What a Month!!

I apologize for the lack of blog posts this month. We have been overwhelmed lately. Jim has been working at a shutdown - the result has been 14 hour work days - he's had one full day off and that was the day of my gallbladder surgery. I had that nasty little organ removed last Wednesday - the surgery went well and I've been feeling a bit better each day. I think the worst part was trying to recover from the anesthetic - the nausea and dizziness were pretty bad for a couple days. In the meantime, we're just trying to get through each day. My parents have been working overtime helping us out and they are both exhausted. Jim and I agreed that there aren't words to express how grateful we are to them. My wonderful sister-in-law Colleen came and hung out with me the day after the surgery and my incredible Aunt Gaetanne came the day after and provided some much needed exercise and entertainment for Murphy.

In the meantime some pictures. We are hoping that our lives return to normal in June....we've all agreed that we can't go on this way much longer...

Happy Birthday Daddy!!!

I don't think either guy is going to win any dance contests any time soon, but I think they're both pretty cute!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JIM!!!!!!!! Please don't kill me for posting that video....

By the way, Jim doesn't always dance that way...honest...well, at least most of the time....

Raining On My Parade

Don’t you hate it when that happens? Once again I guess I’ve been under the mistaken impression that Bennett is doing well. He has been in daycare 2 days a week for almost 2 months now and just loves it. When I extended his day, the caregivers told me that they didn’t believe that they needed an enhanced staff person for the added time because Bennett was doing so well.

I should have known that it was too good to last. I had a feeling that things would change once one of his therapists visited. And sure enough that’s what happened today. It was recommended that Bennett have constant supervision while outside. This means that the daycare will be requesting that his enhanced staff person be extended to a full day. While I agree that he needs to be watched more closely than the other kids I can’t even begin to tell you how much I hate the fact that he will have someone hanging over him all day. A person who with the best of intentions will hold his hand, help him get up every time he falls, and carry him over obstacles.

Gone are the days when Bennett could just sit by himself beside the fence picking grass while sampling morsels of sand. No more walking around the slide and cleverly figuring out how to get over landscape ties all by himself. No longer will he be able to open the door of the playhouse for a cute little girl and gently shove her inside while quickly closing the door behind her. (What – there’s such a thing as a gentle shove and besides, I’m pretty sure that little girl wanted to go inside anyway!) Instead his every move will be watched, monitored, assessed and assisted.

I love the fact that there is extra help for Bennett but I hate that sometimes it seems to smother him – to stifle him. I want him to be a kid – a kid who falls, a kid who gets in trouble and a kid who gets the chance to figure things out in his own way in his own time.

I guess I need a bigger umbrella.

Updates

I wore pants and these shoes to the wedding. While seated I took them off under the table. After 5 hours we left - I was in significant but manageable pain. It was a nice evening out.

Then on Monday, Bennett got sick. His main symtom was crankiness and a high fever. We took him to the doctor on Tuesday who diagnosed an ear infection. Sometimes I think they just make that up but what the heck do I know. The result is antibiotics for the next 10 days. He's feeling much better - which makes me happy. Who wants to look at that face all day?

Murphy is making friends - at least with our neighbour's poodle Jack. That's a good thing because he certainly isn't winning any points with Grandma. Yesterday he knocked over a vase of flowers and then proceeded to eat them. He brought her new ones today - hopefully she forgives him...

Speaking of Murphy - he's not winning any points with Jim either. This morning he had to chase the puppy across our wet lawn in socks after he escaped from our living room. The video below shows another epic battle - one that seems to be replayed on a daily basis.

Other than dealing with a sick two year old and a 13 week old puppy, I've been busy working and feeling rushed and tired much of the time. Tell me working moms - does it get easier??

One more picture of Murphy. As annoying as he is at times, we have grown incredibly fond of the little guy. He slept in that position for quite a while - silly puppy....

If You're Happy and You Know It!

Today I was the parent volunteer at Bennett's Jr. PATH program. He goes to this program two mornings a week and gets treatment from all of his therapists along with four other kids. I could just hang out as they went through the routine, do a craft or bring something for show and tell. I considered bringing Murphy for a split second and then gave my head a good shake. Believe it or not I brought a craft! We made foam door hangers with stickers following an outdoorsy theme. You can see the picture of the one Bennett and I made above. The kids seemed to like it - Bennett however, was not that interested but I managed to coax him into finishing.

My favourite part of the day was watching them as they went through their gross motor activities. Bennett loves music and as you can see in the videos below, he especially loves the song, "If You're Happy and You Know It". Watch the videos below at your own risk - there is extreme cuteness involved!!

Postscript to Shoe Dilemma: I still have not decided what shoes to wear. Thank you so much to everyone who made suggestions! I wish I had the guts to wear Crocs - I loved Julia's idea of dressing them up!! Wearing pants is a serious option as well - as a couple people mentioned, my shoes would probably not attract much attention that way. Dawn's idea of sneaking in comfortable shoes to wear under the table is fantastic - I think I might do that. I'll let you know what happens.