Well…if you’re going to raise three kids and be present in their lives when the big events happen there are a few things that are going to happen….
First - you are going to be exhausted.
Next - you are going to literally run out of day before you run out of things to do.
That would be me.
We have been all in with the girls and Bradley from the very beginning. We have been to all the recitals: dance and musical. We have gone to the art shows and gone to field trips, making sure we try to occasionally hit the fundraisers from the mattress sales to the food vendors. We have driven all over CA and parts of Nevada for Band and Volleyball and sometimes we’ve done that in one day. We’ve frequented Vegas and enjoyed some great rooms and some crappy ones. When they were both playing they were on the same team in Vegas one time, every other time they were on separate teams with schedules that usually had me running one end to the other of a convention center with 120 courts…usually high to low or vice versa. Early, early mornings and late, late nights. One tournament in Vegas I ended up with a half marathon in terms of miles I logged…and I didn’t always have my phone on me - sometimes it was just down in the Bradley’s backpack. The only times Bradley wasn’t at the tournaments were the out of states to Florida, Tennessee, and Kansas - until COVID. Last year was so different and hard, with one parent to drive Sydney down and two parents from the whole team total allowed in the gym - Bradley didn’t go to any and Eric and I didn’t see much. When we got to High school season we were thrilled that he could come back in and both Eric and I could actually see the games again. So we’ve really enjoyed the games (as much as close scoring…usually pushed to five sets per match can allow)…so much stress! HAHA.
Those late games have really tested Bradley - and me. He has been on the bleachers and in my lap and back on the bleachers and in my lap and back and forth…then to the bathroom between games and sometimes during a game if he gets fidgety and I know he has to go. Knowing we would have two late home games this week, we got his lovely Respite Care giver Sam to help us out and let him stay home. All that was in prep for Thursday for another Home game and Senior night. We couldn’t have him miss Senior night. Eric has had some serious back spamming this week so he ordered these cool and easy to use ands carry padded chairs: one for him and one for me… but who am I kidding? We got a chair for Eric and one for Bradley. This is Bradley’s first year without the safe and comforting confines of his stroller. We have a special stroller that some special needs parents recommended from MacLauren that works well, but doesn’t recline or have much padding, but he does seem to like it…but I wanted him to be in the stands with us and not have a chair on the floor if we could do it. So yeah, a lot of back and forth in my lap as he starts to get overwhelmed. Turns out, the padded chair is not only super fun but it has arms that provide a secure little space that he can climb in and feel very comforted in. He was so happy, so comfortable and if it had reclined…probably asleep by the end of the game. HAHA.
Our girls lost in four…a bummer for Senior night, a huge batch of frustration for our particular Senior. But not a huge surprise for us as we knew that with only two starting seniors…a senior night with seniors all playing more…against the best team in the League…found us mostly surprised when we won the first set.
That being said, we all worked pretty hard to make sure that the Seniors had a pretty nice night. Coach likes the girls to each have a 6ft banner to hang in the gym. So I got tasked with that and we got those up before our first home game. Then they wanted Fan Faces, so I got tasked with getting those in. Then we had a mom that offered to put the gifts from the teams together for the girls…so someone had to gather all the gifts because this mom works very difficult hours and couldn’t get to the games. So the Team Mom and I gathered the gifts and I brought them home and helped get them all organized for the girls. We thought we would be able to get in to decorate the gym the night before Senior night as no one could get in on game day…nope. Turns out Basketball (who is not in season) had the gym and so we couldn’t go in. We get to the gym game day and expect to see promised posters that the ASB was going to do for us with the name and numbers for the girls…but nope - didn’t happen. They let some of our younger players go and get the big school letters “ACHS” to sit on the bleachers, and because it is October they threw some pink and white balloons around with some pink and black steamers by the door…but that was it. Kind of disappointing. I knew that the mom that was supposed to get the helium for doing balloons wasn’t doing it…so I spent my day getting the balloons. Eric had ordered some Volleyball shaped balloons, so my mom and I took them to the grocery store and they filled them for us…then we hit the Dollar Tree and scooped up some blue and silver star balloons to go with some other star balloons that Eric was able to get at the 99 Cent store.
I’m so glad we went through the effort. With my mom carrying all the balloons and some help from a player’s sisters - I was able to get all seven gift bags up the hill from my car to the gym. Realizing there really wasn’t any decoration, we tied balloons to their gift bags and then around the letters, trying to make that a little more festive and special. Still a bit of a letdown. But it still looked okay.
Dinner showed up and we helped get that ready and set up for the girls so they could eat and digest before the game and then between the end of JV and before Varsity warm-ups there was a little recognition ceremony. The girls all gave a small bouquet to someone in their family and then gave a small speech. Four sets of volleyball later, the girls opened up a special frame that was made for them, and then there was some quick pictures all while custodians were trying to turn out the lights and kick us out…but it is what it is. We’re a girls team and we’re not girls basketball… so… sigh
We got home, I got Bradley ready for bed and we settled for his CPAP time and for him to settle in and get to sleep. My mom and Eric both went to bed and Sydney sat with me on the couch while Bradley got deeper to sleep so I could try to get him down. I finally got him done and made sure he was settled into sleep, then I had to get all his stuff taken care of for the night, and prepped for the morning. When I looked at the clock again it was to see that I had literally run out of day before I ran out of things to do as the clock hit 12:07.
My boy was amazing last night and slept until I got him up at 8:10 this morning. I sat down on the side of his bed and he slowly sat up and looked at me, gave me big hugs and warm, little boy snuggles before we got him to the changing table for his medicines. I offered him his favorite long sleeve shirt as it was a little rainy out and he chose a pair of pants that didn’t match at all - but that is signature Bradley now. I give him a few choices and he usually quickly chooses something not in my hand…and neon if he can find it right away. I don’t mind, of all the morning battles we could have - matching his clothes everyday is not on my list. A lot of times he does match, and a lot of the time it’s in shades of neon…whatever, maybe it will make him easier to find if he gets away from staff at school…gotta think positive as much as possible you know. 😉.
I worried he would be cranky and tired at school, but his bus aide told me he had an actual excellent day. Am I going to keep him up until 11:00 every night? Of course I am!…Not. HAHA Gotcha. I don’t think he could actually stay in a good mood daily over a longer period of late nights…not sustainable. Definitely not sustainable for me to stay up that late every night! I was exhausted today.
So my Blog Challenge became a Blog for Thursday and Friday together. I imagine I will find something more I want to say later on and put out two blogs in one day and be all caught up in that 31 Blog Challenge. Life is about Progress not Perfection…life is about living and being in the moment…just like I try to remind my kiddo…take a second to just be there in each moment, right then. Try to soak it in, so you’ll have it for later - you’re going to want that.
That is the last lesson for the day that being a mom has taught me…help your memory take a picture, you’re going to want to see them in your mind later and your heart has plenty of room to store them, I promise!
Happy (Thursday) and Friday Friends!
31For21 Blog Challenge for Down Syndrome Awareness and Acceptance!
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