San Francisco

Good morning from San Francisco!

My flight was long, uneventful and relaxing. With everybody pulling me in so many directions, it occurred to me that being tethered into a plane by myself is my only opportunity to binge watch movies. I took full advantage of the isolation by watching Wonder Woman and a few other flicks. (I have also decided that I want to be Wonder Woman when I grow up!)

I'm glad that I relaxed last night on the flight because today is going to be busy. I don't travel to the LIM Headquarters often, but when I do I need to make the most of my opportunity. From formal meetings to a slew of working sessions, my schedule is filled.  

Hopefully I'll make it back to the hotel with enough time to walk around a little bit. I'm in a touristy area, and I feel safe exploring. (Because of the location at the hotel during my last few visits, I didn't feel save exploring the local community. I pretty much locked myself in the room each night until I was forced to leave for work again in the morning.) This hotel is in a calmer area, more geared for tourists. 

Wish me luck, and have a great day!

Aquarium Fun

Saturday morning Scott and I packed up the boys and headed off on a quick family getaway. To the delight of boys we were going to the Baltimore Aquarium. To the chagrin of Robby, I insisted that he wear the "Brother of the Birthday Boy" shirt during our adventure. When he saw everybody else sporting their Thomas the Train shirt, he recognized that refusing was a losing battle and quickly relented. 

After we checked into our hotel we immediately headed to the aquarium. Both Robby and Timmy loved looking at all of the colorful marine displays. As expected, they were particularly taken with Calypso, the amputee sea turtle. Calypso was Robby's introduction to sea turtles and will always hold a special place in my heart. He is the turtle that started him on his path.

When we were getting ready to leave the aquarium the boys pulled us into the gift shop. (I have learned to hate most gift shops, but this particular one is nice.) Timmy my carefully deliberated and eventually chose an aquarium themed truck. Robby had no hesitation decided what he wanted to purchase. After years of visiting Calypso, they have finally manufactured him in plush form. He nearly squealed when he picked up the amputee sea turtle plush animal. I was nearly as excited and, without even peeking at the price tag, agreed that he needed to come home with us.  

After unloading our treasures into our hotel room we headed to the swimming pool.  Timmy was eager to practice his swim skills and to show off for his Daddy. Robby was content splashing and playing in the water. I thoroughly enjoyed playing with both kids in the pool, happy watching their smiles and relishing in the brief moments where they were actually playing together.  

Playgrounds and Work

This week was certainly better compared to last week. Filled with a birthday and lots of adventures, the days passed quickly. With Timmy healthier and again able to play with other kids, we now spend more time at indoor playgrounds and climbing/bouncing centers. My wallet is stuffed with punch cards and membership passes for just about every play area within a 20 mile radius.

 At this time in our lives, our daily adventures are absolutely perfect for us. My little social butterfly enjoys playing with new playmates, allowing me more of an opportunity to work. I have discovered that I am able to work uninterrupted when he is running around a play structure with new friends. At this age, he would prefer to play with kids than with me.

While still keeping my eye on him, I'm able to tap into the free wireless internet to work. I'm so fortunate that I am able to work from home (or, in the case of this week, from playgrounds.) Until Scott is home for summer vacation, I suspect that we will continue to spend a lot of  time at playgrounds and jump centers.

/s/wimsuit

Tired of being teased by his peers, Robby has been working on improving his articulation. We started private speech therapy, and he has been diligent about his "homework." It has been a few weeks since we have double downed on our efforts, and we are all agreed that we are hearing improvement. Robby can also gauge his improvement, which has spurred him on to work even harder.  

Going over his articulation exercises each day I am brought back to my own experiences in speech therapy. I absolutely hated everything about being in speech, from being pulled out of class to having to complete the extra worksheets each night. He is handling much better than I did at his age. I know that it isn't easy or fun, but he hasn't become discouraged. I'm so proud of him!

Yesterday he situated himself in the dining room for his weekly Skype speech session. Timmy and I were playing with trains in the living room while he worked with the therapist. He was working on the /s/ sound, which is particularly problematic for him. During this particular exercise the therapist was holding up a card featuring a different /s/ word. Robby's task was to say each word with correct articulation. This is what I heard:

"soup. scissors. stamps. sailboat. sun. snow. singer. boobies." 

There was a pause and the therapist was obviously talking to Robby through the headphones. He turned flush and said, "oh, okay. swimsuit."  

I had to leave the room before I burst out laughing. 

Modified Plans

My little Hamlet had a wonderful birthday. Filled with happiness, fun activities, balloons and blowing out candles on his very own cake, Scott and I tried to make his birthday special. I know that he won't remember his fourth birthday, but I will never forget his smiles and giggles of wonder.  

To kick off our celebration, Timmy and I went to the Toddler Time jump at our local trampoline park. He loves jumping and his adoration (and enthusiasm) only grow when I am permitted to jump with him. Almost as soon as we slipped on our jump socks Timmy was pulling me towards the trampolines. Together we jumped, sang and played for two hours.

Two hours of jumping didn't tire him out, but my goodness I was ready for a nap. Trampolining is quite a work-out! Unfortunately the constant impact and pistoning within my socket wreaks havoc on my limb. By the time Toddler Time was over, my limb was sore and my skin was bright with rub sores.  

I tried to stay off my feet as much as possible for the remainder of the day. Timmy was just as happy playing in the Chick-Fil-A indoor playground with new friends while I sat at our booth and watched through the window. My little four year old is a burgeoning social butterfly.

Because I managed my activities after the jump, I was able to contain the damage caused by our trampoline fun. I hate that Timmy's birthday plans were modified because of my prosthetic, but logically I know that the changes did not impact him. He had a great day, so I am going to concentrate on what I could do instead of what was changed.  

Happy Birthday to my 4 Year old

Dear Timmy,

From the moment you entered into our lives you have lived on your own terms. 

You came into this world early, tiny but mighty. You were my little snuggle bug, sleeping on my chest so that you could stay warm and healthy. From the moment I met you I fell hopelessly in love, and the feeling has only grown deeper every day. 

It is hard to believe that you are now four. I look into your sweet face and bright blue eyes and I still see that tiny little baby who spent so many hours warming on my chest.  You don't cuddle as much anymore because you are in constant motion. You prefer to jump, run, and roll to sitting and curling up. 

Timmy, you definitely keep me on my toes. Everyday being your Mom is an adventure. I am so very lucky to be able to spend my days watching you play, grow, learn and explore. You are keeping me young.

Happy Birthday to my sweet, wonderful, curious, mischievous, active, joyful Timmy. 

I love you,
Momom

Weekend De-Stressing

After a roller coaster week, Scott and I were both relieved when the weekend finally arrived. I continue to feel both angry and downtrodden when I think of the school rejecting Robby as a student, but I am beginning to gain some perspective.  If the Montessori school on the side of the mountain doesn't want Robby, then obviously my initial impressions of the program were woefully incorrect. I have faith that a new educational opportunity is awaiting him and it is now my job to find it.

Friday afternoon, while Timmy was happily playing trains with a babysitter, the rest of the family headed to go see the Cirque show in town. As I anticipated, Robby was mesmerized by the performance. I didn't arrive at the show in a good frame of mind, but I left feeling uplifted and happy. Spending a few hours immersed in a performance and completely forgetting all of the stresses from the week was a fantastic way to start the weekend.

The weather was gorgeous on Saturday so we decided it would be the perfect day for a family trip to the farm. Timmy was giddy having his brother and daddy accompany us to his happy place. He eagerly showed them all of the new features and was quite the little showman on the obstacles. Despite his complaints about not wanting to go, Robby even ended up having a good time. With such a difference in age and ability levels, finding family activities is becoming increasingly difficult.  

On Sunday I spent several hours on the internet, locating and contacting schools in the area. Hopefully today I will receive replies and we can begin the process of uncovering Robby's new school. Wish us luck, because I don't think my heart can handle more rejection!