May 20

Sarah was outside and saw a neighborhood boy running by. She looked up and waved and said hi. He waved and said hi. It was so easy and normal I wanted to explode with joy and also implode crying with joy, but I kept it all inside me as if it was no big deal. Because it wasn’t a big deal. And that is what made it such a big amazing deal.

In OT, Sarah wrote her name the most clearly and perfectly I have ever seen her write it.

The girls had their swim lesson on Friday, and Sarah continued her baby steps of progress. She spent most of the time walking around with her feet on the bottom of the pool. She even let the teacher hold her for a moment. The look of joy after she went with the teacher and we all cheered was priceless. Sarah can be a grumpy grump with the best of them (the best of them perhaps meaning me) but her full joy is sunshine personified. Amy is making tremendous progress and has almost graduated out of their beginner level, which may possibly pose a scheduling/coordinating/two-child problem unless the teacher and program can be flexible.

We took the girls to a play today. It was “We are in a Play" based on Mo Willems’ Elephant and Piggie books. Perhaps surprisingly, we made it through the whole thing, in large part thanks to Carl being wonderful. On the drive to the show the girls were whining and complaining about various things. I was feeling grumpy and my energy was leaking out of me. He responded to the girls with kindness and creativity, all while focusing on the good thing we were about to do. During the show he kept Sarah corralled in an area that gave her freedom to move around, watch the show, sit on his lap, and not escape. 

Sarah has been continuing to read books on her own. This week her favorite has been A Great Day for Up by Dr. Seuss. I love that she is independently selecting books from our shelves and then wanting to bring them with her in the car or closing the door to her room so she can read on her own.

Sarah has also been bringing her tricycle down our porch steps all by herself. This is often when I have told her that she may go out on the porch but that she is to stay on the porch. It is awesome that she can carry the trike and wants to ride it so much. It is not so awesome that she isn’t following instructions.

Sometimes when we ask Sarah a question she whispers the answer. I love that. It seems extra earnest.

Amy had some homework about life cycles and needed to bring pictures of herself at various ages. While I looked through my bins of printed photos, hoping to save myself needing to print new ones, I found a picture of myself when I was 12. I was holding two stuffed animals (Clarence and Podgelit for those who remember) that were new and clean and fluffy. I still have them and they show the love they received over the years. I showed the picture to Amy thinking she would be surprised by the stuffed animals. Instead, she was surprised by the younger me. Now I want to find many more younger me and younger Carl pictures to show the girls.

I am loving the neuromuscular therapy (aka trigger point) class I am taking. Absolutely loving it. I was super tired a few nights ago and ready to go to bed. Then I remembered I wanted to do just a tiny bit of studying for the class. I suddenly had plenty of energy. I love my work so much. Taking the class also feels like it is waking up some latent Jennyness that hasn’t been seen for many years. Along with the reading for class I am also reading a book of poems by ee cummings. It is so joyfully wonderful. Soon I’ll be wanting a theatre group. I don’t know how to quite explain what I feel inside but it is like watering a wilted plant of my intellectual side that is suddenly looking for more sun. 

Love and flashcards to you all.