Despite cancelling all of our summer travel plans, we managed to pack quite a bit of action into the last month of the summer. Lemon spent the mornings at a sports camp, which he said that he hated. Of course, every morning that I dropped him off there, he left me half-way down the path to the field to run and join the other boys. He learned a tremendous amount there in spite of himself--how to kick and throw a ball, how to have fun outdoors with other kids, how to just play a game for the fun of it without having there be a winner and a loser. So, I was really glad he did it, and hope that Lime can do something similar when he is old enough.
We also had a wonderful visit with Uncle Jared and Auntie Lauren, who traveled here from New York to see us. Their visit prompted us to do some nice things around town that we wouldn't have otherwise done, taking in a beer garden and a few other outdoor sights. Lemon and Lime were so thrilled to have a few new adults to lavish them with attention (and Pokemon cards and modeling clay).
While they were here, we also celebrated Lemon's 8th birthday. It is hard to believe that he is 8 now, a boy in full bloom, no longer even remotely a little kid. He is in fact enormous, growing so fast now that we decided to cut back to two cartons of formula a night, which I think is as little as he has ever gotten, even when he was just 2. So, I continue to hold out hope that one of these days he will become independent of the tube. He is continuing to eat a lot more, and to be much more willing to try new foods. He has made such tremendous progress since the feeding therapy days (how was that 4 years ago?).
And now, both kids are back in school. In person, in classrooms, not in our basement. They haven't been to school since March of 2020, and Lime had never set foot in the elementary school where he "attended" kindergarten. They were both excited to go, especially Lime, who was eager for new friends and new experiences. So far, so good, and fingers crossed that with all the precautions our district is taking that they will be able to stay in person and stay healthy. The only minor hiccup was that Lemon's teacher forgot to give Lemon his enzymes before lunch on his first day. Honestly, if I had to single-handedly get 26 third graders to eat their lunches within a 15-minute period, I am sure that I wouldn't remember my own name at the end, never mind the medication that was thrust into my hand by some random hall monitor at 8am. She was very concerned and apologetic, and I'm sure they'll do much better this week as things settle into a routine. Luckily, for Lemon at least, missing an enzyme here or there really isn't an emergency, and I'm sure he didn't eat too much of his lunch anyhow, given that it usually takes him at least 15 minutes to settle down enough to even start eating.
So, we are, like all of you, hovering in this weird semi-pandemic state where things feel slightly more normal, but certainly not like they were in the Before Times. With two unvaccinated kids in the house, we are still being very selective and cautious about the things that we do. Luckily, the weather has continued to be good so we've been able to visit with lots of friends outdoors. Sadly, summer is winding down and who knows what this winter has in store for us.
I hope all of you are keeping well, and that some day soon things will settle down enough for us to all see each other again.
