We came home and I had hoped he would like playing in the basement while I worked on a grocery list, but he wanted to be outside. I have become a really good player this summer, so outside we went and we had a ball.
We left to get Brenna from Camp at 10:45... had to search the school to find her because we were early. Joshua got a little worried when we could not find his Brenna right away. I wondered if he was feeling concerned because he was really quiet. When we found her in the lunchroom working on a painting he seemed to relax. When we got her alone, he wrapped one arm around me and pulled her close with his other arm and we walked out the school like the 3 Amigos. Brenna laughed that it looked like he was sitting on her shoulder. He gave her a big hug and said "where or where is Gebeyehu's Brenna?" (His very favorite game is any type of hide and seek or peek-a-boo. He or I sing Where or where is ___ and he giggles when the item is found.)
We arrived to a full gym to watch the award's ceremony for Sierra's volleyball camp. He sat so nicely for the full 40 minutes. Today was the first day I have bumped into anyone who did not know we have a 5th child. That was funny!
We got home from the ceremony and I was thinking lunch and nap, when Brenna came to me in tears and said she needed to go to the doctor. We had been wondering about a bladder infection and she thought she was better at 11 but by 12:30 she was too miserable to wait until after nap. Chad was out of town for the day so... off we went.
Joshua was so good at the doctors office. It was different office than we went to for his check-up and they had a toy firetruck. That was a big hit. He did a super job when it was time to leave it. He played and chatted while we waited in the exam room. When we had been at the clinic 2 weeks ago he sat frozen in my lap. Brenna was a trooper too. She was diagnosed with a bladder infection so off we went to the pharmacy. It was totally swamped so we waited. Joshua was in heaven because they had car carts. Finally got the prescription and headed home by 3:30 -ugh!
Chad (aka my boss) called on the drive home and asked how payroll and month end was going. He wanted some info for the bank as well - so I HAD to get some work done. I got Joshua a snack and he wanted to go outside. I held my breath because I really did not have time for a tantrum even though with no nap and all the places he had been drug I deserved one. He conceded to go downstairs where all his kids were and where my home office is set up.
I was able to get about 2 hours of work in and most of the stuff on my work list done.
Chad came home and Joshua ran to him totally excited. He yelled "Daddy!" Chad tried to pick him up but he took off as fast as his legs go yelling "Daddy - Krissy room, macheena!" Krissy was no where to be found but he went right into her room. He pointed and said "Krissy macheena - Daddy!" Then I remembered. Several hours before he was playing with a car Krissy made in shop class. Something had broken and she told him they would ask daddy if it could be fixed. Joshua said "ow! (yes) Daddy!" Nothing more, and returned to play with something else. But he most certainly never forgot. I tell him all the time that God made him very smart. He always nods and grins!
Chad took the big kids and the camper to the lake to hold a spot for the weekend. Joshua was worried when they drove away without us in mama's macheena close behind. (We have to drive 2 vehicles to camp these days as we do not all fit in a truck!) So I took him to the park. We ate a picnic supper and played. We came home, he had a bath, had a snack, called daddy to say mah tah mah tah (good night), and went to sleep very sweetly.
What a crazy, crazy day! I have so much left to do before we can leave for the weekend, my house is a mess, laundry to be done, groceries to buy, and that is just the "have to do's!" However I am also basking in the normalness that is starting to take place around here. Joshua is starting to be able to keep up with all the crazy.
Alright, I know someone is wondering why if he can handle all this are we staying a bit distant from friends and family?
Here is my best answer. The ONLY thing I am truly concerned about as far as Joshua's transition goes (at this point) is his ability to really attach to mom and dad. He adores us, but struggles to trust us if even the smallest thing goes wrong. Today he slipped and fell. I was near him and he decided I should have prevented the fall. He cried for Jay for 45 min. because mommy let him down. Now these instances are getting shorter and less noisy, but we have been advised and also really sense that until some of these instances end or at least get less frequent it is important that he really not be loved on by others. It is good for him to be around people and realize he does not need to interact with them beyond a friendly distance - to realize that family relationships are different than stranger relationships. But being loved on and hugged on and interacted with a lot is confusing to his heart.
