My Afternoon with Katherine

 It has been almost exactly a year since our lives were changed over his pandemic, and it's now become a part of our history.  Our family has been lucky not to have anyone affected by Covid, although we have lost some acquaintances and know families who are having a really hard time.  

The one good thing to come out of it is how well the girls - and lots of children, I think - have adjusted to wearing masks, caring for other people, making their own entertainment when friends aren't available, and embracing better family dynamics.  When you're all you've got, you make adjustments to make life better.  I'm so proud of Emily and Ryan for their decisions and their sacrifices and for their little "school" family that has seemed to carry them through this year.

While I've loved that they're coping so well, I have struggled with not seeing them, not being a part of their everyday lives, and feeling a little redundant.  Since my accident, I've had a lot of feeling sorry for myself and just wondering how long this phase is going to last.

But yesterday was hopefully the first of many fun times and getting back to normal.  

I'm one week today out from my second vaccine with no reactions or side-effects (so far), and we feel like we can lighten up a little bit.  

Graysen has a 2-day class this week for parkour since this is a school holiday.  A good many students are going back in person this week, and the others are continuing with virtual learning.  We're part of the latter group.  I'm not sure what will happen in the fall.  

I'm still not sure exactly what that parkour is, but it's something she's been excited about for years.  It wasn't offered to under-6's, so that left Katherine to hang out with Dad all day, who is in the middle of remodeling what seems like a big portion of their house.  It was possible, but it seemed like a perfect opportunity to get us back in the groove of togetherness.  She's been talking about it for a week, and Graysen may have been a little sad not to be a part of it.  She'll get her time soon, and we'll make it so special.

It was a hard morning for me, getting to PT with the piles of snow and the ice left in the parking lots and on the streets, but we pulled it off and got that over with.  Even though I forgot to take my ibuprofen, the exercises were bearable, and I actually made a little progress.  As much as I enjoy Laura and Proliance, I will not be sorry to finish those twice-a-week visits and hearing, "Okay, let's start with lying on your left side and lifting your arm straight up."  It sounds a lot easier than it is, and there's not one of them I do without some sort of grimace.  Thank goodness for masking here!

That was over by 11:45, and I picked up my barley shoulder warmer and headed to Steller Way.

It was so touching that Katherine had taken all their teeth-brushing and hand-washing timers and lined them up on the window waiting for my arrival.  

And then to hear the feet pounding on the stairs and "Mimi, Mimi!"  AND the hugs.  So precious and long overdue.

Emily said she had worked on decorating her bed for me, and there was so much to take in.  All the old familiar stuffies and some new ones and new posters and stories.  It's unusual for her to be away from her sister and not be interrupted, so there was a LOT of talking.  I enjoyed every bit of it.

The first thing we did when we went back downstairs was to choose a game.  Katherine knows which games she understands well and is good at, so she chose Chutes and Ladders.  She's doing better with her ability to not win every game - or every spin - and it was a lot of fun, especially since she did win.  

She had already had lunch, but I had skipped breakfast and lunch, so I went poking around for something to eat.  Vegan people need to label their refrigerator containers.  I'm sure there was lots of good food in there, but I didn't recognize very much.  I ended up sharing an apple with Kate and having some crackers and 100% vegan cheese.  It might have been because I was extra hungry, but that was a nice lunch.  We later had a gingersnap for a snack.  Tomorrow I'm packing me a lunch and taking some coffee.  I've never taken the time to learn how to operate their fancy coffee makers!

Then it was puzzle time - a double-sided one.  Cats on one side and dogs on the other.  

A bonus was a photo display portrait of Griffin and Jack from several years ago.  We do miss the big brothers to these girls.

And we worked hard and got that puzzle done.  I wasn't rushing it, because I like puzzles better than crafts and was quite content spending my time on that.

There was a brief break for cooling off in the snow barefoot.  She said it didn't bother her. "You know, Mimi, I runned out in the snow nek-kid one night."  That might be TMI.  I was glad she didn't want to linger.

With an hour left, we ventured back upstairs to play with the Lottie dolls.  That mainly consisted of me sitting in the glider with my shoulder wrap and offering to dress the dolls for her.

I love these little dolls and accessories.  I gave them a few dolls, the boat and camping set, and the treehouse a couple of years ago.  I wasn't sure they were going to like them at first, but lately they seem to be more interested.  It's a nice company with dolls designed by children, and they focus on talents and careers and lots of stuff besides just dressing up.

I just re-discovered their activity pages and plan to copy some coloring pages or other fun things for today.

The pink lake and the multicolored rocks.

They are tiny little dolls, almost too small to enjoy dressing yet, but I think they're enjoying them.  I'll have to see about adding another adventure the next gift-giving occasion.  This might have been a better choice for Graysen than a stuffed dog with unicorn hooded shirt.  But maybe not.  She seemed to love it.  

That was a fun way to spend my afternoon.  I may or may not have fallen asleep - more than once - in my chair in the middle of pulling on doll leggings, but Katherine thought it was hilarious.  

Looking forward to many more playtimes with these precious girls!