Labor Day Weekend at the Lake

We were invited to a family friend's Lake House over Labor Day weekend.  The girls LOVE Captain Gerry and Ms. Arlene!  It was a beautiful day--perfect weather, great company, delicious food, fun times.

E and Viv love the windy ride

Captain and the crew

Viv in front

E hanging out

The girls were different on the water this year.  Vivian was not so timid, and Elena was more stable.  I think a lot of that was because both are bigger than last year.  Elena also seems to be understanding that when her feet are flat on the ground, it improves her balance foundation.  That's especially important here, as she is moving around mostly in bare feet/water shoes.

Dad was allowed to drive the boat...fast!

After our boat ride, the girls wanted to swim in the lake.  The water was cool, but the weather was hot--very refreshing!

Pink Dolphins waiting to take the plunge

"Swim School"

Sisters swimming

We tried a new thing this year...tubing!  We saw lots of other people on the water, so this year we decided to try it.  I wasn't worried about Captain Gerry driving too fast, and I wasn't worried about the kids in their floatation vests having trouble if the tube capsized for any reason.  I was worried about possibly getting caught up in a deflating tube, or just the kids being scared in general.  I went with one child at a time.

Our first try, the tube ended up not being properly plugged after inflating, so Elena and I had to "abandon tube" a few minutes into our ride.  Elena and I laughed the whole time, it was a very funny situation--especially since I felt prepared for it.  We got back on the boat, fixed the tube, and tried again.

Mom and Viv tubing!  

Mom and E tubing!

Vivian preferred a calm tow, while Elena liked being fast and going over bumpy waves.  We weren't the only ones who had a new water adventure...Jason went water skiing too!  My pictures/movies are mostly of him wiping out (my camera got full) but he was successful and managed to get up on his skis!  I didn't try...I have been water skiing only once, and I don't think contact lens wearers make great novice skiers.

We adjourned into the house for a delicious meal.  We were all exhausted from such a fun, stimulating adventurous day.  Thank you so much, T family--what a way to celebrate Labor Day!

Elena's A-maize-ing Race

*This was from August 2013*

There is a farm about 30 minutes away that has a 5K race through a corn maze.

Elena's longest race has been one mile.  We were looking for a new challenge...but 5K (3.1 miles) is too long for E right now.  There was a walk option, so I emailed the farm and asked how long that portion would be.

They said it was about a mile, but that's if you explored every part of the maze.  That option was mainly for little kids, and more of a maze exploration feature than a race.

We were a little bit bummed...Elena wanted to race, not explore.

So, I explained our situation and I asked if there was a way to have us exit the race portion of the maze somewhere close to a mile.  They agreed--and asked if we wanted to come out and check out the terrain some weekend before the race to make sure it was a good fit.

My thoughts on the maze were several fold; one, we had to be in the last wave of runners, b/c the maze can fit maybe two runners side-by-side, and I didn't want anyone passing Elena and clipping her crutches.  Two, I didn't expect the path to be smooth--but it was pretty rough.  And there were considerable hills, too.  Farmers Kent and Evie tried to assure us that we could figure out where we were in the maze by the shape of our running path--no way.  I wondered if we should tether a balloon to us so they could see where we were...they promised they wouldn't let us get lost.

The day before the race it rained.  A LOT.  But we were committed, mud or no mud.

Ready to Race!

Running up the hill

We didn't have any runners around us--we were passed right from the start (in the last wave of runners).  But that was okay.  Our goals were to have fun, try to run as much as we could, while being safe.

Corn Star

The course was difficult!  Very hilly, a little slippery, and it seemed to take forever.  E slipped and fell once--and by the tracks we saw, she wasn't the only one.  I knew E wouldn't be able to keep her normal pace, but I didn't realize how much harder this field would be to run than on smooth pavement.  It was a LOT harder. We walked a few times, and had a few water breaks.

Success!

We finished in about 36 minutes.  Our portion of the course was 1.1 miles, E's longest to date.

Arial Maze shot

The 5K race course--we exited at the bottom of the lower left balloon (near the maze entrance/exit)

E and Farmer Kent

At the end of the race, there was an awards ceremony where the fastest runners from each age category received a medal. or special shirt, or special pear gourd.  But before any of that, Elena actually got a special award from Kent and Evie.  They presented her with an apple gourd, for being the "most inspiring runner"!  

Proud Apple Girl

Huge thanks to Liberty Mills Farm, and Evie and Kent and their family for helping us have a successful race and a really fun time around the farm.  We'll be back for the Fall Festival!  

Welcome to Third Grade

Even though things are going well right now, I can't help but have concerns about third grade.

Before I go into this, let me sum up my concerns regarding Elena in previous years:

Public Pre-K:  Will Elena be accepted by her peers?  YES.  Will her teachers be able to handle integrating her in the classroom/playground?  YES.  Will she be able to keep up academically (if you can say that, in pre-K) with her peers?  YES.  Will Elena realize she is different?  YES.

Kindergarten:  Will Elena be accepted by her peers?  YES.  Will she be able to navigate her new surroundings?  YES.  Will she enjoy the bus?  YES.  Will she fit in socially, as the kids grow older?  YES.  Will others tease her? NO.  Will she keep up academically?  YES.

First Grade:  Will Elena be accepted by her peers?  YES.  Will she be able to navigate her new surroundings?  YES.  Will she fit in socially, as the kids grow older?  YES.  Will others tease her? NO.  Will she keep up academically?  YES.

Second Grade:  Will Elena be accepted by her peers?  YES.  Will she be able to navigate her new surroundings?  YES.  Will she fit in socially, as the kids grow older?  YES.  Will others tease her? YES.  Will she be able to handle this?  YES.  Will she keep up academically?  MOSTLY.  

Elena had a great year in second grade, and I learned several important lessons.  One, she absolutely needs to be in a good seating arrangement to do her best work.  Her second grade classroom offered a lot of choices, one of them seating arrangements (kneeling, sitting, standing) and she almost always chose kneeling--and her kneel was an awkward side-kneel-slouch position where she was struggling to be comfortable and unable to use her hands to her best advantage.  Neither her teacher, nor aide,  nor I ever realized how important this was to her work at a tabletop until the end of the year.  Another deficit, if I can call it that, was she was behind in her math concepts.  They teach 'number sense' rather than rote math (how I learned it)--it's more a global approach to numbers and how they relate to each other, and I think it's absolutely a better way of learning math--provided the child can see the whole 'number sense' picture before the end of the year.  Elena had pieces, but couldn't grasp the entire concept...and Jason and I were at a loss of how to help.  We didn't want to confuse her by teaching her "our way" of doing math, so we got a tutor (Elena prefers the term "Math Coach") and having him over the summer helped IMMENSELY.  

My biggest apprehension regarding third grade is the testing.  There are more standardized tests in third grade than fourth and fifth--either b/c they are getting the kids used to it, or they are trying out new ways of testing.  Either way, Elena's few test experiences weren't all that great.  Not because her scores were terrible (they were not great), but because she thought she did fantastically, and that "it was easy".    We nodded our heads and left it at that, hoping that as the concepts (specifically, math) sunk in more her realization of her testing performance would become more accurate.  Let's hope so, anyway.

Regardless of how I might be nervous about third grade, the most important part is that Elena is enjoying learning--which she is.  She is more independent than ever, uses her crutches less than ever (only to lunch, PE, and recess), and enjoys her teacher, her subjects, and her classmates.  Her educators have always been, and continue to be, approachable and willing to work with me/her aide/her IEP/her PTs/etc. to help her succeed and integrate as seamlessly as possible.

I don't expect Third Grade to be a breeze...but there's a lot to celebrate as we approach this new challenge.

Let's do this!

Summer Roundup, beginning of school

This has been an eventful month.  It continues to be (more on that later), so this recap will have to be relatively brief if I ever have the hope of "catching up".

After we got back from our beach trip (end of July) we decided to get new kittens.  We've had this as part of our plan since the beginning of this year.  The pictures we have of our new additions seem ancient now, as they grow so fast.

KITTY PICTURE of S and T

Vivan reading to Shirley

Both Shirley and Temple are loving, playful, patient, mischievous felines.  They enjoy playing with the kids, and have integrated themselves perfectly into the family.

I was fortunate to take a day off work so SW and I could take the kids to Busch Gardens with our family friends, the Rs.  SW and I talked about how we would get around the park this year; we all decided that we would attempt the entire day on foot (our double stroller was in the car trunk if we had to go back for it).  The Rs were game, and helped work some long-range transport (skytram, park train) into our day.  Elena is a thrill-seeker, and enjoys roller coasters and other big kid/grown up rides (Viv not so much) and we all had a great time.  The weather was perfect (unlike last year, where it was unbearably hot) and the park wasn't super crowded.

Elena and Vivian take on Busch Gardens

Elena got some stares, that's nothing new.  We got lots of smiles too; strangers proud of Elena for going the distance.  I was too...she lasted ALL DAY.  As in, until the park closed.  She never fell.  We ended up being in the kid area at closing time, which happened to be at the farthest point from the park entrance.  She tried to walk back, but ran out of energy; SW and I gave Vivian and Elena piggyback rides to the car.

In "Italy"

Carousel Kids

Ring toss, team-style

E rode kiddie rides with Viv

We went camping with some friends.  Elena LOVES camping (I do not)--which I feel might be the worst fit for a kid with cerebral palsy, but we always have a good time--even in heavy rain, even in a leaky tent, even with large bears (that was last year, but I feel like I still have to mention it).  Big thanks to the R-S family, who continue to invite us even though I am always a camping novice and have no idea what I am doing out there!

Walking by the lake

At the dock

Some baseball before the rain

E pitching

Swing Batter!

Jason's pillow during the rain.  Note the Sleepian, oblivious to her non-resting parents

Elena sleeping.  That's my drenched pillow next to her.

And even though I will write a post about it separately, here is E on her first day of 3rd grade!

Looking good, girl

Modeling the homemade backpack strap that keeps her bag from slipping down her shoulders

More on Third Grade up next!

A Perfect Polo Sunday

Every Sunday from Memorial Day until Labor Day (weather permitting), there is a free polo match at the beautiful King Family Vineyards.  People come from all over, bring picnics, drink wine, see family and friends, and watch the match in a gorgeous field just below the Blue Ridge Mountains.

We love coming here.  We've seen Elena become more independent, as there are no hand holds in this giant field. We bring activities for the kids, and invite other children to join us.

The horses frequently come quite close, even jumping the fence, as they play.  Apparently that was not exciting enough for Vivian.

A ribbon is all you need

View a the Polo Grounds

Vivian was hot.  After cooling off with this fan, she was drenched.

We enjoyed our picnic lunch, and between chukkers, walked onto the field for playtime.  We brought a frisbee this time--one of my year's goals was to have Elena catch a frisbee (ideally, 'on the fly').  This was her first time trying it, and she really impressed us!

I put a few more videos on her YouTube page.  Some great stops here on the grass!  Super proud of E--especially since she's had trouble stopping since our "time off" during our Beach Vacation (it's taken her approximately three weeks to get back to her 'pre-vacation' stability).  Looking good, girl!

Summer Adventures

I've tried to keep the kids busy this summer.  I've scheduled a few playdates (not as many as I'd like), we've made some art projects, and we have our garden going (not much produce, but at least the deer haven't eaten anything...yet).  E and Viv go to the library about once a week, and to our local Whole Foods weekly for a little cooking program.  They've had camps (Elena did two computer camps, which she loved!) and Vivian did one at our favorite play studio (Explorations Play Studio) about night creatures.  We've been lucky to have our Fantastic Nanny Annette and our summer helper SW, so the girls can do separate activities as needed.  And of course, there's therapies for E:  PT, Feldenkrais, hippotherapy, etc.--so, we've been busy.

I decided to schedule a few other things--some events, farther away.  Things I wanted to do with the kids, but realistically couldn't with my work/home life.  As it turned out, everyone had an awesome time.

I sent everyone on a Blackberry Picking Mission at Grelen Farm.  They had a nice special where you pay for 10 pints, get 10 pints free.  I had called the farm beforehand (since I hadn't ever been there) and asked about the terrain.  They were very helpful and confident the girls would be successful.  The weather was absolutely perfect, too!

Viv filling her pints

Viv at the farm

Elena used one crutch for stability, and picked berries with the other.  SW helped hold the basket.

E finding the best berries

Berry action

Viv sampling

Picnic lunch after picking

Later on the next day, we made some blackberry jelly with half of the berry haul.  E and Viv were great berry chefs, and the jelly is DELICIOUS!

Berry Inspectors, take 1

Berry Inspectors, take 2

The ladies went mini golfing in town.  We wanted to do this during our beach vacation, but we were worried about the long lines (in extreme heat), and the fact that those courses tend to be extreme in the terrain (hills, steps, dips, etc.).  Turns out, this little town golf course is perfect for E--challenging, but she could still be successful.

SW is ready to help E if she loses balance

I had SW and Annette figure out what kind of stance would be better for Elena.  Ideally, I want her to use both hands on one club, without crutches.  Mostly because it forces her to use her legs more (standing tall), but also because I thought she would hit the ball more reproducibly if both hands were on the club (not sure about that, though).  She tried putting with one crutch, but preferred to use both hands.

Pretty good form!

Walking on the course

Vivian misses

Elena's greatest difficulty was stopping along the course to putt the ball when walking without her crutches (no surprise there).  But what a great opportunity to practice!  We will definitely be back.

A tired Vivian seeking shade

The ladies also went bowling, but there was no room on the camera once they got there.  Annette knows a lot of people at the bowling alley, so the kids got some VIP treatment!  E and Viv had been bowling only once before (at the Great Wolf Lodge, kid sized alley) and have never used a standard bowling ball of any size.  The smallest ones here are 6-lb balls; too big for the kids to carry and roll, so Annette had the kids use the track (handicap track) to bowl.  Both E and Vivian got a spare!  Maybe next time we'll try a small ball, and have them roll it "granny-style" down the lane.

Bonus picture:  E at her last hippo session, with her doll "Penny" riding too!