Unringing the Bell

Pool's Open! Here's Hopin'!

This morning I did a 5k--just walking (don't do any backflips or anything)--around the track at one of the local high schools. It was the challenge this week for the fitness class I am involved in at the Y. We could choose our mode of completeing the 5k (treadmill, track, bike, swim, elliptical) and I had been meaning to check out the track to see if I like walking in circles. (haven't walked a track since we walked two miles the day before I went into labor with Georgia) (note: I walked 2 miles that day in the HOPES of inducing labor. That, and the ham, feta, and jalepeno pizza worked like a charm!) About a third of the track was in the shade, so that helped, but I am now sporting some summer color. Not bad for May!

After that we headed on over to the pool which opened at noon today. (We got there by 12:15!) The minute we got there, I knew joining was the right decision! The kiddie pool area is large (and completely fenced in) with a decent sized pool of water that goes up to about 12 or 18 inches and the big pool is nice, too. There's a big sand volleyball court and the kids enjoyed "making sandcastles" in it today. They liked walking in the water, going in the big pool with Dad, eating snacks at the picnic table, and hanging out with a LOAD of other kids. I also ran into a couple folks I have met around town and, I dunno, something about joining the pool makes me feel like we are FINALLY becoming Bawlmers!

I am anticipating all of us looking a little sun-kissed this summer and the kids making new friends. I am looking forward to sitting around and chatting with other parents, and eating apples and hot dogs and rice cakes at the picnic table. I have a feeling this is going to be the best summer we have had in a LONG LONG time.

Here's hopin'!

(And here're my three amors before we walked out the door on our way to the pool.)

Duck's Ass

Tuesday Summer Daze

Is there anything more lovely than the smooth expanse of a little boy's back with his jutting shoulder blades?

I am sitting here on our back porch while Rainer plays, shirtless, in the water table. Georgia is at school. Alex is "at work in the silver car," as Rainer says. The sound of a weed whacker is ever present in our little village. Birds, too.

Rainer and I will not again, anytime soon, have these lazy afternoons together. It was decided that Georgia will attend morning school in the fall and camp this summer will be three days in the morning as well. I had been thinking I'd stick with Georgia in afternoon school next year b/c she did well with it this year (and it would give she and I a chance to have some much needed 1:1 time together on the mornings Rainer will be at school, but the new school thinks it's better for her to be there in the morning. I guess for the reasons they explained, I agree, but I am sad I won't have that time with her and I am trying to carve out other mommy/daughter time now. We'll figure it out, and I won't lie, have five hours a week "alone" will be a nice treat, but I am also feeling a little like she got plucked out from under me. After next year is full day Kindy, of course. Time flies...

It's hot today. The pool, which we are members of this year for the first time, opens Saturday. We, from New England, were not used to this pool club mentality, but it seems to be a big time Maryland thing, and we don't want to be left out! ha! Besides that, we have been told time and again that the water is a good way for Georgia to build upper body strength and both she and her brother (and her mother and father, frankly) love the water. So we're diving in (so to speak). I hear it's a good way to meet people, and the kids' friend Ruby and her moms have joined the same pool, so we're looking forward to spending many days there, having cold salad dinners at the picnic tables, poolside.

Our flowers have bloomed (and bloomed again in some cases). The Morning Glories are sprouting.

I look forward to the day when we have a big ol' deck to sip drinks and relax on, but for now the falling down cement porch will have to do because we have to spend on money on less exciting things like a new railing for the rusted out front porch (and the pool, of course).

I am happy. And I am going to make some sun tea.

Pointing It Out

We went to an ice cream social this afternoon with our DS group and it was tons of fun. The sky was overcast, but the temperature was perfect and there was a huge, fenced in (I am a big fan of fences around playgrounds)...er...well...playground that the kids got a real kick out of. Not to mention...ICE CREAM! And, Georgia's new-found favorite (which she will shove a bowl of ice cream out of the way for) Gummi Bears! It wasn't a huge group, but a good group.

There is one family we are friends with and somewhat regularly see. They have two girls, their oldest is G's age and "typical" and their younger daughter is around R's age and has DS. The older daughter is coming to terms in a lot of ways with DS. What it means etc. She kept asking how old R is and how old G is. I am sure it is confusing to a little kid that R (who can speak pretty well and get around with a more sure foot, etc) is not only YOUNGER than G, but also, the SAME AGE as her little sister--both of whom are not talking much just yet, and still don't have quite the same coordination. She must have asked R about 10 times how old he was. At one point she said something about Georgia looking like another little girl at the social who has DS. "G looks like C," she said. And it's true! I said something like, "Yes, and they both have long hair." She said, "Yes. But also, their faces kind of look the same."

They do. G and C look like they could be twins.

Alex heard the little girl at one point saying to Georgia, "I bet you have Down syndrome."

It's so interesting! How a child thinks. WHAT they think. Kids are trying to come to terms with differences just like the rest of us. And sometimes, it seems, in a more honest or forthright way.

I notice little things now with Rainer. He knows Georgia needs a little extra help here and there. He says things to her like, "Georgia, say 'Firetruck.'" Or whatever it is he is hoping she will say. When she does something he is not expecting she will do he wil exclaim, "Georgia did it! Georgia did it, Mommy!"

He is clearly used to our routines and celebrations surrounding our attempts to get her to talk or do things.

I don't really have anything profound to say about it though. It just is what it is. And I wonder what this journey will look like as the kids get older.

I wonder.

I don't know about you, but if you live around here, you too have been getting a fair amount of rain. And you know what? I am totallu enjoying it. My flowers are happy and we haven't had to turn the AC OR heat on in weeks. (We have yet to turn on the AC, actually, but by this time last year we had already turned it on.) Alex's b-day is May 4th and last year we had a picnic for him. It was so incredibly hot and the kids in attendance swam in the kiddie pool. It had already been hot for weeks (we knew enough in advance to tell them to bring their suits) and it was kind of uncomfortable out there. I remember.

So. I ain't complaining about the weather. I am rejoicing about it.

Tomorrow is Dumpster Day in our little village as well, which means we'll FINALLY have the chance to say s'long to some of the larger junk that's been accumulating in our itty bitty abode. Hoping to soon have a tag sale as well (but I admit I have been threatening that one for three years).

We're joining the pool this summer and I am looking forward to spending our afternoons and evenings with a cold dinner and pooltime.

School's out in a few weeks and speech camp will start up the very next week for Georgia. It dawned on my last week that I need to get my hands on Rainer's birth certificate (I'd imagine) because he'll be starting up school in the fall as well.

Everything is chugging along, the kids are growing up, life is good.

Which, per usual,  has me wondering the same ol' question I always seem to come to.

What else? What's next?

I say this not out of a sense of dissatisfaction, but rather out of this notion that my time will be opening up some and I want to be ready when it does.

So that's what I am trying to figure out there days.

What's next?

A Jane Austen Education

Hey! Guess what? My latest review on the book A Jane Austen Education, by William Deresiewicz just went live over at BlogHer Book Club!

CHECK IT OUT HERE!

How do you spell the sound a cricket makes?

• Our yard is rife with Morning Glory seeds and sprouts. I am hoping they will all come up and we will just be crawling in color. I am pretty sure the ones along the front stoop will, less so about the ones in the backyard where our towering tree (with whom I have a love/hate relationship) shades most the yard for most the day.
• My time is being eaten up week by week and while I like being busy, I am also finding myself falling behind in some of the things that really ought to be done. Sometimes though, people ask me what is taking up my time and I feel like I don't have an answer. Today I decided to make a list for my own sake. I will share it with you, beause I am sure you are dying to know: 1. the kids (of course), 2. working out/taking a lot of classes at the Y (this week I tried out three new ones, plus the one I have been doing: Body Pump (have been doing for about 6 weeks now), Core Conditioning, Cardio Dance, and Body Sculpt). I find the classes MUCH more fun and motivating. Plus, who doesn't like to burn calories while doing the Dougie?, 3. Chalice Circle (although tonight was the last one until fall), 4. The DS Parent Group (we only meet once a month, but there's always this or that to do for that), 5. Poety Group (we've dropped to every other week, but it stills takes up time. I am thinking about dropping this though b/c it turns out I stopped writing poetry for a reason--it just doesn't speak to me in the same way anymore. Writing it, I mean. I HAVE found that I miss reading it.), 6. I have been seeing a PT for my bum hip and a few other docs which have been taking up time, too.
• Wait. Why did I list this out?
• Oh, I am also doing book reviews for BlogHer (as referenced in my last post), and while I love it, reading the books takes up some down time, too.
• Why is it so hard to find a decent, not entirely ridiculously expensive, rug?
• Had G's IEP meeting last week. No surprises, which is EXACTLY WHAT WE WANTED!!! G will be going up the street to her home school next year. This will be her fourth school in two years!! Turns out she went to her first private church preschool with her new teacher's son and two of the other kids from that school will be joining her as well. THAT is what going to school in your community means!! THAT is a big reason why we want her to go to school with the other kids from her neighborhood--so she has the opportunity to meet and grow up with the kids from around the way.
• G has made SO MUCH progress this year and we are EXTREMELY proud of her. She is now coloring and painting (she really hated that stuff before) often, she is talking SO much more (though it is still one of her biggest challenges), and she is really pushing past a lot of other obstacles.
• That said, the anxiety is still a big bummer. It really--REALLY--sucks to not be able to bring your kid to parties...or even regular old places like the grocery storee...without there being an issue. Not that there's ALWAYS an issue, but it is so painful for her that we generally don't push it. If we go to the store, it's and in and out kind of thing. When we are walking to the park together if we come upon adults (kids she is fine with) she doesn't know her hands go up to her face or she runs the other way.
• That said, did you catch that? She's WALKING TO THE PARK WITH US! I am still over the moon about this. Almost four and a half years it took, but I can now say "Hey, Alex, Georgia and I are going to the park, see you later!" And walk out the door with my daughter and take her to the park and back.
• Turns out G's SLP lives two streets over from us and she LOVES (LOVES LOVES LOVES) her SLP from school. I honestly think if she could she would go and live with Miss Dana. I don't know how we didn't realize it, but it came up at the IEP meeting. The next day who she would stumble upon walking her dogs (while Georgia and I were WALKING to the park)?? Miss D! You should have seen the look on Georgia's face! Thankfully, Miss D seems to love G as well and she has alreay emailed me promises of playdates after school gets out.
• Let's talk about Rainer. He is getting so BIG! I mean, big and grown up and WHERE'S MY BABY?? He is really pretty awesome. I mean, he has his days, but the kid is just a sweetheart. (It helps that when I come home he acts like a doting puppy and shouts something like, "Look, Daddy! It's Mommy! Mommy's home! Hooray!!!" (I kid you not, he says "hooray!" up my arrival. Who wouldn't be in love with that?)
• Runnnnnning ooooout of steam here.
• Will try to be a better blogger. Since all.....what? Are the crickets not even reading anymore??

Girl in Translation, BlogHer Book Review

If you are in search of a new book to read, check out Jean Kwok's Girl in Translation. You can check out my review here.

Whirlygigs

Our weeks seem to be flying by and us a quartet of whilring dervishes! I can barely catch my breath between all the appointments and meetings and projects and picnics and playdates!

It's awesome!

I LOVE being busy. Sure, there are some nights when I get a little stressed because it seems that my to-do list is growing each day instead of shrinking, but I like being active. I like having things to do. This weekend was no different. We had things going from the moment we woke up until we crashed in bed both nights. We found ourselves out with the kids hiking and/or at the park before nine a.m. on both Saturday AND Sunday! One of my most favorite things about this is that Georgia is walking to the park with us, hand-in-hand, ALL THE WAY TO THE PARK AND BACK!

We hiked together without a stroller as a foursome for the FIRST TIME EVER on Saturday morning. Not far, and not difficult terrain, of course, but under a bough of trees, along a stream. The kids stoppednow and again to point out lichen and spray-paint markers on the trees. Holding Georgia's hand and walking along with her still gives me a little chill. Her bird-like little hand clasped in mine is stimply marvelous!

Besides that we have been spending a lot of time in the yard. Alex decided Mother's Day weekend was FINALLY the time to go ahead and get the shed I have been asking for for three years and the kids were so kind as to both nap this afternoon so that the two of us could put it together. I. LOVE. IT! No longer will my yard be a giant heap of STUFF STUFF STUFF! It's not huge (though nor it our yard), but it is perfect for us! Thanks, Alex!

Who is this crazy happy lady?

I swear, I just might put a sign on the danged thing that says "Tricia's Happy Place." You might just find me in there reading a book and hiding from the kids! (I kid.)

Also, for Mother's Day? Alex gave me something EVERY woman longs for. SIXTEEN CARATS.

Womp. Womp.

Actually, would you believe me if I told you THESE carrots made me happier than most carats likely would? Okay, okay, I can get a lot of carrots with sixteen carats, so I am not going to turn them down if you got them for me, but.....these carrots (and radishes) sure did make me smile!

There seems to be a growing tend of craved food stuffs on Mother's Day. A couple years ago, Alex roasted potatoes that spelled out "We love you, Mom." These veggies say, "Boo, Happy Mother's Day. We Love Mom."

I was WONDERING what he was doing in the cellar for so long last night!

I hope all you mamas out there had a lovely little weekend.

Oh! And stay tuned to the ol' blog. I have joined up with BlogHer to review some books as part of the new  BlogHer Book Club  and tomorrow you will find a link to my new review on the book Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok.