Dear Addie,
Twas getting close to Christmas,
and all through our schedule,
was filled with the hustle and bustle
of much that was special...
Bring on the busyness!
That’s right Addie, every year as the year winds down there is always plenty to see and do. Between school, birthdays, parties, etc. this leaves no room for mommy to suddenly fall ill - oops I must’ve missed that memo this year, but this is a happy story I promise!
It’s true Ad, it didn’t start off well with mommy waking up very ill on Friday morning. So much so that I couldn’t even leave my bedroom - but God bless our dream team rallying into action to get it all done! Daddy woke everyone up, breakfast was made, lunches packed (your big brother Gabe even packed yours to perfection - yep that could’ve made my heart explode from the sweetness overload!).
With all the differences in this morning routine, I think we can safely say you weren’t exactly the happiest of kids, but life goes on, and daddy needed to get all three of you to school, so there was no time to sit around and listen to you voice your displeasure in this current disruption of your routine. To the car Addie!
Now with all this craziness in the morning, I would’ve put money down that the rest of the day would’ve been a downward spiral for you.
Side note - it’s a good thing I work in a cafeteria and am not a professional gambler Addie.
We picked you up, and lo and behold, you had an amazing day at school! Wait - what?!?! I mean that’s great, but what?!? All I can think of, is that the morning was so incredibly off, that you welcomed your consistent school routine with open arms. Whatever it may have been, we’ll take it!
Predictably unpredictable - check!
Mama slowly rallying (God bless Zofran)- check!
Next up, a surprise visit from papa and grandma Menzo! Whoop! Whoop!
A little birdie caught wind that grandma and papa made a quick stop at Target before arriving to our house, so you and daddy decided to reciprocate the surprise and meet them there! Success! With your good mood still lingering, you wasted no time dragging Grandma around the store stimming and showing her all of your favorite things! You may have scored some toys as well ;).
With your mood still manageable, mommy still rallying, and grandma and papa having arrived safely, next up was big sister Clara’s art show and holiday chorus gathering at her school.
Not gonna lie, I waivered back and forth on whether this was something we should take you to (there is such thing as pushing our luck) but in the end we decided to just divide and conquer if there was an issue. So it was our usual OTOD plus grandma and papa all together, and away we went!
You held it together pretty well with only mild irritability during the open art show portion. The distress you displayed seemed to stem from the amount of people present being a bit overwhelming (large crowds are hard), and the normal overall look of everything was different than you were used to seeing.
While it was clear you were irritated, your communication was spot on as you said “I want cats please.”
Yes, Clara’s school is amazing and has two very loving cats (sensory pets) that are normally roaming about, but today they were housed in their safe space adjacent to Clara’s classroom. With so much looking quite different, you were trying to calm yourself by seeking something familiar. Great job baby girl! And to the find the cats we all went! Here kitty, kitty, kitty.
With a quick cat visit complete, it was time to return back to the main room for a small holiday chorus performance. Not feeling super comfortable in the main room, we found a nice spot in the adjoining room where all the snacks and drinks were laid out (well played Ad) and we had a really good view of Clara to boot!
As the performance began, you sat on the floor, back to the crowd, slowly rocking side to side and calmly listened to the instruments, and kids singing. It wasn’t until people would applaud that you’d scream - and LOUD! With headphones on! Clearly you’re more of a fan in the ASL version of applauding by shaking your hands in the air. Duly noted.
With the show coming to a end, you were all grins and giggles in the car, as you were in a comfortable surrounding and we were headed home for the night to prepare for tomorrow’s activities.
Next up Clara’s Crafting Birthday Party!
Now having not been to this place before (and hosting a bunch of Clara’s friends), Clara, Gabe, grandma and mommy went ahead early to scoop out the scene. You stayed behind to ride separate with dad and papa. We all reconnected just in time!
Addie, It was awesome! I can already tell you we will be coming back here again!
With a little explanation of your abilities, they were super accommodating and able to set up your own little station to do the same craft (with a little more room) as the big kids were doing.
You were immediately “all in” on painting your hand (clearly we do a lot of finger painting), so daddy jumped in to assist you. But truthfully with very little assistance, you were able to complete the project beautifully. Well done baby girl!
With projects done, cake eaten (funny side note: you hilariously swooped in and blew out Clara’s candles - she really didn’t mind and thought it was kinda funny too) the party was a success and you once again did a great job.
So as the hustle and bustle wound down, and an awesome visit from grandma and papa in the books, we can look back and say we did it Addie, and more importantly, we did it ALL together. One Team, One Dream.
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.
Love,
Mom
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