Dear Addie,
We did it. Yep, that's right baby girl - we broke down and bought you a swing set. It's true we've housed about half a dozen play sets and/or swings in our yards over the years, but we struggled with the idea of one for our current house... but in the end, we broke down because dad & I realize that you really do need one.
Let me explain...
Swinging is your favorite. Like favorite anything. That is a solid fact. We used to have this amazing indoor Gorilla Swing (I wrote about it in one of my earlier letters to you). It set in the door frame of the guest bedroom, remember? With your pumping perfection and the daring heights you'd achieve, our 10 ft ceilings were perfect for this set up!
All was well and good until the day you discovered the art of twisting and turning while you swing. You realized that swinging was a lot more fun this way until the day that you came through the door opening a little "off kilter", and hit the door frame. You kind of flung off and were stunned... your body sort of contorted and looked like a winning pose from a game of Twister. At that point, dad and I had just about enough of the risk, and removed it immediately.
Enter SADdie...
Unfortunately removing the indoor swing would test our "staying one step ahead of you" in home security.
We already had a fence and a pretty advanced alarm system, but it was going to take more than that to keep Addie from wandering the streets to find swings.
Side note: When we were getting our alarm system installed, Daddy and I were standing in the front yard explaining to the ADT installers why this was so important and our need to know exactly where you were at all times. Ha ha ha! With impeccable timing I received a text from Miss Tammy - "Hey I don't want to alarm you but Addie is down here". That's right you slipped passed Clara and Gabe, through the back gate, down a very steep hill, and luckily for us went to her front porch where she just happen to be sitting requesting "a swing please."
Our neighborhood park is just down the street and has swings right in view (intended for children 2-5yo)...that park would soon become your beacon.
The fence - you'd climb over.
The dead bolts - you'd laugh at.
If we were upstairs and we'd hear the door open, it was as if you knew you needed to book it to get to those swings because we'd be after you in no time! This meant crossing the street to get there as well!
As we were installing the hotel style chain lock on the front door, we learned just how observant and tall you were! Without a second thought you pushed the button to open the garage door to make your exit. Luckily for us there's already a lock feature so that for once was an easy fix, it just took sometime getting used to using it.
I know you already have 2 middle names but "determined" could've worked well as a third.
We tried attaching a swing to our pergola above the patio, but once again with your need for extreme heights and speed that was a concussion waiting to happen.
Insert our next trial and error purchase - a "cocoon" type swing that seem to pacify you for a minute, but it was the height and rhythmic swinging that your vestibular senses were looking for.
Seeing it is we can't spend every second of our lives at the park, mommy and daddy were on a real mission to find you the perfect swing set! Knowing quite well that we needed something that would suit you perhaps well into your teen years, all while staying within our neighborhood guidelines...this was going to take some research!
...and that we did.
Raving reviews from many parents as well as parents of special needs kids, we decided on a set and it was all ordered! Unfortunately, luck wasn't on our side and I was sent an email 4 days after we ordered it that our order was canceled because it was out of stock.
Back on the search... soon after, I found another set from the same brand. This one was more of a basic style, but still had outstanding reviews. This time I expressed ordered it and it arrived, yay!
Luck still not exactly fully committed to our side yet, it would be phantom delivered with no notification. Just to add more fun to the swing set, they laid the box half way in our garden and just out of sight of the van's back up assistance camera in the driveway... and... I ran over it.
Awesome.
Van was fine, I tore the box, but I was thinking this swing set was pretty boss, because it didn't damage it in the slightest! Wow!
Feeling pretty good about this purchase, this was gonna be a winner!
The time had arrived and One Team, One Dream we began carrying the parts to be assembled to the backyard. Everyone was excited!
You were standing there holding the chain and swing seat, patiently waiting. Just a sweet good girl baby. It was all good and well, until dad turned to me and uttered those dreadful words "they didn't put the hardware in the box."
Nooooooooooo!
I got on the phone to the company, while daddy made his first of what would be three trips to Ace Hardware to get what he needed to make this happen! ...and that it did.
Now with our yard in the rather lumpy and bumpy, far from even or flat department, it did take a few more trips to Lowes for additional hardware, and anchors before we could say it was officially done, but now it is!
So while the jury is still out if this thing will hold up until you're 7, you're truly enjoying every second of it now!
Keep swinging baby, we know you love it.
Love,
Mom
Comments