Go, go, go!

September 7, 2010

Or... "How much can we possibly fit in, in one little summer??"

Well, since I haven't written for a month - as you can imagine, it has been a lot. I didn't really intend it to be so busy - but it sure feels like I need to take a breath now that it is officially Sept 1st. And is this summer over? No... but it's starting to "feel different", like the start of Fall. So many friends are starting school, we aren't in the water all the time, and the days are getting cooler...

Only now that I am looking through picts, do I realize just how much we have been doing. This summer was filled with soo much swimming, school, concerts in the park, camping, beach, playing with friends, the fair, and a road trip to NorCal. Woah!

Funny tho - I have also heard about how many of our friends were out and about this summer - also running themselves ragged!

Given that the past few posts have mostly been all about Alexa's health, it is nice to be able to talk about the fun things we have had a chance to do. For a couple months in June and July, we made appt after appt trying to get everything "checked off our list" for Alexa - to be on the safe side. And now that we did most of it, I have almost gleefully putting Alexa's health issues at the back of my mind to just have a fun summer. For anyone who has been wondering about updates - we also saw 1) a Urologist to inquire about her single kidney (who said to not worry unless we see cause for concern), and 2) the Heart Institute at LBMemorial to get an echo of her heart (to which we now laugh at ourselves for attempting to have a 2 yr old sit still in a chair for twenty minutes) and 3) an excellent Geneticist who has ordered a blood test to check her chromosomes (that we have not had done yet).  By the way - if they don't find anything with her chromosomes, then they default to say she simply has VACTERL association and the Congentital Scoliosis. We are due to go back to get our next round of x-rays up at CHLA with the Ortho Surgeon around December.

But - until then - I pray she stays healthy and I try not to think about it...

On a more exciting note - this year was the year that my big girl is finally "getting" swim, and I couldn't be happier. I think back to the past years of torture... when she was 2 years old, and Dave and I would be in the pool - while Skyler sat on the side. In a chair. And last year when she was 3 years old - when I could get her to go to the step, and then hope that she wouldn't start bawling for me across the pool. Well - WHAT a difference a year makes. Skyler took swim with her two wonderful girlfriends, and with the help of some goggles, great instructors and some supportive friends - she (and they!) have made great strides. Plus, we spent a lot of just fun time in the water on weekends. This has been a big source of stress for me for a couple years, and I could not have dreaded it more this past June. So after her getting her final 'report card' of the summer... watching her swimming across the pool to me, grinning from ear to ear, not once using floaties... ahhhh

Finally. 

It's almost like my child being potty trained.

So here are some picts from swimming, plus some other fun times of the past couple months. Camping and our trip to NorCal will be separate. I hope everyone has been enjoying their summer as much as we have! =)  

Chris

Skyler in 'training' to become a ride freak like her mama! With her cousins Carolyn and Kayla at the OC Fair.

Yep - that's right, I rode an elephant with my girls. ; )

Skyler and her beautiful swimming partners, Claire and Miranda at the Y. Everyday they would hug each other at the entrance, and sometimes they would cheer each other on - it was pretty darn cute!

 

Go Skyler!!

One of many trips to our favorite - Seal Beach.

Alexa doing plenty of water playing too!


At our wonderful LB Aquarium with good friends Brenna and Evan.


My babe, Lexi trying to do a somersault at one of many Concert in the Parks here in the LBC.