Summer weekend

Katheryn had Sparks camp this weekend!

2 days and nights of fun (all by herself)

Katheryn wasn't worried about leaving us, grabbed her stuff and was off with her friends!

She had so much fun! And at the end of camp graduated from Sparks with the rest of her troop.

She got very annoyed with my picture taking when we picked her up.
I expect I will see this face in my future... I just thought I had another 8 years or so...

Nickolas got to have his parents all to himself this weekend. So we went to a picnic at Grandview!
Queen Elsa was there

And Nick got to show us his accessible play ground

And he had a blast swinging on the swing!

And showing off his Ninja moves. He played with his friends from school that were there.

We did find out that Katheryn fills in a lot of the empty space. I don't know if I have ever heard Nickolas talk so much!
We sat and watched a couple of movies and he talked through the whole thing (until he fell asleep).
What is this, why is that happening, who are those people...

Having each child by themselves this weekend just shows Kyle and me how much they are growing up!

Park Place

We had a play date at the park recently. With cousins Madison and baby Austin.

Driving over - we have a great big one by the lake (incidentally where our SWWR walk is going to start from this year), I started wondering what exactly Nickolas will be able to play with and access.
And so I started to worry.
Should I bring his walker? What if other kids knock him down? What about the wheelchair? What if he just doesn't want to do anything?
Is this how it is always going to be at the park?

There is a big pirate ship with slides and everything. And it starts with a ramp.
The wheelchair wasn't really an option - I did bring it, but pretty much it just sat in the corner and got stuck when we tried to take it off road.
Nickolas did go up the ramp and down the slide a couple of times - walking, holding my hands (he is on a bit of a walker-strike).
And he loves going down the slide with me!

OK so maybe I shouldn't have worried so much.

Nickolas did have fun - mostly with the kiddie train - he could move around the area - he is the cruising master right now!
Nickolas even played a bit with his cousin Madison - there is only 7 months between them, but Madison and Katheryn are much closer.

We even got some picture time with baby Austin (we probably have to stop saying baby - he's 10 months old - and already walking!)

 After the park, Katheryn really wanted to go down by the beach.

So we played on the rocks for a bit

Took some pictures with grandma!

Tried to take a nice mommy and kids picture.
Well all 3 of us are in the picture!

And grandma showed them how to get their shoes wet!

And throw sand in the water!

It was a great spring day.
The kids had a great time, Nickolas definitely showed me that I was worried about nothing.

It's harder than I thought it would be

With a title like that, I could really be talking about anything, be it with our spina bifida journey or separate from it. When reading and imagining what all the hard stuff would be, this would never have even crossed my mind. I can do this, no problem. This will not be a challenge. I know the importance of this, and it will be on the top of my list.

So what is it? What is this simple-tough thing that I'm finding hard? OK suspense over. Not babying Nickolas. Not treating him like a baby and letting him do things.

I don't want to baby Nick, I do not want to treat him any different than his sister or cousin or any other child. But I think I might be doing it. He is moving out of the baby stage - he is 10 months old! and I'm afraid that I still consider him a little baby.

A prime example.
We go to the park, Katheryn plays with everything and Nick stays under a tree, lying on the ground or in his stroller. Because he's not mobile he can't play. I don't think I actually thought that, but that is still the end result. I have pictures of us at the park, and there he is, underneath a tree on a blanket while the kids are running around the playground.
Luckily I recognized this. So out he came from the stroller, I carried him around the park with me and we tried out some of the park toys.

We bounced on the bouncy teeter-totter thing, he twirled in this twirly thing and he swung on this swingy thing. This was a brand-new park and had a lot of things that I hadn't seen before (and obviously have no idea what the names of them are). A long way from the simple metal teeter-totter, metal slide, plastic S slide and swings that we had in our parks.

Nickolas had a lot of fun! And Katheryn had fun playing with him as well. The twirly thing was like a bucket on a pole. So Nickolas was able to sit in it and Katheryn and I twirled him around. He laughed so hard! His eyes were rolling around in his head because we got him really dizzy. I put Katheryn in the same thing and twirled her once - but she got scared and started screaming! But she had no problem twirling Nickolas.

They also had a large disc that was on 4 chains that you were able to lie on and swing. Nickolas lay on it and Katheryn liked pushing him and swinging him.

They had a little bit of R&R on the swing together as well.

So that is it!
No more babying Nick. No lying him down and setting him in the corner as other kids are able to be more active and play. Nickolas is still a baby (I think I'll always think of both kids as babies) but he is no longer a baby-baby.

Nickolas is growing out of his inactive babyhood and it is my job to ensure that he gets to appropriately play.
So we had a little speed bump and now I recognize that it will be harder to keep from treating him like a baby. But I like to think that I'm up to the challenge.


FYI I learned that when you go to the park do not dress your kid in dark blue or black. When Katheryn was running around and would get out of site and I was looking for where she was, the navy wasn't bright enough for me to identify her. I ended up looking for that little orange headband to keep an eye on her.

I have also learned that while Katheryn does not like twirly rides, she has no problem with climbing up ladders. But cries and screams when she gets stuck (4 ft off the ground)! Especially when I have my hands full with a poopie diaper and can't help her down. Thanks to that unknown mother who helped her down for me!

Park Time!

We have the most wonderful park a short drive from the house. And stupid me just found it. It’s right by the lake and has a wonderful walking trail, a snack bar, huge trees, a splash pad and a great park!!!

We went and checked it out the other day and Katheryn had to be (literally) dragged away. Katheryn was running all over enjoying the slides and the ramps and the trains, the pirate ship and the bouncy things and wheels that turn, knobs that twirl and the wood chips and.... Every time she turned around it was like she found another wonderful thing to play with!

I was trying to juggle the 2 kids, watching them to make sure they were fine. It was either sit with Nick and watch Katheryn from the distance, or chase Katheryn around the park and watch Nickolas from a distance. Or carry my 25 lb 'little' baby around, fighting to keep his hat on AND chase Katheryn around the park. Pretty much I did all 3. This must be training for when both kids can be running in opposite directions and I have to watch both of them.

Nickolas thought the park was great because there was nice shady trees he could sit under. He LOVES watching the leaves blowing on the trees. Since we live in a new development we don't have grown trees for him to look at - so parks, cottages, grandparents are when he gets this treat.

But he lies under the trees, laughing and talking to himself and just having fun!

When Katheryn wanted a break from running around she wanted to 'tee-tell Nick'. Which he loved of course!