I am so thankful to have my healthy body back. Each time I have been pregnant and had a c-section, I have been very aware of what it must be like for people with disabilities. I am an extremely healthy person - strong, active, I eat healthy, and I am pushed to the physical limits when I take care of my kids for a day. This afternoon I was carrying Koby in his car seat (MAN, those are heavy!), Elie in my other arm (he was tired and didn't want to walk to go pick up Samara, where there is a ramp to the entrance, but the door is almost never open, forcing me to leave at least one child out of sight in a parking lot for about a minute if I want to bring a stroller), plus two bags. It was HARD. I was tired. But I am still so thankful to be able to do it now. Who cares that I go to bed at 8:30 each night!
Separately...we have been doing great. We had a fantastic 3.5 weeks in Michigan. One week we were at Michigania with my family, which was magical. I didn't have to cook, clean up from meals, I barely had to take care of my kids - MAGICAL! Samara absolutely loved Kids Camp. Elie did not so much love the 0-2 nursery (they had a lot of babies - it was kinda like cry-control that week...I don't blame him), but he went. Matt and I hiked, played tennis, we went to the beach a lot (Elie loved that!), hung out a lot, took a few sailing lessons and generally enjoyed being there. My parents and brother were so incredibly helpful and they had fun with the kids. Elie was a bit confused and thought that we were all staying at Uncle Mark's house (that's what he called the cabin)...but spending the week with Mark and Paula and the cousins was also so much fun. We also had one of my favorite friends from camp and school/Ann Arbor, Daniel and his wife, Annie and their two little guys with us. What a treat.
I also had a whole week just with Koby, and that was so helpful. He had cried a lot before then. When I was with him I realized it was because he only wanted to be awake for an hour at a time. If you catch him before that hour is up (usually there is a yawn or perhaps a little kvetch) and swaddle him up and put him on a flat surface, he will smile at you, coo a little bit and pretty immediately fall asleep. That helped IMMENSELY in taking care of him. Plus I had a vacation from the other kids - it was luxurious to only be with the baby. I didn't have to get out of bed and ready for the day at 6:45. I didn't have to worry about meals. I didn't do baths. No bedtimes. I kinda missed them - and I saw them a whole lot - but I LOVED the time away. I read a lot. I went to sleep at 8 (rather than 8:30). I went for quiet walks. Luxury.
Since we have come back, the kids are doing great. Sam has been in dance camp for the last two weeks - one pirate themed week and one beach theme. Elie has gone to his first camp/school experience (other than Michigania, which again didn't go well), and he absolutely loves it. He barely says goodbye to me. We can't really figure out what he does, but he wants to go everyday (he's going three mornings a week) and talks about it all day. He is going to LOVE Temple Shalom when he starts in the fall. Sam starts Mandarin immersion camp next week for three weeks, and Elie will continue his camp for the next few weeks.
We live about a five minute walk from Crystal Lake, where we can go swim every day. It's been super hot, so we have gone there just to cool off. It's very hard for me to take all of the kids (it would be fine if it weren't for that pesky baby - I have left him sleeping in a stroller, but that may be illegal...), but it's been fun for the kids to play around in the water and sand.
We felt like super champs last weekend as we went on our first day trip. We got up and out of the house by 7:30 to get to Wingaersheek Beach, in Gloucester, near Maine. There was already a queue of cars at 8:30! But it was great! It was sooooo busy and crowded...but there were loads of fantastic kids for our kids to watch, there were wading pools (so we don't have to super watch them as we would in the ocean), there were huge rocks to climb on, plus it's all perfect sand, and the water has super slow entry, so the kids could go far-ish and it was still shallow. They absolutely loved the waves. We left around noon and had lunch in Essex, which was a beautiful little town. Then we headed up to Newburyport, where there was a big festival (Yankee Homecoming - how New England is that?), so there was lots of live music, sidewalk sales, ice cream trucks, etc. Plus it's super cute buildings with a huge marina and loads of boats to watch. We loved that too.
Overall, we're doing great. Not doing much. No real social life. But we're good.
Separately...we have been doing great. We had a fantastic 3.5 weeks in Michigan. One week we were at Michigania with my family, which was magical. I didn't have to cook, clean up from meals, I barely had to take care of my kids - MAGICAL! Samara absolutely loved Kids Camp. Elie did not so much love the 0-2 nursery (they had a lot of babies - it was kinda like cry-control that week...I don't blame him), but he went. Matt and I hiked, played tennis, we went to the beach a lot (Elie loved that!), hung out a lot, took a few sailing lessons and generally enjoyed being there. My parents and brother were so incredibly helpful and they had fun with the kids. Elie was a bit confused and thought that we were all staying at Uncle Mark's house (that's what he called the cabin)...but spending the week with Mark and Paula and the cousins was also so much fun. We also had one of my favorite friends from camp and school/Ann Arbor, Daniel and his wife, Annie and their two little guys with us. What a treat.
I also had a whole week just with Koby, and that was so helpful. He had cried a lot before then. When I was with him I realized it was because he only wanted to be awake for an hour at a time. If you catch him before that hour is up (usually there is a yawn or perhaps a little kvetch) and swaddle him up and put him on a flat surface, he will smile at you, coo a little bit and pretty immediately fall asleep. That helped IMMENSELY in taking care of him. Plus I had a vacation from the other kids - it was luxurious to only be with the baby. I didn't have to get out of bed and ready for the day at 6:45. I didn't have to worry about meals. I didn't do baths. No bedtimes. I kinda missed them - and I saw them a whole lot - but I LOVED the time away. I read a lot. I went to sleep at 8 (rather than 8:30). I went for quiet walks. Luxury.
Since we have come back, the kids are doing great. Sam has been in dance camp for the last two weeks - one pirate themed week and one beach theme. Elie has gone to his first camp/school experience (other than Michigania, which again didn't go well), and he absolutely loves it. He barely says goodbye to me. We can't really figure out what he does, but he wants to go everyday (he's going three mornings a week) and talks about it all day. He is going to LOVE Temple Shalom when he starts in the fall. Sam starts Mandarin immersion camp next week for three weeks, and Elie will continue his camp for the next few weeks.
We live about a five minute walk from Crystal Lake, where we can go swim every day. It's been super hot, so we have gone there just to cool off. It's very hard for me to take all of the kids (it would be fine if it weren't for that pesky baby - I have left him sleeping in a stroller, but that may be illegal...), but it's been fun for the kids to play around in the water and sand.
We felt like super champs last weekend as we went on our first day trip. We got up and out of the house by 7:30 to get to Wingaersheek Beach, in Gloucester, near Maine. There was already a queue of cars at 8:30! But it was great! It was sooooo busy and crowded...but there were loads of fantastic kids for our kids to watch, there were wading pools (so we don't have to super watch them as we would in the ocean), there were huge rocks to climb on, plus it's all perfect sand, and the water has super slow entry, so the kids could go far-ish and it was still shallow. They absolutely loved the waves. We left around noon and had lunch in Essex, which was a beautiful little town. Then we headed up to Newburyport, where there was a big festival (Yankee Homecoming - how New England is that?), so there was lots of live music, sidewalk sales, ice cream trucks, etc. Plus it's super cute buildings with a huge marina and loads of boats to watch. We loved that too.
Overall, we're doing great. Not doing much. No real social life. But we're good.
first bottle
first kayak (kaki as pronounced by Elie)
Sam on Pumba
Elie on Astro
Walloon. Elie driving.
the diag
Nursing #3 on the diag. Couldn't have pictured that 15 (!!!) years ago.
Sam and our new cousin-dog, Alpha
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