Our Great Summer Wrap-Up

It's been a couple of months since I've posted.  We have had one heck of a busy summer...  The past few months have been full of changes for us.  Some are for the better, some were simply devastating, and some just were.

Our summer did not start well, as many of you know.  We lost my Grandmere the first week of June.  That was one hell of a week...  Not even a month later my Aunt went into the hospital with stomach pains and while she was in there her husband (my Grandmere's son) went in after having a heart attack.  He ended up needing open heart surgery.  While he was recovering my other grandmother went into the hospital with chest pains.  This was followed by my own collapse in early July while the latter two were still in the hospital.

Crazy right?

We are all now on the mend and mostly recovered, thankfully.  We got to a point where we were about to ask the hospital for a 5th floor multiple room discount. ;)

For six weeks this summer we had the opportunity to send Sparky to a social skills camp run by the agency where we receive our BSC/TSS services.  The camp was run by our former BSC/Mobile Therapist who recently left our case.  We weren't really sure how he would do but were hoping for the best.  On day 2 of camp he was already asking to stay home next summer and not attend any camp.  This did not bode well...

Turns out it was wildly successful!  He ended up having a great time and made a few friends in the process.  I was really excited when on the last day of camp he received his first phone call from a friend! YAY!!!!  It was hilarious to listen to and made me realize that we need to work on his telephone skills. BADLY... Haha!

Sparky also went on his longest trip away from me!  He went with Grandma to visit my sister for six days.  If you've been on my page recently you'll know that it was a recent trip and it went quite well!  While he was off visiting his Aunt I participated in a weekend race across Lake Erie.  Oh, what fun that was!  After I returned I was thankful for the extra two days of peace before the kiddo came home so I could recover.  Sleep was not something to be had on that trip!  ;)  When he came home he barreled into me like a football player and nearly took me off my feet!  He was so excited to be home again.  He walked through the house and (naturally) tracked down each cat to greet them and tell them how much he missed them.  I'm not sure they missed him nearly as much as he missed them, but ya know... ;)

This summer also saw the end of my engagement to Strike.  He's still around as he is still important to us but the split needed to happen.  We still care about each other but it was just something that was a long time coming.  It was a really hard decision but it is for the best.  Sparky handled it quite well and seems to be none the worse for wear.  He also understands that Strike is still available if he wants to talk to him and he isn't completely gone from his life.  I think that helps a lot and has made all the difference in how he's handled this split verses how he still hasn't fully recovered from my split from Ears many years ago.

Now we sit here looking at the future!  The kiddo starts sixth grade this year (who told him he could grow up????) in middle school and I start a new job in our home school district.  I'm also going to be starting rehearsals soon for my next show now that I have the time again.  I can't wait!  My older sister (the last of us to make such an announcement) has finally made it public that she is due in January!  I'm extremely excited about this and I so can't wait! BABY!!! :D

Things are finally looking up for us as we prepare for some pretty major changes.  I'm really excited for what is to come and I can't wait to see where the road leads!  School starts a week later this year on Sept 2nd which means we have an extra week to enjoy summer!!

Now I have to figure out what exactly to do with it...  I had all these plans to visit different parks and museums but now time is running out.  I think we'll stick with the local zoo, baseball games, and the beach for now.  :)

Good luck with your back to school adventures!

 Here he is squeezing the bejeebes out of me and my face upon his return home. Ouch!!

He's Growing Up....

My baby is growing up.

Sounds like a pretty obvious statement I know. He is starting 5th grade next week. He is 10 years old.

Over the summer we've been home every day together. Just doing what we do. I've had a first row seat to every thought, feeling, attitude, idea, and quirk to come his way.

I can see the changes.

Mental.

Emotional.

Physical.

It is quite easy to brush aside the mental and emotional changes. They are, after all, not very concrete. Just slips of whispers on the wind gliding by...

The physical changes are a bit harder. He's changing. His body is changing. He's going from my sweet little boy to a young  man.

Ten is a little too young, you think? Not so.

With every wrangled bath, every swipe of deodorant, every dark new hair, each independent new thought, every new inch he grows, I know.

It kind of makes me want to turn back the clock. Try to make up for all those times when I just "didn't have the time" to do so much with him when he was little. I want to embrace the little boy just a little more before I face the man he is becoming.

But I can't turn back time. I can't even slow time. I'm left to only live here in the present moment with him. Snuggling as long as he'll let me. Accepting his many kisses on the cheek. And loving the thoughtful polite little man he is turning out to be.

My mommy heart is breaking. But at the same time, it is bursting with the joy of seeing the amazing person he is turning out to be.

I am, beyond a doubt, one happy and proud mama.

Love this kid!

Have I mentioned lately how much I love this kid?

No really. He totally rocks. I know, we are all supposed to think that of our children but really, he's the best.

Sure I get frustrated. Sure I want to throw things, yell, scream, hole up, etc. But really, at the end of the day, he is truly my heart.

I've been counting down the days until school starts (2 days!) like all parents do. How many days it is until we can get that 6 hour break, 5 days a week. When I reflect back on this summer, the first summer ever like this one, I have to say.... I just may miss him.

This is my first summer where I didn't work. For 9 years I have worked 40 hours a week (and in recent years had summer courses for my Master's) and had so little time to spare. This summer he was away for one day a week. He went to the local YMCA every Monday and had one heck of a time at Camp Sherwin with his TSS in tow.

We spent 99% of our time attached at the hip. There were times when I was quite certain that what was left of my sanity would just fly right out the window. He would sneak into my bed in the middle of the night. Curl up with me in the morning. Interrupt my showers. Follow me around the house. Accompany me on every errand. Even go out to dinner with me and my girl friends.

He saw more of his mommy's daily life in one summer than he has the previous 9 years combined.

His BSC asked me yesterday if I had seen any of the behavior we saw at the end of the school year. He was clingy, would cry easily, and was constantly fearing that I didn't love him for some reason.

You know... I haven't. She said this summer must have been great for us, it allowed us to reconnect and he got to see how much he is loved.

Well damn. She's right.

I think back to all the lazy mornings. Announcements of being out of some food item or another (seemingly every day). Paper creations everywhere. Legos.... (Nuff said!) Pleas to stay up (not like either of us had anyplace to be!). Road trips. Explosions from the microwave. Strange noises I'd hear as I lay in bed quickly followed by "It's ok mom! Everything is all right, I promise! It was nothing!" I can't help but chuckle.

Last night I told him he had to start sleeping in his own bed. I barely had it out when he asked why. I told him he needed to get ready for school to start. I could see it in his face. As excited as he is for 4th grade....

He isn't ready for summer to end either.