Annual Cardiology Appt

 Hannah had her annual checkup - she’s in good shape, so no changes for a year. However, she hasn’t gained any weight in a year 😬 Story of her life... So I need to figure out how to get her to eat more, or more calories.

We also did a 6-month follow up lab work from her low WBC back in fall. I saw her results and they are still low, even with some immunity exposure at summer camp - unless that takes a bit more time. We should be following up with Hematology this fall, so we’ll see if there are any steps to take.

An Unmet Need

Hi friends & family. I’d like to plant a seed.

AN UNMET NEED!

I have a good friend who has to pull her son from our summer camp because of his “bad” behavior. Here’s the thing. Kids with Down syndrome can act out when they aren’t being stimulated in a directed way, or if there isn’t enough structure. Some kids with DS want to play with others and when the other kids ignore, kids with DS can hit and push. My friend is frustrated because our summer camp doesn’t have educated employees who know how to maneuver this. Instead, kids with DS tend to be pushed out or never let into camps in the first place.

I know families who were straight up told their children with DS were a liability. I have countless Moms tell me this is an unmet need and no solutions. Every family seems to have a horrible story of exclusion from childcare, me included. 

It makes my heart ache how every year I see handfuls of families ask where they can take their child with disabilities for summer care for working parents. We are turned away because our kids aren’t potty trained. We are turned away because their behavior is “bad.” Spoiler alert: it’s not bad behavior, it’s an environment that isn’t quite structured enough or staff who aren’t educated on disabilities. We are turned away because “we just don’t have the staff to have an extra eye on your child.”

I’m tired of feeling sad and helpless for our kids. These aren’t special needs - these are human needs. My friends and I dream of a day where our kids aren’t turned away. We dream of organizations who have one-on-one attention for our kids. Maybe the staff gets college credit? Maybe the organization is funded by the state? Can our county train organizations and employees? I don’t know the answer, but I hope to start making steps towards truer inclusive childcare.

Thanks for coming to my TED Talk. I hope this seed can grow.

Filling Our Cups

 ...literally with beer and with friend time!

One of our closest friends works at Highbrain brewery in Silverton, OH. Great beers, food, and a sustainable business goal. They had a 2-year anniversary celebration this past weekend with popsicles, food, music, and games. We met up with a core group of friends and it was so nice to be together as a whole group. 

The following day, the same group got together again for one of the kids’ 9th birthday. The weather was drizzly at first then opened up. We spent five hours there - which was lovely since the kids were occupied with water activities and the adults could focus on catching up 💗

Recharging at Grammy & Grandpa’s

 We had a week gap between the end of school and the beginning of summer camp. Our school holds summer camp - 6:30am-6:30pm - which is so wonderful for working families. So I took the week off and we went to my parents for a couple days. The first day was beautiful - we went to a local Nature Center where they had animals in rehabilitation. Until birds starting cawing and Hannah saw the animals and noted right out of there. Grammy sat with Hannah until we enjoyed all the animals; coyote, owls, crows, fox, hawks and even a bald eagle! 

The Center was cute and gave something for the girls to explore. Then we hit Fulton Farms in Troy as well - it’s probably been decades since I’d been there - adorable market inside the barn.

Day 2 was super rainy and slow. We did hit my Mom’s favorite primitive decor store which was closing (retirement), the local five-and-dime where the girls picked out some toys, and then my Mom’s thrift store where Nora hit the jackpot! 

Making lemon scones w Grammy

Nora’s dime-store find

Nora’s sweet taco-cat find

End of School Year & Re-Entering

We have been ramping up our social dates lately - with family and friends - it’s been really great and needed on all fronts. 

We mostly stay outside because the kids aren’t vaccinated yet. I feel like the entire culture thinks we’re back to normal but forget the kids are not vaccinated yet. 25% of COVID cases are children now. 

 We’ve already had lots of water time at home. And Hannah got new glasses! Now she has a nose piece! She also lost another tooth!

We made it to the end of the school year - Hallelujah and Amen!! Weird emotions - I made sure to send thank yous to the teachers who taught our remote children. The kids made it through this odd and difficult year. 

We had an emotional thank you with our sitter/aide who helped Hannah with her school work all year. Hannah thrived thanks to the 1-on-1 attention. Hannah even attended Field Day with Miss Hannah and had a blast. 

Because Nora stuck with her assignments, nothing was late, and she agreed to working on her multiplication and reading chapter books, we got her an IKEA loft bed. She loves it and feels less scared at night now - I guess because she’s away from the “scary” things down low??

We hit a local Farm, Berries & Blooms - it was beautiful but Nora is having trouble being around crowds anymore. This started before the pandemic and just seems to be getting a touch harder. She doesn’t like being around people she doesn’t know. We are trying to nudge her out because she has to acclimate a bit - we can’t just stay home all the time. 

Nora also joined about five other kids in the neighborhood with some historic crafts - one Mom took two days to teach them how to make Possible Bags and Sun Sandal Moccasins! Nora even has a beaver pelt on her bag! 

Running Rebirth

 When the pandemic hit, I was in the middle of half marathon training. I had signed up for the Flying Pig 3-Way with Extra Cheese: during non-pandemic times, that means a 1-mile race Friday evening, a 10K immediately followed by a 5K Saturday morning, then a half marathon Sunday morning. 

With the entire world shifting, I lost all motivation and just stopped, going back down to my 3 miles 3X a week.  I didn’t know how I’d ever get the motivation to get back to all those miles with no in-person racing. 

Like most of the nation, I fell into a funk... definitely ate and drank my way through my sadness. Once fall 2020 hit I was tired of being tired and had to shake myself up. 

I had been a part of a "Fit-Minded" Moms group who all have kids with DS. One woman in particular has been a trainer for 17 years and has her own small business. She had a new year special for her 20-minute workouts through an app. I started in December and immediately got hooked. It was the perfect amount of time and I really liked her personality - not the annoying in-your-face type trainer. Her schedule mixed up whole body strength, legs, arms, core, cardio and stretching. 

In addition to the new strength training, I also stopped snacking at night. I barely drink wine anymore and have swapped to a couple seltzers on a weekend night. While some people scoff, I do practice intermittent fasting most of the week. I like it and helps me feel less bloaty. Perimenopause during the pandemic hasn’t helped. 

Slowly but surely I’ve felt stronger. And even more - I’ve become about 45 seconds faster in my running - ! I’m almost embarrassed I waited so long to strength train. It clearly has so many benefits, especially as a women in perimenopause. 

Throughout my training, my pace has been under 11 minutes per mile - which has not happened the past two years. 

This past Saturday I did my “official” 10K and had a 10:11 pace - ! I set my own PR (personal record). This morning I wasn’t planning on doing my Pig 5K, but I woke up earlier than my alarm and started strong and decided to push it - I ended up doing my 5K with a 9:34 pace! Now I just need to see how my half marathon goes!

I’m so proud of the work I’ve put in and have been enjoying running again with my lifestyle changes 💗

*I ran my half and it went... okay. I struggled the 2nd half and I think it could be because I didn’t hydrate enough the day before. However, I did keep my pace under 11 min miles, so I’m still proud of that!