Ready for the Couch

Busy with appointments all afternoon, I was grateful to finally tuck Timmy into bed. He was a trooper, but wrangling a three year old is wearing. Last night I was reminded that I'm no longer a young Mom. I hate to admit it, but I felt old and worn out. I was definitely feeling every bit of my age by the time I poured myself into bed.

Today we have nothing scheduled, which is good because I don't think I could physically handle another day like yesterday. I'm looking forward to sitting on the couch, watching cartoons with Timmy and not doing anything productive. (I realize that the chances of that wish materializing are slim to none, but a gal can dream, right?)  I'm sure that we will end up going to the pool, an activity that everybody enjoys. Maybe I'll propel myself to hero by allowing the boys to order fries at the snack bar. 

Have a great weekend!

"No No No"

I realize it is the middle of July, so perhaps I am pointing out the obvious when I mention that it is hot. I don't mind warm temperatures, but strong enough air conditioning doesn't exist to make the 110 degree heat index comfortable. Thankfully these days are not frequent in Northern Virginia, and we have the pool as an escape.

I have great respect for my amputee friends who live in southern climates. I don't know how you do it! Yesterday afternoon I was miserable wearing my leg. My limb felt like it was baking inside the black carbon fiber socket. The sweat only served to lubricate my limb from the liner, causing me to slip and piston slightly with each step. I purposefully took my leg off while sitting over the bathtub because I knew I was going to empty out a small pond of sweat that accumulated at the bottom of the liner.  Ick!

Today is going to be another scorcher. With the heat index over 100 degrees again, we are going to try to get all of our errands done early in the morning. The afternoon is reserved for shuttling to various doctor appointments, leaving us little opportunity to escape the sweltering heat. I'm counting on the hospital to have their air conditioning on overdrive this afternoon.  If it isn't, this menopausal one-legged woman is going to be miserable. 

On a separate but related note, I wanted to share this short video of Timmy.  I think it demonstrates my life at the moment.

Headed Home

Yesterday was another day of summer fun.  Robby played with his cousins while Timmy was occupied with a variety of toys and activities at Nana's house. In the afternoon we took the boys to Mountain Adventures.  While Timmy was too young to enjoy most of the obstacles, he did have a good time playing on the pint sized structures.  Robby took off running as soon as they arrived. Although I caught glimpses of him, I didn't talk to him again until he arrived home.

Unfortunately today the impromptu summer getaway comes to a close because we are headed home. I promised to bring back Robby in a few days to continue the shenanigans, but we need to go home because we have appointments this week.  Instead of saying goodbye, we are considering the next few days as only a brief reprieve from cousin camaraderie.

Hopefully we will be able to leave early enough today to have time to enjoy the pool this evening.  I am looking forward to relaxing in our quiet pool with the boys. (Although it is a club pool it never becomes busy so more times than not it feels like we have the entire place to ourselves.) It will be nice to be home for a few days, to totally unwind and relax as I plan our next adventures.

Naughty Break-Away

Taking a break from playing, Robby pulled me aside in the early afternoon with a heartfelt plea. "Momom, can we please stay a few more days. I really want to keep playing with my cousins. Please can we stay?" I'm so fortunate that I am able to work remotely, making granting my son's request was easy. We called Scott to let him know that we wouldn't be home for a few days, reminded him to not mess up the house, and began to plan some afternoon summer adventures with the cousin crew. 

Yesterday we decided to go to the pool. The big kids took off towards the slide and climbing wall while I played with Timmy in the splash zone. I didn't see the crew much while we were at the pool, but I did hear laughter and squeals of delight that I recognized. Timmy was just as happy splashing, dodging water and jumping into the "big kid pool." He is nonstop movement when he is in a pool and is easily amused with a simple small bucket. After two solid hours of water play, Timmy waved bye bye to the pool and asked me to remove his swim vest. Taking his lead, I packed up our belongings, texted my sister that I was leaving (she was at the pool and was going to take the big kids home when they were done) and we headed for the car. 

Despite playing hard for two hours, Timmy managed to muster one final push of energy. As soon as we exited into the parking lot he dropped my hand and took off sprinting. I threw the pool bag in the car and went after him, calling him back and demanding that he stop running (both to no avail.)

I have trouble catching Timmy under ideal circumstances. Yesterday my mobility was significantly impaired because I was wearing my water leg, which offers little give and walks with the stiffness of a brick. Wearing a brick foot in a wet and slippery suspension system, my ability to run was greatly impaired. He took full advantage of my disadvantage by continuing to run and explore.

It spent ten minutes chasing him around the parking lot and through the facility grounds. I was livid when I finally wrangled him. Instead of his hand I grabbed his ear and led him back to the car. My little sprinter was not amused.  He didn't realize that his fussing only solidified that I had chosen the appropriate means to escort him and increased the probability that I will do it again when necessary.  I was furious and firmly explained that he was bad for running away from me and naughty for not listening. I know he understood what I was saying because he began to frown and cry. We drove back to my Mom's in silence. 

I'm not sure what we are going to do today, but I'm sure that the cousin crew will have fun. Hopefully Timmy will behave and I will again be able to hold his hand when we walk. I really don't like being the mean mom, but I will do it when necessary because he needs to learn boundaries and to be safe.

Fun Weekend

Hello from PA!

Friday morning I packed up the boys and we headed to visit my Mom.  Robby was eager to spend time playing with his cousins. They are all close in age and have a lot of fun together. Unfortunately they don't see each other often once school starts, so we try to fit as much playtime as possible into the summer months.  If Robby had his choice, I'm fairly certain he would opt to stay here all summer. 

After playing all afternoon, the cousin crew begged me to take them to the Glow Party on Friday night. For those of you who may not have tweens, Glow Parties are hosted by the local trampoline park. The kids wear neon shirts and jump under black lights while a DJ blasts music. The music is loud and the smell that is created when hundreds of pre-teens jump and sweat in a relatively small area is both unique and strong.  (If you look carefully, you can actually see the hormones radiating from the sweat riddled tween jumpers.)

While it isn't my favorite way to spend the evening, Glow is the activity of choice for the cousins. Despite my druthers, I agreed and took them to the party. They had a blast jumping, playing dodge ball and spending time together.  I assumed my chair in the "observation lounge" and played on my phone for two hours. Thank goodness for free wi-fi!

Last night I took Robby and my nephews to the local observatory to peer through telescopes.  Robby is still enthralled with astronomy and was excited to share the experience with his cousins. My nephews were thrilled with the experience. I even found myself feeling giddy when I saw the rings of Saturn.

After this weekend, I think we can check another two items off our summer bucket list.