Well, I totally dropped the ball on calling Thomas’ future kindergarten teacher. I kept putting it off and putting off until…I realized that tomorrow is the last day of school. Way to go, me! Despite my unfortunate procrastination, I am sure that Thomas will adapt to kindergarten just fine in the fall, and if he doesn’t, we’ll all know who to blame. Well, I’d blame myself anyway.
Yesterday, we went swimming at good old Uncle Tom’s pool for the first time this season. The water was wonderfully warm and the kids had a great time! It’s amazing how much Thomas changes year to year. Last year, he didn’t want Jonathan to toss him up in the air into the water and yesterday he couldn’t get enough of it. Jonathan threw him in the air and at the top of the arc, the look on Thomas’ face was priceless. He looked like Peter Pan figuring out he could fly for the first time. The only problem we had yesterday was that Thomas’ eyes were very irritated from opening them so much underwater. We brought him home and he was rubbing his bloodshot little eyes an awful lot and crying about it too. Today, we went to the store and bought some goggles which I was sure he wouldn’t wear but he proved me wrong again! He understood exactly what they were for and that they would prevent the eye irritation while allowing him to see (better) underwater. He wore them the entire time we were swimming today and I plan to have him use them on vacation which is a scant five days away now.
The other thing that Thomas did for the first time today was swim for a bit without his swim-aid jacket. I asked him if he wanted to try it and he said he did so we took it off. He swam around with his head underwater mostly, just because that’s how he likes to do it. He poked his mouth up for air every so often (not enough to satisfy me) and he actually jumped in like that a few times. After a couple minutes, I could tell that he was getting tired so I asked him if he wanted to put the jacket back on and he agreed that it would be a good idea. So my little fishy is learning to swim; another thing he’s managed to figure out on his own without special lessons and such. My sisters and I all love to swim and we never took lessons, so there you go.
It’s supposed to rain here off and on for the rest of the week so I doubt we’ll go swimming again before vacation. We’re mostly ready to go…I always feel so unprepared, but somehow it comes together. I’ve got to find someone to water my plants every day next week because for the first time in my life, the flowers I planted are thriving. I can hardly believe it, because I have the opposite of a green thumb. Usually, it wouldn’t matter what I did, the plants would die within a matter of weeks and I’d be left with blank red mulch for the rest of the summer. The clearance-priced flat of pink petunias I planted are healthy and flowering. The impatiens are multiplying and even the hostas, which are really hard to screw up, I know – are not dead. So besides the plant-watering issue, I think we’re under control. Well, actually there’s the geriatric fish we’ve got, too. We can’t even remember when we bought this fish but it was at least several years ago. The thing is huge now and I think he’s coming into the twilight of life because he spends a significant portion of the day laying on the bottom of the tank. He gets up to hover around the heater (because he’s cold?) for a few hours and rises to eat, but otherwise he’s resting on the bottom. He looks at us when we peer in at him, but I think he’s just getting old. So if anyone knows anything about vacation care of a geriatric fish, please let me know. Sophie is going to stay with my dad who promises to “dog-whisper” all of her bad habits away. I’m sorry that I won’t be around to observe that. Sophie is rather intractable when it comes to that sort of thing.
Needless to say, Thomas is very excited about going to the “vacation house” again. I’m really interested to see how things will go this year. Getting him to sleep won’t be hard because of the Clonidine, and I remember struggling with that last year. Going out to eat will be easier because he’s pretty good with that now. He might even ride the waverunner with Jonathan! I would be very excited to see that and yes, I will have all manner of still and moving picture cameras at the ready.
Because of all the tasks I have to complete this week and the fact that I will not have my computer with me the next, I don’t think I’ll be able to write again for two weeks or so. I will give a complete report of Vacation House 2008 when I return!
