It's been a weird week

Lately I feel like my life is straight out of That's Good, That's Bad.

Chapter 1. Laundry

Our dryer stopped working last Saturday- that's bad. I spent the week taking a basket of wet laundry with me every day to work, and then throwing it in the dryer at the laundromat each evening. I was really dreading it, but it was kind of fun- in the way that sometimes it’s fun to shake up your routine-that's good!

Tommy loves the laundromat of course, because all the machines have glass doors and are on his level, so he can see the stuff spinning around. They also have a basket of beat up toys and a couple couches and a tv. A couple nights the weather was so nice that we put a load in the dryer and then took a long walk. Afterwards I had so much energy and my mood was 100x improved. It’s so amazing what a little exercise and sunshine can do.

Chapter 2. Gymnastics

I finally called last week to inquire about a special needs gymnastics class nearby. Their spring sessions were just starting last week, and they had room for Henry- that's good! Henry's spring break started Friday, and he stayed with Tommy at L's house. I thought I would pick them both up and we'd head over to check out the 5 pm class. Henry protested the whole way there: "you don't want to go to this gymnastics class! You want to wait in the car!" By the time we got there, he was crying and I had to carry him in. That's bad.

Once, inside however, he changed his tune. He saw all the fun equipment and wanted to check it out. That's good. The previous class ended and I had both boys take off their shoes and run out onto the mats. Ooops. Turns out they were supposed to "wait behind the red line" until it was time for class to start. So I had to drag both my sons out of their new heaven on earth, to wait. That's bad.

It was completely idiotic of me to attempt to take both boys at the same time. What was I thinking? The instructor tried to have Henry participate, but he was way too dysregulated by then. She had the kids each sit on a colored square and then run in place, etc. He was just a puddle by that point. We ended up leaving, but I told the instructor that Henry would be back next week. I will definitely update on that. I don't know what to anticipate...

Chapter 3. The restaurant

Even after all the drama of the gymnastics class, I wasn't done in yet. Maybe I wanted to end on a high note, or do something special because it was spring break for Henry. So I suggested we eat at Bob Evans. This went very well. We quickly ordered french toast and pancakes, which the boys shared and gobbled up happily. Henry even flagged down our server, Kelly, and requested an additional side order of bacon. That's good.

They finished eating before I did, started arguing, and Thomas pooped in his pullup and started talking about it loudly. That's bad. So we left a little prematurely.

Chapter 4. Basketball Banquet

Kate's basketball banquet was Sunday. I had asked my parents (as I've done other years) to come stay with the boys while we attended. But when I RSVP'd to the organizer (one of the captain's mothers) that there would be 3 of us, she replied "you're not bringing the little ones? Oh, but this is a family affair. Everyone else is bringing their siblings. Well, they are certainly welcome." So I felt a little ashamed and decided to bring the boys.

We arrived at 4:30 (and didn't leave until 7:30. Does that tip you off as to how this is going to go?) Food was spread out on the tables, but no one was eating yet. One of the moms opened up her fruit bowl and started giving Henry some. Then he moved on to dessert. (Still before anyone else was eating.) He cooperated pretty well for about the first hour. He requested something out of a vending machine, and I was willing to comply to keep him quiet. But it seems that they turn off the machines on the weekends. So that really threw him. "The machines ARE working mommy!" By the time Kate was introduced (the main thing we were there to see, duh) both boys were screeching and running down the hall to the gym. We then retreated outside. That's bad.

I took the boys over to the playground. They clamored right up onto the equipment, started laughing and running around and racing back and forth on the "wobbly bridge." Henry went over to a chain ladder wall. He twisted his arms around the chains and said "I'm stuck in the chains! Please help me!" DID YOU READ THAT? HE WAS PRETENDING! I will have to ask his teacher- this must be something they've done at school before. So I would pretend to free him from the chains and then we'd do it again. Then we'd say "let's get away from those chains!" and run to the other side of the playground.

This was all so new. The "old" Henry never used to want to play on the playground. He either seemed afraid, or just unsure about what he was supposed to do, and kind of wondered what the point was. I can tell they've been working on it at school. This was very different. That's good.
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I think this will be a good spring break for Henry. He had a lot of fun with one other boy on Friday, jumping on L's trampoline. He had so much fun, in fact, that he got injured and broke his glasses! The injury is sort of a "burn" caused by face-planting on the trampoline. And the glasses were easily fixed at the eye doctor's office the same evening. It's so great to see him playing like such a boy.