Playing in the pool!!!
Looks like fun, right?
These are pics of Amelia in the "swim program" at school. It looks a little more like sitting in a really cool jacuzzi, if you ask me! There are jets in there and the water is shallow. All her little classmates are around her playing....very cool stuff! Amelia loves the water so it's really exciting that she'll be participating in this every Wednesday of the school year. Of course, nothing is ever easy and I had to get letters to fight the school doctor who wasn't going to let her participate. Apparently, in the past, other parents of kids with Gastrostomy tubes have sued the district because their children developed an infection around their G-tube sites after being in the water. We were told that each class has a freshly cleaned tank and water to go into. I had to write a letter stating that I accept all responsibility for any complications that may arise (uh...didn't I take that oath when I gave birth to Amelia??????) and that I had received permission from Amelia's Gastroenterologist that it was okay for her to participate. I get it. Everyone needs to protect themselves these days because no one ever wants to take responsibility for anything. The great news is...she got the ok and it's all good times and "slip and slide" fun!!!
Nestor and I have been shlepping Amelia to all her specialists. It's been sooooo busy. In the last 2 months we've been to her pulminologist, neurologist, opthalmologist, dentist, gastroenterologist, ENT, had her MRI done, pediatrician for 6 shots:( -- she was SUCH a good girl and a check-up and lastly, a feeding evaluation done at Children's Hospital. This has been on top of all her school and therapies. We're exhausted! Good news is, it's done. Now we have a month to wind down a little and turn our focus on getting things ready for this new little critter -- who will be invading our house mid-November. I have a c-section scheduled for November 15th...so unless she can't wait, we'll be seeing her just before Thanksgiving. Is it mean to have the nickname "Butterball" already picked out?
My folks came into town a couple weeks ago. My mom, sister and dad (yes, he gets credit because he shlepped the boxes to the post office!) worked very hard going thru the hundreds of bags in my folks' basement and picking out the girl stuff 0-12 months, to send out here to me. So much work sorting thru, but so much fun!!!!! Very exciting stuff. Also, the big dilemma has been to ship, or not to ship -- the big baby gear that is. The clothes were a no brainer, but the baby gear is another story. My mom has strollers, high chairs, bouncers and swings in her basement. The question is....how expensive is it to replace these things here in CA or is it cost effective to ship it all and pay hefty rates? While my Mom and Dad were here we went to Babys R Us and did some calculating. Well, somehow we hit some amazing shopping kharma, because they had tons of stuff on clearance PLUS, a salesperson walked by us and mentioned that everything was going to be 25% off on Friday (we were there on a Wednesday). I mentioned that the things we were looking at might not still be there Friday to which she said "put it on hold and call tomorrow (Thursday) and ask them to put it on hold for another 24 hours and you'll be in on Friday to pick it up!" GENIUS! And somewhat sneaky....but who am I to argue with a brilliant plan? So that's what we did. We got a high chair, bouncer, excersaucer, glider with ottoman and a sweet little chandelier for Amelia's room. We already have a crib, pack and play and infant carrier from Amelia and I was able to pick up a snap and go stroller off of Craig's list for $30. So we're in really good shape! Now all I need is to pack my bag for the hospital. Oh, and get everything up to the house from the garage...and wash the hundreds of baby items in Dreft...and put the crib back together...and wipe everything down that's been sealed up in the garage....and, and, and......:)
The peace of mind that is helping me thru....Amelia's BFF, Jozette -- who was her respite worker in NY, is coming in the Saturday before the scheduled c-section and staying until just before Thanksgiving. Jozette has an extraordinarily demanding job at UCP, NYC managing adult residences there. She is taking her vacation time to come out west to be here to take care of Amelia while I am in the hospital. Getting Amelia up in the mornings, doing her treatments and packing everything up for school, taking her to school and picking her up. Jozette is an angel! That's all I can say. She is member of the family -- and we are so touched and grateful that she is going to be here. I know it will help Amelia feel grounded when I'm not here. Jozette is so loving and productive, I know she's going to make the transition as smooth as possible. And after that, my mom will be coming out to help. We're so lucky to have such an incredible support system. Truly, truly blessed.
