Happy Valentine’s Day! We were all excited to dress up for the day. I woke up early to make donuts with pink frosting and chocolate chips. I also made chocolate covered strawberries for the girls to have after dinner. They are so delicious and so simple! Thanks to Grandpa for babysitting, Carl and I were able to go to one of our favorite restaurants for dinner.
Overall the week went well. The biggest (and expected) hiccough was Thursday morning because Carl had just gotten back from a trip and Sarah really really really really really didn’t want to go to school. I felt stuck and was starting to panic when she was still in pajamas (having opted out of any breakfast) and the bus was due in ten minutes. My reasoning with her didn’t work. My threatening that if she missed the bus she wouldn’t get to watch a show when she got home didn’t phase her. Once she said that her pajamas were comfy cozy then I saw my angle and I took it, reminding her that if her love of the pajamas meant that she wouldn’t get dressed when she needed to, then the pajamas would be retired. That worked. She even had time for part of her breakfast and then went happily to school. Then the teacher called me. Apparently, this was the morning that Sarah discovered how to raise and lower her seat back on the bus, to the great annoyance of the student sitting behind her. Sigh. I suggested that the teacher remind her that if she couldn’t leave the seat alone she would have to move back to the seat behind the driver, which is where she used to sit. As far as I know, that reminder worked. We also decided to simplify her bus experience and get rid of her booster seat, since she was on the edge of not needing it anyway. This helps with her independence in getting off the bus. She has started getting off before I even get to the bus door, shutting the door herself.
Last weekend, Sonia and I took down the climber that used to be in our family room. It was a wonderful climbing apparatus, but it was starting to break in some ways and I didn’t feel safe having it anymore. Amy was quite upset about losing it, and for a little while I thought she was going to stay on it to prevent us from removing it. Eventually she moved. It was not an easy task to get the structure down, but we prevailed and felt proud of ourselves for our success. Once I set the gymnastics mats out across the floor, the girls were thrilled to practice their tumbling.
Sarah had a substitute teacher for her swim lesson and it helped me appreciate her usual teacher even more than I already do. It is so clear when people enjoy Sarah and when they don’t. I’m the first to admit that she can be a challenge, but I still want those who work with her to love her, appreciate her personality, believe in her ability, and push her just the right amount. Her usual teacher does all of these things in spades and so I really hope we have her back soon.
Sarah continues to bike up a storm on Zwift. I don’t know how many miles she has done total because for a short time she and I had to share an account, but I think she is doing 5-10 miles a day and definitely has done well over 100 miles in a couple of weeks. Amy has little interest, possibly because of how much Sarah likes it. While Amy used to delight in doing the same thing or wearing the same thing as Sarah, now she is furious if there is the slightest mention of them being twins or matching. She doesn’t want Sarah to be in her room ever and made herself a Cat Police badge so she could reinforce her door sign that said “Sarah and Dad” in a circle with a line through it. I think the only reason I wasn’t on that list is that I wasn’t home when she made it.
A good antidote to the frustrating moments is when I notice all of the things that used to be impossible or unthinkable that are now commonplace. Sarah takes over whenever I am making scrambled eggs. She is an expert blender of steamed cauliflower, getting a smoother texture than I do because she enjoys the process of blending so much. She can string pasta on yarn to make a necklace as if it was no challenge at all. She showers. She has two kid friends that are her friends, not just friends of Amy’s who might include her in some way. The list is immensely long if I think back to her infancy, but I will limit it to what has been of note recently. The list helps me remember that anything seemingly impossible now may at some point become so normal that I barely take heed.
May you be full of love. May you escape eviction by the cat police. May you easily surpass whatever feels impossible.
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