May 6

This was a rough week for Sarah’s face. On Monday (after she and Amy were fighting over who got the elephant watering can), Sarah tripped and bumped her tooth on the sidewalk, resulting in a chipped front grown-up tooth. Tomorrow she goes to the dentist to see if it is fixable. I really hope it is. The concern is that the amount that chipped is so small that a fix might not hold. I know there are bigger, more involved options, but I don’t know that we want anything involving major dental work. It is small, but I feel like Sarah’s life will be challenging enough and people will make enough assumptions in varying ways, so I really want her outer look to be as good as it can be because I know that makes a difference (even if it shouldn’t).

On Friday, for the second time ever, I had to end a massage in the middle so I could go get Sarah from school. She hit her nose on the toilet (no one knows how) and had quite a bloody nose for a while. She was crying a lot, but seemed ok once we were in the car. A couple of hours later she was swollen enough that I called the doctor and they said they wanted to see her. When she told the doctor what happened she got sad and teary again. Luckily, her nose isn’t broken. Since then she has been totally fine aside from the swelling (and, yes, she has put ice on it). It is almost back to normal now.

Yesterday, Amy and Carl ran the Kids of Steel 1 mile race. Sarah and I successfully navigated dropping them off, parking, and walking to the course. We are now inspired to consider running as a family in another kids’ race. I think 1 mile is a good goal for me. 

Earlier in the week the girls were playing upstairs by running down the hall and sliding for the last couple of feet. Amy went away to do something else and Sarah went to her, asking her “Amy will you come slide with me?” This is one of those simple, “normal” moments that is actually significantly amazing. Sarah may often articulate that she wants Amy to play with her, in a “I want to do (blank) with Amy” way, so it is a big deal that she went to find Amy and asked her so clearly, cleanly, and directly to play. 

Last night I made an obstacle course around the circular path that goes through our rooms downstairs. This is part of my new goal of getting Sarah to be more physically active. It was amazing to see how flexibly Sarah followed Amy’s suggestions for variations on how to move through the course, such as going sideways or backwards on some of the balance beams. After many laps, we had pizza and watched “The Secret Life of Pets.” Sarah watched more and laughed more than she has with most movies. When it was bedtime we set up the sofa bed and let the girls sleep downstairs. Miraculously, we have now had two nights in a row where the girls stayed in their own beds all night long. 

As I have been writing, Sarah got the soy milk out of the fridge and used a stool to reach some plastic cups. She then delivered soy milk to each person’s place at the table. Wow.

Carl and I went to a Josh Ritter concert on Friday. We felt like extreme groupies because we arrived before the doors opened and had to stand in the rain. We didn’t mean to be so early! But we do love his music and will see him whenever he comes to Pittsburgh. For some songs, especially his last finale, my face hurt from smiling and yet I couldn’t stop smiling. I wonder if that is how Josh’s face feels after each concert he gives. His joy and delight radiate, and he seems to be having the most fun of anyone in the whole room. I love the different ways in which people make the world a better place. 

Thank you all for making my world a better place.