Sibling Love

   

Preschool Update

Both kids have now been in school for a month. We've settled into our routine of waking up, having breakfast, getting dressed & heading out. Even with what people here consider heavy traffic, it only takes me 15 minutes to get to school. It used to take me the same amount of time to get to the one here in town.

Meredith has settled in nicely and has learned the rules of the classroom. Not that she didn't know them before, but every teacher has their own. She loves her teacher & gets along well with her classmates. Her teacher has suggested that Meredith is indeed ready to move onto to kindergarten next year (both socially & academically) instead of waiting another year (she just misses the age cut off), but I'm going to wait.

I'd say by the level of silliness that Meredith is doing very well with her 

adjustment to NC & a new school. 

Sean has also settled in nicely. He has learned the routine of class very well & has shown that he understands what his teachers are asking of him. His service coordinator sat in on two classes with 2 different teachers to see where Sean fit better and he fits better with his original teachers. He's happy and they treat him the same as they treat everyone else. They have & enforce the same expectations of him as they do everyone else & Sean has thrived.

Sean's coordinator pointed out some areas where she felt the teachers could change things up.... I wanted to say improve, but improve is not the right word. Just change things up that may help the class run more efficiently. Hmmmmm Oh well. You know what I mean.

Sean is able to tell us about the pictures he's made in school. The other day he held up a picture of green scribble & orange fingerprint dots. He told Rob & me that they were pumpkins. And his "pumpkin" could have been understood by anyone. We're so proud. What makes me extremely happy is that the teachers make/allow Sean to do the art projects on his own.

 He sits in circle time with no issue & now that he's walking, he's able to walk from activity to activity with little help. He does wait for help to get onto the chair for snack time.

He knows his way around the school like it's no one's business. He's really shown us that enrolling him in a typical preschool was the best decision for him. Enrolling him in this preschool was the right decision for all of us.

I truly could not be more proud of Sean and could not be happier with how much he has matured in such a short time. I also could not be happier to have a school that both my children are thriving in with teachers and a director that truly care about the kids. 

Heart Surgery 2 Years Later

Take a look at this kid. Would you ever know that he had heart surgery at just under 3 months old?


   

I can't believe that it's been 2 whole years. I still can't believe we all survived the anticipation of preop.

I cried with my friend Julie the other day when she wondered how she'd tell her oldest son that the baby in her belly hadn't survived, if that's what happened (God forbid). I cried because I was sad for her & because I remembered that feeling. I used to wonder how I'd tell Meredith if Sean didn't survive his surgery. I wondered how she'd react to seeing him sedated with tubes & wires. I didn't have any answers for Julie. I feel bad that I couldn't offer up any wisdom. I had never come up with an answer myself. Thank goodness I didn't have to.

It's hard. It's hard to relive too, but it humbles me. I relive the same fear and anticipation that I had when I handed him over. I feel the guilt & angst I felt at feeling as if I had done something wrong to cause his heart issue.

Then I look at him. I watch him playing. I see him goto school. And I see how his CICU nurse likes his videos & pictures on Facebook. And I'm humbled once more. Without modern medicine. Without nurses like Eunice. Without surgeons like Dr. Bacha. Without a whole village of people keeping Rob and me calm and reminding us that we had chosen the best to care for our son..... We would not have made it through with any bit of sanity. We would not have survived and certainly would've fallen into an exhausted mess of parent.

Being silly. Thank goodness chicks dig scars right?

My walking fool at the pizzeria

   

I did it. I got it on video!

He's just a stinker. He's a walking fool these days :) and I'm loving every second of it. I don't care how much chasing after him I have to do.

I'm proud of my grandpa

He has experienced more than I ever will. He has more wisdom & knowledge than I could ever hope to have. He's coy when he smiles and he's a man of few words. Aside from what I know of him in the 35 years I am alive, I don't know much. I don't know how he relates to his world around him. I don't know how his mind navigates challenges. I have no idea what makes him proud. That's not true. Someone being themselves makes him proud. That I've always known. I know of few pleasures aside from art (in various forms) & a good conversation.  I know that he's rather shy until there's something to be passionate about and then he's front & center.

But all that changed when I sat down to read his latest book. Couraggio!.



As I read, I noticed that he was offering a glimpse into his story. The whole story. Yes the first book gave us a glimpse of how his mind operates, but this one..... Well..... it filled in pieces of a puzzle I had no idea I was trying to put together.

I marked pages that I didn't want to lose because they spoke volumes into how similar we really are. I had no idea! It's like having a love affair with planes & all things flying and finding out that you're related to Wilbur Wright.

Thank you grandpa for giving me (us) something we didn't know we wanted or needed. Your book was pure poetry. We love you and we hope that your signing has a fabulous turn out.

I wish for you to have a child just like you

That's what my mother said to me. In fact she has said it to me in many different fashions. The simple fact that she said it to me is the main reason why I'd never give her the satisfaction of calling her to apologize for giving her probably more gray hair during my rein as gymnast than at any other time.

Wanna know why? Because I did. I had a kid just like me. In fact.... I had 2.

With Meredith now in gymnastics I now understand the physical act of having a stroke and/or heart attack when my child decides she's going to practice all her new moves on whatever surface she can.



My child has taken to diving off of the couch. Practicing her balance beam routine on parking lot barriers. She has taken to swinging from bars meant to keep children from falling at the playground. She practices tumbling on her bed or off the bed as the case may be. She practices on & off of my bed (which by the way is higher off the ground than her bed). In the restaurant. At the fountain by Well Fargo in Charlotte.

Yes ladies & germs..... I had a child just like me. Flexible, eager & determined to give me a stroke at every turn. Just to show me can do "it" because she's 4 now. OH DEAR GOD!!!

The other guy.... well... He's stubborn and just like I'd never give my mother the satisfaction.... he's not giving me the satisfaction.

That little stinker can totally stand. Can totally walk. Don't believe me. I wish I had video of him walking. Like full on walking across the room at physical therapy like he's been doing it his whole life. But alas.... he wouldn't give me the satisfaction. Apparently the camera is like kryptonite to a kid like him (us). Rotten. But.... I did trick him into standing.

My baby girl is 4 years old.

I can't believe it!

It seems she went from this itty bitty baby.........

to this sweet & sassy little girl over night.

Where she used to toddle toward me.

She's now a graceful gymnast. Ok.... as graceful as a 4 year can be.

She'll always be my little baby, but she's growing into such an amazing young lady.

We celebrated this weekend with a great group of friends. Meredith had a great time. I'm grateful. Grateful for my little girl's happiness. Grateful for friends that are and are becoming like family.

Her actual birthday was very nice & quiet. She had a very nice little party at school celebrating with her new friends. She actually spoke on the phone & was gracious for all of the good birthday wishes she was getting. Because it was her birthday, she got to have ice cream for dinner. Our friends were able to come with us and Meredith was so happy. She wore her new Ariel wig and everything was right with the world.

Ice cream was eaten. Laughs were had.

The next day was party day!! Our yard was turned into a summertime mecca of fun.