Marjorie for sharing this poem with me.  I am ashamed to admit it, but I now value Mother's Day so much more, now that I know how much work it truly is... work indeed, yet the reward is better than any other.  Now that I will be celebrating my very first Mother's Day, I feel it is necessary to celebrate my own Mother.... that for many years received no thank-you's or pats on the back for how incredible she was to overcome the daily struggles that came at her, smiling through all the heartache and sadness of my Dad's illness(es).  Despite it all, she always had a way of making everything "OK".


Happy Mother's Day to my wonderful, beautiful, strong, happy, supportive & loving Mom- Norma Jean Bower.  I love you more every day and strive to be at least 1/2 of the Mother that you are to me...  Ava Jean could only be so lucky.  I could NOT ask for more.  Thank you.

This photo is of my Mom and I when I was 6 months old.