Sunny Days, Everything's A-OK

We have been enjoying a heat wave lately, and at the Chewning house, we have taken advantage of it. Friday was Nanny's birthday, so we had a picnic at the park. Saturday was Rutgers Day, so we went to Ag Field Day on Cook Campus. We even got a fish.

But the biggest day of the weekend was Sunday, when we went to Sesame Place. I got an e-mail earlier in the week saying that it was free for children with disabilities. We were planning on taking the kids anyway this summer, so I figured we might as well try it for free. I didn't tell the kids what where we were going, and Mac didn't know until we pulled into the parking lot and saw Big Bird's face on the parking signs.

Just like when we went to Disney for the first time with Mac, it was sort of surreal being someplace that I could remember going when I was a kid, but now being there as a parent. I remember the shadow wall (which is gone now!), the cardboard pizza, some sort of balance beam with water shooting out, and , of course, the ropes.

Things have definitely changed, but some of my memories held up. The first thing I noticed was how flat and sort of small it is. You can see the buildings and hotels surrounding the park, which makes it seem less "fantastic" and more blah. But even though it seemed small, we didn't get through everything at all. Mac went in the wading pool, climbed a "beach ball" mountain, and went CRAZY on the ropes. I went on them with her, afraid that she wouldn't be able to get far. First of all, I am too big, old, and scaredy for the ropes. Especially the tunnels -- I could literally barely fit through them. So that, combined with the fact that Mac could scale the ropes like a monkey, gave her a big lead on me. I wound up losing her going through one of the sets of tunnels, and couldn't find her. At one point, I could see her a level below me. I yelled to her, and I thought she heard me, but she just got off at the platform and started to go down the stairs. I started to plow down kids through the next tunnel trying to get to my platform (one level up) to get to her. I finally caught her, but it was a scary (and painful -- my knees are all scraped up) experience.

All in all, it was a great time. And a great weekend. And Sesame Place was, in fact, free (overpriced parking and food notwithstanding).

What is wrong with this picture?

a.) One couple shouldn't have two kids who are so darn cute.
b.) There are no parents in this bed, yet, it is the parents' bed.
c.) Nothing -- as long as the kids are sleeping, it's all good.

While we are very fortunate to have two cute kids, and it really is all good when kids are asleep (in general), the correct answer is B. I have chronicled our sleeping mishaps over the last year or two, so you probably know that sleep is a rare and precious commodity at our house. Indeed, I wouldn't know a full night's sleep if I got one (which I won't) and think that anyone who gets a full night's sleep has no right to complain about anything, ever. But that is beside the point. Mac and Oliver now both sleep in our bed, and there is just not enough room.

I have managed to enforce one rule -- everyone starts in his or her own bed. Laughable, but it buys me some time and sanity. This morning, we made it to 4:30 before both kids were in bed with us. A near record. That was 4 1/2 hours of uninterrupted sleep (for me). Once Oliver comes in, he falls right to sleep (of course, he has to pinch my neck while he is doing it). Mac, who is scared of monsters and shadows, still can take an hour or more to fall asleep, even after coming into our bed. This is no different than when we made her sleep in her own bed, except that there is less crying and back and forth. But I am convinced that she is not doing it for attention, but rather because she has real sleep issues. And I don't know what to do about it.

Am I spineless? A little. Crunchy granola co-sleeper? Partly; I actually like sleeping with the kids (when they sleep) and think that it is okay if both partners agree. Regretful that I let it get this far? Sometimes. I would like for them to be able to sleep on their own, and fear that I am not teaching/giving them that skill. Ambivalent? Not in that I don't care, but in that I can't decide what the right thing is to do. Tired? YES -- and that supersedes everything else.

So we are still without a solution and I'm more confused than ever about our sleeping arrangements. At least the kids seem happy in our room. And look how peacefully they are sleeping by the time I have to get up in the morning.

Look at My Girl Go!!

Here is Mac at her first big tournament. The file of her competing was too big, so this will have to do. She did awesome (of course)! She got her trophy for her jump front kick. I tried to upload video, but it didn't work. Still pictures will have to do.

PS - This is a double posting day. Check out the post below for an update on Oli's feet.

Damn It!

Oli showing off his post-op feet at the doctor's office. Check out his cute clothe diaper, too :)

A bit much, but that's how I feel. Oliver had his post-op follow up from his orthopaedic surgery. I rescheduled the appointment so that it was early enough that I could go before work. I thought for sure that Oli would be going home in his old braces, or fitted for new ones. But the doctor walked in and hardly even looked at his feet before casting. I personally think that he forgot Oli was post-op. So I brought up the braces right away and he said that Oli isn't ready for them yet. Maybe two or three more weeks and then he can be fitted. 

We also talked about whether or not his knees will need to be braced. They don't quite lock into place, so I've been told in the past that he will need knee bracing. Of course, I would prefer that he only needs bracing to his ankles (AFOs), but whatever gets him standing. This little man is ready to go! The doctor said that he will only cast to the knee next week, so that we can try to get him standing without the support of the casts to see what he is capable of. 

Disappointing but not the end of the world. 

It's All Good

Oli gets ready for surgery in his cool gown. This is before the "giggle juice."

So because big events don't happen one at a time in our household, we've had quite a busy week. Oliver had successful foot surgery, and so far the casts haven't slipped off. We're hoping this means that in four weeks, he will be back in braces. This was Oli's first surgery in a year. He handled it really well. To prep him, they gave him "giggle juice," which must have been a pretty potent cocktail. He got all gooey and giggly. His eyes were slits and he had his squishy smile. He let me hold and snuggle him the whole time. I thought it was funny; Tim thought I was crazy. But the faces Oli was making were priceless, even if he was doped up. Of course I cried when he went into surgery. He slept for a while in recovery and was kind of out of it when he woke up. He wouldn't drink anything so he got to try an ice pop. He loved it and one quickly turned into two. Mac would have been so jealous! He had some of the breathing issues that he has had from the anesthesia in the past, but overall was good to go about two hours later. By the next day he was crawling around and you would never know that he had just had surgery.

The day before Oli's surgery, I defended my dissertation to my committee -- and I passed! This is a huge weight off of my shoulders and basically clears me for graduation in May. Mackensie tested for her orange belt decided in taekwondo, and passed with flying colors. Today Tim had leadership night at the karate school and I had my public dissertation presentation.

In short, everything went well. We are all in a better place than we were last week. It feels good.