Cleo's first day of school on August 7 went really well. She continues to enjoy her class and her new teacher, Ms. Sylvia Coleman. Neither she nor I cried. I did not take the day off from work, I just went in late. Cleo was nervous because she wanted Ms. Edwards to be her teacher. Roger and I explained that she will still see Ms. Edwards but she couldn't be her teacher this year.
On August 5, 2013, Sidney started pre-K at Kids R Kids and is really enjoying it. He has a lot of homework that he's not pleased about. He got 100% on his spelling test today. The words he had to spell were: pig, new, see. We are so proud of him. His teacher gave him a little certificate.
A few weeks ago, we went to the PGA store and the kids practiced their putting.
Cleo trying on a golf hat.
A few weeks ago, we went to our friend's son Bryce's 6th birthday party at SkyZone. It's an indoor trampoline party location. Cleo didn't jump since she's not allowed to. Sidney did a little. Here is Sidney shooting a basketball.
That's how it's done.
Here is Sidney and his pal Taylor at the cake/pizza part of the party. Taylor attends Sidney's daycare and is Bryce's cousin.
Miles, Sydney and Cleo.
Please, no paparazzi!
Watching Bryce blow out his candles.
One weekend we went to the Town Center mall in Kennesaw, GA. It's around a 30 minute drive from our house. At the Disney store, Sidney tried on a witch hat. He's holding a box with a witch doll inside it - the mean witch from the Oz movie that was out recently with James Franco. Sidney says he wants to be a witch for Halloween. We correct him and tell him he can be a wizard. We shall see if he's serious.
We walked by the Macy's furniture store and Sidney insisted on sitting on one of the big, nice couches.
Cleo took a picture of me and Roger in the food court.
Then Sidney took a picture and insisted we make surprised/scared faces.
Today, we took Cleo for her first eye exam. We took her to the nearby Lenscrafters. The optometrist said that she's slightly nearsighted in her left eye but not enough to warrant glasses. She said her right eye is fine.
Cleo's energy level skyrocketed around 2 weeks ago. She can hardly sit still. This past weekend, we started putting silicone patches on her incision site. Her pediatrician advised us that the patches are the best product to treat scarring. Each patch stays on for 1 week; we take it off before she bathes. The treatment will be 8-12 weeks depending on how her scar looks.
Cleo's school has been good about accommodating her physical activity restrictions. During the kids' weekly PE class, Cleo has played games at the media center computer and filled out a questionnaire documenting what activities the kids are doing. During recess, Cleo has stayed inside with two other girls and played on her teacher's iPad. She is released from restrictions as of September 19, 2013.
My work colleague, Valeria, took the below picture of me. I needed a head shot for a profile in a local attorney paper. Once the article is published, I will try to figure out a way to include a link to it in my blog or a copy of the article. I kind of like the photo of me. I don't normally like photos of me.
I feel like we are resuming normal life and I don't think about Cleo's heart surgery as often. I think about it numerous times a day but I don't obsess about it like I did all summer. She sees her cardiologist again on Sept. 5, and I am expecting only good news.
For the past month, Cleo has had lots of questions about her surgery, why she needed it, exactly what did the surgeon do to her heart, why didn't Sidney need heart surgery, etc. She asks about other peoples' surgeries and scars. Her questions about her surgery have lessened but she still wants to hear about other peoples' surgeries.
August 30, we are heading down to Jacksonville, FL for Linda's 70th birthday extravaganza. We will stay for the weekend and return to Atlanta on Monday, Sept. 2. I am sure the party will be a lot of fun.
We head to Hilton Head Sept. 11-15. I cannot wait. Ahnya, Linda, Robin and Kaelin are joining us. I am sure we will all have a great visit.
Roger and I are doing the Insanity DVD workout. I have done 11 workouts - I am in my 2nd week. Roger is in his first. It's stressful on my knees so I am super careful when doing lunges and squats. I haven't seen significant results yet but that's probably because I have been having a small ice cream sundae every night. I am still in comfort mode, which is a side effect from the challenging and emotional summer we had. Once the quart is finished, I am not buying another one.
Another comforting thing I have been having is cosmopolitans. I forgot that I make great cosmos. I used to make them when I lived in Brooklyn with Vivian. I made them while Ahnya was visiting for Cleo's surgery and recovery. She liked them a lot. When Linda was here, I made her one too and she liked it. I continued having them but much less often after Ahnya left. They're not as fun to drink alone. Now, wine tastes so boring compared to the cosmopolitan. I ran out of ingredients so will pick up a bunch before we leave for Hilton Head.
Earlier this month, Sidney and Cleo had another bout of hand, foot, mouth disease. It's a terrible, highly contagious virus. Sidney had it in November 2012 when were in NYC for Thanksgiving. Thankfully, the strain he had this time was much less serious than what he had in November. Cleo had a tiny bout of it last weekend. She had a few spots on her hands and feet that quickly went away and no mouth sores. Sidney had one sore on his tongue and a bunch of sores on his hands, arms, feet, and legs. He missed 4 days of school. He was such a trooper. The sores on his feet really bothered him and itched a lot. There is no cure and no great treatment. Both Sidney and Cleo did have fevers from the virus and we treated that. The only other treatment is a mixture of Maalox and Benadryl which is used as a mouthwash and can help with the mouth sore pain. It helped Sidney a bit. Cleo didn't need it.
Have a great week!
