Last Day of School!

LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!

Such a surreal finish: Pajamas, Zoom awards assemblies, and a Glow Dance Party in the bathroom.

Colton's Semi-Quarantined 8th Birthday

HAPPY 8th BIRTHDAY, COLTON!!! Or Conton, as his donuts say. This is why it's better to make orders in person instead of over the phone, but he loved them anyway.

We played in the backyard for hours, had a cookie delivery from sweet friends, he got his own cheese pizza to himself (Kevin McAllister style), cousins came over to have his requested vanilla cupcakes with vanilla icing and sprinkles (weirdo) and ice cream sandwiches, and then was able to join the drive-by graduation celebration for the seniors at church to get some birthday love.

We didn't get to celebrate the way we're used to, but he said multiple times it was the best day of his life. Probably because he is a picky eater and I let him eat whatever he wanted...and we finished all the online learning assignments for the year a few days early so he didn't have to do any today...but I'll take it. #semiquarantinebirthday #greattobe8

Our neighbor joined our spontaneous un-birthday birthday celebration:

Breinholt's cookie drop-off:

The Goold's went all out for the Celebration Parade:

A Day to Remember During Coronavirus Quarantine

Modified from a post I read:

Just so I NEVER forget..... April 7, 2020
Gas price on the way home from hiking at Eagle Mountain Park was $1.35. So low!!!
Schools cancelled. Online school for all schools (including College).
Self-distancing measures on the rise.
Tape on the floors at grocery stores and others to help distance shoppers (6ft) from each other.
Limited number of people inside stores, therefore, lineups outside the store doors.
Non-essential stores and businesses mandated closed.
Many parks, trails, entire cities locked up.
Entire sports seasons cancelled.
Concerts, tours, festivals, entertainment events - cancelled.
Weddings, family celebrations, holiday gatherings - cancelled.
No masses, churches are closed.
No gatherings of 50 or more, then 20 or more, now 5 or more.
Don't socialize with anyone outside of your home.
Children's outdoor play parks are closed.
We are to distance from each other.
Shortage of masks, gowns, gloves for our front-line workers.
Shortage of ventilators for the critically ill.
Panic buying sets in and we have no toilet paper, no disinfecting supplies, no paper towel no laundry soap, no hand sanitizer.
Shelves are bare.
Manufacturers, distilleries and other businesses switch their lines to help make visors, masks, hand sanitizer and PPE.
Government closes the border to all non-essential travel.
Fines are established for breaking the rules.
Stadiums and recreation facilities open up for the overflow of Covid-19 patients.
Press conferences daily from the President. Daily updates on new cases, recoveries, and deaths.
Government incentives to stay home.
Barely anyone on the roads.
People wearing masks and gloves outside.
Essential service workers are terrified to go to work.
Medical field workers are afraid to go home to their families.
AND
Entire families spent time together and took walks outside.
People enjoyed time in nature.
Neighbors checked in on one another.
People could finally take the deep breath they had been craving for so long.
💙
This is the Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) Pandemic, declared March 11th, 2020.
Why, you ask, do I write this status?
One day it will show up in my memory feed, and it will be a yearly reminder that life is precious and not to take the things we dearly love for granted.
We have so much!
Be thankful. Be grateful.
Be kind to each other - love one another - support everyone.
We are all one! ❤️

I Read an Article Stating Special Needs Parents are Better Equipped to Deal With this Coronavirus Quarantine Stress

Yesterday I was feeling the extra weight of now pinch hitting for 3 school teachers, PT/OT/ST, plus swimming, music, and horse therapists. And the possibility of our month of Intensive feeding therapy starting in a few weeks being canceled. 😪

But after reading this interesting perspective written by Rose Reif that was shared in my Arthrogryposis Moms FB group with the opinion that there are 4 reasons why Special Needs parents are better equipped than anyone else to deal with the Coronavirus stress, I realize in some ways adapting to this new normal has been easier than it would have been before Robbie was born and our lives changed significantly.

In case you're wondering, and so I don't forget, the 4 reasons (with snippets of what she's written under each) are:

1. Tolerating ambiguity

This is not the first time that they’ve been told they’re going to have to do something that feels impossible.

And this is not the first time that they’ve had no guarantees.

These parents have become exceptional at accepting ambiguity and uncertainty. They don’t waste time and energy fighting change, they simply take steps to adapt as quickly as possible.

2. Focusing on what they can control (and only on what they can control)

You can only change what you’re in charge of. That’s a concept that comes up a lot when I’m meeting with special needs parents for therapy.

One client even used my ‘what I can control’ worksheet, and amended it to help them handle Coronavirus stress. I think this sums it up beautifully:

3. Knowing when to accept ‘good enough’

Many parents raising kids with disabilities have learned to sit with the discomfort of knowing that they cannot do all the things that would be good to get done.

Believe me, my clients have tried. They’ve tried to do it all, all at once.

To advocate for their child to get the right services and accommodations, keep a clean house, excel at work, have intimacy with their partner, maintain social commitments with friends and family, volunteer at church, and get to the gym 5 times a week. Oh, and drink enough water.

Usually, trying to do all those things at once and feeling like a failure is what led them to counseling. That’s where we discuss the benefits of recovering from perfectionism, and instead excelling at ‘good enough-ism’.

Having already learned this lesson, the parents I support in my counseling practice are focusing on other things this week. There will be a time to resume school work. But they are content with accepting that they don’t need to do it now.

Instead, many of them are simply observing and meeting their children’s emotional needs right now.

They are taking mindfulness walks in the park.

They are spending extra time just being together with no expectations, rather than setting academic goals.

They understand that it’s more important to ensure that their child stays emotionally regulated during this intensely stressful time. It’s OK if learning gets interrupted to meet this need, they know, because without emotional regulation, children can’t learn.

These special needs parents recognize that good enough may actually be perfect right now.

4. Understanding that social distancing is not the same as emotional distancing

These parents know intimately the pain of feeling isolated. Whether because of their child’s medical needs or their behavior, they have often missed out on family or work events. They’ve skipped countless social, spiritual, and self-care commitments because their child needed them. They know how damaging it is to lose touch with loved ones, and with the places and activities that keep them feeling whole.

So, they are showing up emotionally for everyone else who is just now starting to know the pain that isolation brings. They are reaching out, maintaining connection, and validating how hard it really is to feel alone in your struggle and fear.

Because that’s a feeling that special needs parents know all too well.

My take away is: This quarantine is just for a short time and we’re all going to be just fine if we focus on what really matters. ❤️

Quarantine Birthday

Autrey and I typically don’t do gifts, but he made his version of my favorite Saltgrass Steakhouse dinner...and managed to buy a package of TP for my celebration. He gets me. 😆

Meredith also brought chips/queso and a slice of cheesecake to my doorstep in place of going out to lunch. I had to settle for waving from a distance when I really wanted to hug her. And Jen brought a giant birthday card made by her sweet family. I felt the love from afar with the calls, texts, and messages. This is one birthday I definitely won’t forget! I just watched Tangled with the boys because it felt right. #coronaquarantine #notsickandplantostaythatway

Happy St. Pat-REX Day!

For Dr. Seuss week at school one of the days was Crazy Hair Day:

We were off school for St. Patrick's Day and would have been going back the 18th except for the Coronavirus pandemic closed the schools for longer. Who knows how long this will last? I asked the older boys if they were going to change out of their pjs for the picture and they said no because we aren't going anywhere. They have a point. Here are my St. Pat-REX Day cuties anyway:☘️

Fireplace Remodel BEFORE and AFTER Pictures

Fireplace Remodel done by my favorite handyman.

The 1st BEFORE picture was taken last May when I was looking at the different samples of ledger stone. But if I'm willing to be patient he ends up doing a great job! The very last picture after our AFTER was my Pinterest inspiration. He drew the line at the shiplap on top because our walls and ceiling are all sorts of crooked and it would have been a pain. Plus, the TV covers most of it so we reached a compromise and didn't worry about that part. There hasn't been a project yet he couldn't do!

Pinterest Inspiration:

Nailed it!

Roomie Reunion Afternoon

I love when my friends fly to Dallas for work trips! I also got to see Marina Stanton and her new house while I was in the area. So it was a college roomie sort of afternoon after Robbie’s appointments. Missing the rest of you girls!

Spring Break Park Fun

Already a few trips to the park this week while the sun is shining.🌞 #springbreak

Walking Around at Cabela's

Sometimes in his walker...

But he is now stable enough to walk on his own!

Four-wheelers for the 4 boys (with Evan, Dylan's BFF):

The Stars at Night are Big and Bright...

...Deep in the heart of Texas!

Cutest video of Robbie singing and walking around:

Braum's Ice Cream Face

Thanks, Meredith, for telling us abut Braum's!

Play to Learn

Colored vinegar in a pipette dropped on baking soda:

Robbie stood and put the socks on Pete the Cat without moving!!!

Colton and James, thick as cute little thieves

High in the sky race track:

Preston's 4th Party

We met Preston and his mom, Carolyn going to OCH for therapy. And Sam(antha) was inpatient with us this summer. We love them all!