End of Summer

Nothing profound here, just an update on what keeps us busy these days.

I love this time of year. The sun gets a bit hazier, the nights a bit cooler, and there is a pleasant buzz in the air as families lock into the school year routine. There is a hopefulness and a certain kind of energy as we all shift gears from the freedom of summer to the excitement of school, from lazy afternoons in the sun to the opportunity of new things to learn and do.

For me, it’s a time to reset. While people often buckle down with resolutions at the New Year, start new calendars, plan ahead with gusto, this is my time to do that. As the days get shorter and we move into an entirely different day-to-day routine, I take the time to reassess what I’m doing and why and where I might go. And there is nothing – absolutely nothing – more inspiring to me than a brand new, freshly sharpened number 2 pencil, something I still indulge in each September, despite being over a decade from a legitimate need for school supplies. So this ends up being the time of year I go on some flights of fancy and make to-do lists that are much too long, write a lot of blog post drafts, and take on new projects.

There has been quite a bit going on in our house. Lots of appointments and lots of change for all of us. Hubby is back to work at his day job and also took an evening position teaching at a local technical college. On his off nights, I’ll be starting up at the local fabric and craft store – not that I necessarily wanted to combine my hobby with my job, but it’s a chance to talk to adults a few hours a week and bring in a little money. On a whim, I also joined a choir at the local college (and my alma mater). I don’t think I realized how much I missed music until I was immersed in it and challenged by it once again.

Afton is busy growing and changing, seemingly in fast forward. I often find myself doing a double-take: did she really just do that? Surely not, surely it’s too soon. I try to fight the instant urge to remember when Rowenna accomplished the same thing because the speed with which Afton hits milestones reminds me just how fleeting these weeks and months truly are. She will only snuggle for so long, give me gummy smiles for so many days before that first tooth finally pops. So I try to take a few minutes each day to just really look at her. Take a mental snapshot of the soft fuzz atop her head, her round chipmunk cheeks, the delicate slope of her nose. Take note of the way she thinks I am something great to smile at all day long, and try not to be frustrated when that results in heartbreaking wails when I have the audacity to take a quick shower.

Rowenna has started a 4K program here in town. She attends 5 mornings a week and spends time in both the typical classroom and the special education classroom as needed. She starts off in the main classroom and stays until she is ready for a break, and is always offered a chance to return. Having a team that is so willing to be fluid with Rowenna is something we hoped for this year.

In a little over a week we will begin ramping up to 25 hours a week of in-home ABA therapy. That is going to be a change for all of us, but the more I learn about the therapy, the more I am hopeful that this will help us reach Rowenna. She will also start hippotherapy (horse therapy) in two weeks. Aside from having a lot of fun being with animals (in her top 5 favorite activities), she will be working on core strength, sensory integration, and some communication skills.

It’s been a summer for change for my sweet girl. Sometimes I just sit back and marvel at how much she has grown. She’s like a sunflower, her face always seeking the sun, growing and growing as summer ticks by. There’s a certain gleam in her eyes now and I long to know what she’s thinking. Her body is losing the last of its toddler roundness and she moves with such self-assurance. PT will describe it as an immature gait, and I suppose by definition it technically is, but all I see is the confidence and determination in each and every step.

We face challenges, too, in not knowing what’s on her mind and what she wants. She is frustrated with us when we can’t figure her out, and her sensory needs are growing. We hope that therapy will help us to help her.

So that’s what we are up to these days. We are starting anew in so many ways, growing, changing, laughing, wondering, and hoping. Wishing all of you a warm, cozy, leaf-crunching autumn.