This update is dedicated to my aunt J. who was recently placed in hospice care. In addition to reading my updates and cheering for our journey all along, she and my uncle financially supported the Sarah-Rise Program and made it feel easily possible to do whatever we thought could be most helpful for Sarah. My aunt always said it was the gift of freedom. That was so true and is still deeply appreciated. Tomorrow morning I’ll be on my way to see my aunt and uncle, hopefully in time, so that is why I’m sending this update out tonight.
I am currently visiting my Dad and stepmother (Grammy and Granddad). I got to see my brother for an early birthday celebration for him, and my uncle (different side of the family from the one mentioned above) came for the celebration too. Today was a lovely day, even if it was unseasonably warm. Carl and the kids are having a Dad’s Weekend, during which the kids helped him change the bumper on his Jeep, lying down on the wheelie thing to see the underside of the car.
Halloween was wonderful. The weather was mild. This was the first year that we nearly ran out of candy to distribute, aside from the pile I set aside to trade for any items Sarah might need to swap because of her peanut allergy. It turned out that she is so aware of her allergy and what candy she can’t have that I didn’t need to change a single item of her bountiful haul. Both girls had to come back home part way through trick-or-treating to drop off their full plastic pumpkin baskets and get new bags or pumpkin baskets. Sarah was dressed as a musical note crocodile, with a large cardboard crocodile head, a soft tail, and a cardboard metronome that she wore around her neck. She wore musical note pajamas and musical note boots. Amy was Tinkerbell, Carl was Peter Pan, I was Wendy, Anna was Captain Hook and their partner was Smee. What was interesting was that many people had no idea who Carl and I were if we were solo, but if we were together then people instantly knew who we were. The crocodile trick or treated with Captain Hook and Smee while Tinkerbell went around with her friends, and Peter and Wendy stayed home to hand out candy.
I have solved the swimming situation! Hopefully our new arrangement will start in about a week. I found a place that sends teachers to you at your pool of choice and I learned that the place where the kids used to go for swim lessons actually is still open even though their swim lessons haven’t been happening there due to variable pool temperatures. So I will sign us up as members and Sarah will get a private lesson during the open swim time, and Amy and I will swim laps (assuming there is space for us). I am tentatively thrilled about this solution. Our Mondays will still be tight and have piano, picking up Amy from school, and going straight to swimming, but the location for swimming is better.
Sarah insisted on wearing her 8th grade sweatshirt all week to school, even though technically it is only to be worn on Spirit Days or dress down days. I decided there are only so many battles I can fight and if the teachers want to make her take it off then she has a backup sweatshirt she could change into. But she has come home in the 8th grade sweatshirt every day so either she changes back into it before her bus ride or they haven’t been enforcing the rule.
Sarah’s appetite is better than it was when it was really diminished, but I still don’t feel that we are back to normal. She mostly stays well (knock on wood) but today had some phlegmy time and said her belly wasn’t feeling the best.
Amy was supposed to have her first 6th grade dance on Friday but it was postponed, much to her disappointment. She also had her first cheerleading class for Block Zero. Block Zero is a daily class time with fun options to choose from for each quarter. Students have a different Block Zero subject each day, but have those subjects for the quarter. Cheerleading was something she had been really really really looking forward to. And then it was not what she expected. They didn’t spend time doing handstands and cartwheels at all. There was running and jumping and clapping and it all felt a bit fast and maybe overwhelming. She felt like she didn’t fit in, in part because she was the only white student and in part because she didn’t know anyone aside from the teacher. That night she had may tears and feelings about not fitting in, but we also had a good conversation about that and how other people might also have such feelings sometimes.
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