It’s 5:45 A.M.
You scream about wet socks.
No, crayons don’t go in the dryer.
It’s 9:30 P.M.
You try to sleep.
Every fifteen minutes, you tell us that your favorite color is yellow.
It’s 7:30 A.M
I hurry you along.
You pause to photograph every bus.
It’s 12:30 P.M.
I sit with you as you nap.
You hope that Granddad will wear a matching shirt in spirit.
It’s 9:42 A.M.
You wash your new white shirt.
For the fifth stain that has happened in a week.
It’s 10:35 A.M.
The shirt hangs in the sun.
You attached 31 clothespins to help it dry.
It’s 6:02 P.M.
You are hungry.
Minutes later, you are serving soup to all.
Sarah continues to be more independent with many things this week, which keeps me on my toes even as I try to trust that things will go smoothly. One morning, in her determination to make the dryer work faster, and in wanting to copy Paddington Bear ruining a load of laundry, Sarah put crayons in the dryer. Luckily, I heard the rattle and ran up to rescue the crayons and the clothing. The basement floor looks like it is covered in snow because Sarah attempted to empty the shredder many times by herself, after successfully working through much of our to-shred bag. She then helped sweep up the paper snow. She did indeed make dinner two nights in a row, getting the large, heavy pot of chicken soup out of the fridge, heating it, and dishing it into bowls! That was before I even knew what was happening. I love this new initiative and ability, and I do feel like I need to be a little more vigilant about the proverbial crayon.
Amy has been burning her own candle at both ends as she works hard to finish all of her school projects and assignments. The one that is perhaps the most fun for others to witness is the creation of a telenovela for her Spanish class. I have only seen tiny bits of it so far, but fun costumes and makeup are involved. One night she needed help with math, and luckily Carl still remembers and uses advanced math. I so appreciate how he can be relaxed as he helps Amy figure out what she needs to understand, while helping her laugh so it doesn’t seem too arduous.
Last Sunday we went downtown to a sidewalk chalk festival. Next to the incredible creations of the official artists, there was space for anyone to do their own drawing. I regret that I don’t have a picture to share of Amy’s final creation since that photo is on Carl’s real camera (not a phone) and he is away at the moment. As we enjoyed some treats just before we left, I commented that I was surprised we hadn’t seen anyone we knew at the festival. As soon as those words left my lips, I saw someone I knew! Maybe I should try that technique with other things. Ahem, I’m surprised my book isn’t a New York Times best seller…. … … …
Thursday evening I took another watercolor class, and the girls were on their own. It was a sister’s night! This was Amy’s idea when I was talking about wanting to take the class. It went smoothly and easily. I loved the class again and learned so many more things. You can see that when I tried the same picture of daisies a week earlier with minimal instruction (because I was done with the tulips early), I didn’t get the stems or vase to come out as cleanly. I love how taking the class makes it seem easy, which is a good reminder about any other skill that seems hard. Maybe I just need more instruction!
Yesterday we went to the much-anticipated Walk for Children’s Hospital. Sarah’s white shirt for the walk was the one she wore constantly for the last week, except when it got a stain. Amy’s shirt was purple because I could sign her up as the patient ambassador. I’m not sure why I couldn’t sign Sarah up as such, because she has been a patient just as often. We saw some Higgy Friends, yelling to converse over the loud music, and Sarah enjoyed the dry-ice bubbles. Amy walked with her friends, and Sarah and I went at Sarah’s speed, which turned out to mean that we were the very last walkers to finish. At the 1/2 mile marker there is an option to turn around so your walk is only 1 mile, but Sarah opted to go for the whole 2 miles. It is so easy to make that decision at the start of a a big hill when you are fresh and new and the double yellow line beckons enticingly ahead. But at the 1 mile marker, Sarah was tired and hot and wanted to be done. The problem was that then we were stuck. We had to walk another mile no matter which direction we went. Sarah really wanted to cross the finish line. I was worried the whole finish line and festival area would pack up and leave before we reached it, but we did make it in time! Amy was there to cheer for us and lead us to snacks. Next year, maybe Sarah and I will just do the 1 mile loop!
I am still sleeping on Sarah’s floor every night, as I expect to be for a while, but I have slightly changed the bedtime routine. Instead of standing outside her room and wanting her to lie there for some number of minutes quietly, I get her tucked in and turn out the light before I get ready for bed. She can talk or not, but the main thing is that she is by herself. I try to take more and more time to get ready for bed each night, sometimes washing the dishes too. Eventually I hope to tell her I will watch a show and then go in to join her. She still wakes many times and calls for me, so it is helpful to be there to reassure her. I feel like I’m embarking on a connect-the-dots journey without knowing which dots are going to help me get to the final picture that I desire, but it feels good to be doing something. Maybe if I attach a few clothespins somewhere it will help!
May you have as many clothespins as you need.
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