Did you know that you can have a delayed histamine reaction to bad dairy? So that super itchy hives and blotchy skin and congestion begin possibly 6 hours after having the old cottage cheese that your mother thought smelled and looked ok but apparently was not ok? Now we know. Sarah was the victim of my cottage cheese misjudgment. Claritin and Pepsid AC came to the rescue, under the guidance of Sarah’s doctor via a telemedicine appointment. I am relieved that Sarah wasn’t sick, but it was certainly a time of puzzled worry as the itchiness increased.
Every school morning Sarah has a really reeeeeeeeeeeaaaalllly HARD time waiting for Anna to arrive (to put it mildly). My suggestions of what she could do while she waits fall on resistant ears. Carl had the idea to ask Anna to talk with Sarah about the situation. Anna wrote a note for Sarah that says “Dear Sarah, I miss you. See you soon. Please do something you LOVE while you wait. xoxo Anna.” They made a map of a bike route that Sarah could follow on her stationary Zwift bike to ride to Anna’s house. They started a list of things Sarah could do while waiting. Day one with the new plan was still a bit challenging, but only in very specific moments when Sarah was maybe feeling like she didn’t do something well. She was late to homeroom so didn’t get to say hello to her homeroom teacher and Carl called her on laughing at Amy when Amy was sad. It was in those moments that Sarah then immediately requested Anna.
I have never seen Sarah enjoy practicing her writing or her math the way she does now with Anna. She has been doing math problems involving how many mice are in a house. The house is divided into an attic and a downstairs. Different numbers of mice go in each space. After drawing the house, the dividing line, and the mice, she then circles each mouse as she counts it.
Last weekend we decorated our porch for Halloween. Before winding an orange and black garland around our stair railing, Amy tucked it in her waistband to be the longest cat tail in the world. Amy also received her mermaid-pattern dress that Grandma made. Amy wears it daily. It is black with rainbow mermaids and purple satin trim, and a pocket! Olivia seems to like the dress too because she often curls up in Amy’s lap, much to Amy’s delight.
Yesterday I drove to and from Philadelphia for a few hours of a distanced, masked porch visit with my mom and stepfather. As I began the drive, my rental car started complaining about overheating. So as I drove down the turnpike with the heat cranked to the max and the windows open, Carl arranged things so I could exchange the car at a different Enterprise along the way. Thank goodness! My feet were roasting, my hair was windblown, and I was grateful to get into a car that could keep its cool so I could do the same. It was a wonderful visit, both so normal and so surreal. How peculiar to use the powder room but not be able to go anywhere else in the house. How odd not to hug upon my arrival. At the end, my mom and I donned bathrobes and disposable shower caps so we could hug and then she was going to wash the bathrobes when we were done. I wanted to hold on forever. The visit was worth every minute of driving and overheating.
While I was away, Carl took the girls on a short hike in the woods. Sarah normally resists such things mightily, but she did it!
Sarah has been enjoying watching the "Mr. Greg reads" from Friday night. He dedicated the reading to Sarah since she wasn’t up to their usual Facetime session due to her itchiness. Reading his dedication on FB and hearing him talk about how she always helps him pick his Friday book got me all teary. Given my challenges of connecting harmoniously with Sarah sometimes, I am extra grateful for the people who have their own wonderful connections with her.
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