It's landed

Our tacky mammoth pool has landed for the summer. I had sent Daddy to pick up a bigger pool this year as the 2 foot pool was a bit small for Elizabeth and her friends and seeing that we will be staying close to home this summer a pool seemed like the best way to have fun. Daddy had brought home a much larger pool this year which wasn't as apparent until he began to set it up. A pool 4 over feet high has been erected and took 3 days to fill with our garden hose but it is now here to stay. We did try to hide it's tackiness with tall grasses but it still stands out like a sore thumb in our backyard so I made Daddy apologize to our neighbours for the view.

Elizabeth is not being aware of the eyesore that it is loves it, the height is perfect for her to swim around and dive for her toys but she can still touch and keep her face above the water. After a bit of a heat wave it warmed up nicely and I even climb in to float around.

The only other downside with it's height is that I almost have to tip toe to see in the pool and there is no way I can see her unless I am leaning over the edge looking in. I have discovered her clubhouse gives me a birds eye view and I can zip down the slide if I need to rescue her (on modified bed rest of course).

I think we will get a lot of use of out the pool this summer. If you are ever by come join us for a swim, Elizabeth would love the company.

Soon to be 4

Finally we can say our small family of 3 will become a family of 4. After a little help from some fertility experts we are now expecting a baby boy. I am already 13 weeks and feel great but already things are getting a bit scary and my last pregnancy with Elizabeth seems to be repeating itself. We are hoping the progesterone I have started will slow my contractions down and being followed by a high risk Obstetrician will ensure this little one will stay in for a very long time.

As for Elizabeth she is so happy; when we told her she cried because she was so happy. I have promised her she can help decorate the baby's room with a dinosaur theme. She has drawn pictures and collected all her dinosaurs for her new brother.

Please pray for us and wish us lots of luck.

Wednesday's

Wednesday's are one of the days I have off work and they are our busiest days. We make our morning trek to physiotherapy which unfortunately is just under an hour each way if we are not stuck in traffic. I absolutely hate the drive and the time we waste in the car but the time with 2 different highly skilled PT's in the hour is very beneficial for Elizabeth. One of the PT's is a level 3 in CME Medek so she brings out the boxes and the balls using the exercises that Ramon has developed and her other PT works on lunges, squatting, her core and stairs. Elizabeth gets a really good workout there and the results definitely show as her walking continues to improve and she with reminders will alternate her feet on the stairs now.

After PT we make the mad dash home to get to school. I had found the 25 minutes we have left at home too stressful to get her fed and to school as she just wants down time to play with her toys (which I do not blame her at all) so now we stop at some unhealthy place to eat a quick lunch which has really helped with the stress level her teacher was reporting to me on Wednesdays.

While Elizabeth is at school for 2.5 hours I run around doing errands and try to clean part of the house. I do try to have 10 minutes to have a cup of tea and read.

After school we dash home for a snack and then to swimming lessons. The YMCA has a swimming program for children with special needs; for the monthly cost of enrollment ($30) Elizabeth receives weekly private swim lessons. The swimming lessons are working out great and I am no longer a basket case waiting for my fearless child to sink to the bottom of the pool. I am hoping by the end of this summer she will be able to swim on her own.

By the time Elizabeth and I get home to get dinner we both are miserably tired.

When I am exhausted I think how tiring this must be for Elizabeth as I am just the chauffeur, she is the one who is doing all the hard work with never a complaint.

Today was an even busier Wednesday as we both had dentist appointments (in different cities) and she had to see the orthotist to revise her AFO's at the crack of dawn. Days like these I am sad to report despite trying to pack healthy snacks we stopped at 2 different drive thru's for meals.