The sun never came out yesterday. By early afternoon I just couldn't handle being cooped inside with an antsy toddler any longer. I dug out my rain coat from the back of my closet and located one of Robby's old ones for Timmy. Unfortunately the smallest raincoat I could find was still considerably too big for Timmy. He looked like the Paddington Bear playing dress-up with his yellow raincoat falling below his knees and the sleeves swallowing his little arms. (He was absolutely adorable!)
Thrilled to be leaving the house, Timmy happily helped me locate our strawberry baskets. He was excited to pick strawberries in the rain and I was delighted to take advantage of the 50% off u-pick in the rain offer. Fully anticipating becoming both drenched and filthy, I grabbed some extra towels and my water leg on the way out the door.
Timmy had the time of his life splashing in the puddles and mucking around in the mud. He giggled and laughed throughout our picking adventure, loving every moment of playing in the warm rain. The puddles were so deep that his boots were rendered virtually useless. Instead of keeping him dry they filled up with puddle water, causing him to struggle and slosh when walking. Soon he abandoned his trusty Thomas boots altogether, opting instead to splash barefoot.
With the exception of my water leg becoming muck covered, I remained relatively dry and clean throughout our adventure. I'm so glad I remembered to grab my water leg. I think that venturing into the mud in my everyday prosthesis could have been a disaster. At least my water leg is built for submersion and clean-up was easy.
We ended up staying at the strawberry farm for nearly 90 minutes despite only needing 30 minutes to pick our berries. The rest of the time was spent splashing and playing in the pool sized puddles. Soaked through his raincoat and covered with mud, my little guy had a blast!
Even though the sun never materialized and the dreary rain persisted, I felt my mood lighten. I guess I just needed to think outside the box. Yesterday I was reminded that it can be a lot of fun to play in the rain.
This near constant rain is really beginning to play with my moods. Being suck inside and living under a cloud without the sun has caused me to become irritable, sad and downright grumpy. In fact, everybody in this house has a severe case of the weather grumpies.
Timmy is frustrated that I won't let him play outside. I don't blame him, I know that he sees mud puddles ripe for jumping. Despite his pleas, I'm not letting him tackle the mud holes until the thunder and winds die down. This disagreement has led to a near constant whining, which is intensifying my sour mood. We have created a grumpy mood loop.
Yesterday we spent the day cleaning the house and organizing all of toys strewn through the living room. It took us nearly five hours, but his precious tracks and trains are separated by type and placed into the appropriate bin. I am fully aware that the Island of Sodor will be reassembled at the first opportunity, but at least now we have a clean slate and a working system for organizing the parts.
More rain is in the forecast today (what a shock), so it will be another one spent indoors. I think I'm going to pack him up and go somewhere fun. If I have to spend another day in the house I might officially become stir crazy!
Outside it feels like a swampy mess. Even Timmy, who relishes spending as much time outside as possible, has been clamoring for inside activities. With continued hot temperatures and rain in the forecast for the next few days, it is going to be awhile before we dry out.
With our activities relocated indoors, my living room has been transformed into a landmine of train tracks and various vehicles. My goodness my little guy certainly loves his trains! I try to keep a path cleared to walk to the kitchen, but even that "safe zone" becomes swallowed by the tracks by the middle of the afternoon. Between the track clutter and being stuck inside, I am beginning to feel claustrophobic from the plastic overload.
I am actively reminding myself that this stage will pass, and that some day I will again have a living room floor. Of course it is an entirely different internal narrative when it is the middle of the night and I step on a train. Those little trains can cause a lot of pain.
Unlike Robby and Scott, who are forced to enter our train depot/ living room without adequate protection, I have learned to walk in a modified shuffle through the plastic toys. Whereas I hear Robby and Scott yelp in pain, I only hear a loud crunch when I step on a toy. Sometimes being an amputee has some clear advantages!
Warm weather finally has arrived. With the temperatures edging towards 90 everyday, I think that our persnickety winter is behind us. Over the weekend I packed up the snow garb and brought out the summer clothes. (Of course, none of the clothes I carefully packed and stored for Robby or for Timmy fit anymore, making the entire effort for naught.)
Robby and Timmy both went through growth spurts over the winter, so their shorts are both way too tight and way too short. I suspect that we will be shopping for new clothes over the next few days. I always feel a tinge of sadness sorting through clothes for the boys. They are both growing up too quickly!
While their clothes are too small, I happily discovered that my summer clothes are too big. The shorts that were too tight in September now fall off of me, and my snug shirts look baggy. Needless to say, I'm delighted with this development!
I've been working hard at becoming healthier. To date I have lost over 40 pounds, and I feel stronger and happier. Timmy is still fast as lightening, but at least I have a chance at keeping up with him. I finally feel like all of my efforts are starting to yield rewards.
My Mother's Day was laid back and relaxing. The boys allowed me to sleep in, a rare and much appreciated luxury. After I woke up I enjoyed some coffee while watching Hamlet play with his trains on the floor. Scott quickly ran outside to hang up my banner while Robby presented me with a ceramic flower he painted in art class.
I spent the day alternating between playing with the boys and cleaning the house. Unfortunately for the clutter, I spent the majority of my time with the boys. Despite my plans, I just couldn't gather up the motivation to completely clean the house. With rain in the forecast for the rest of the week, I will be presented with ample opportunities to tackle the project.
Yesterday both Robby and Timmy asked me to go for a bike ride, an activity that will almost always trump doing chores around the house. I couldn't have planned a better activity for my special day. Bike riding with the boys is quickly becoming one of my favorite things.
I hope that everybody had a Mother's Day filled with love and relaxation.
