Saturday we traveled to El Paso to watch the girls compete in their track meet. Mica made the JV squad and threw the discus 66 feet, her personal best. Mia ran two relays: the 4×1600 and the distance medley. In both events she ran a mile, or four laps around the track. Supporting her decision to keep running has been difficult for me. Mike thinks I baby her too much [but technically he thinks I baby all the kids too much]. He thinks we need to help her push through the pain because this is a condition that is chronic. She will be dealing with it for the rest of her life. The last thing I want is for her to give up, but it is SO HARD to watch her suffer.
Right now, her pain is constant but manageable. Some days are better than others, but it hasn’t been debilitating EXCEPT when she runs. During/after each race, her back starts to spasm and she experiences extreme pain. Also, the tenderness to touch that she deals with every day worsens. Even the lightest pressure on her skin hurts. Mia was always the kid that would finish the race with a smile and bop around like she hadn’t done a thing. Everyone would comment on how easy it seemed for her. Now, the last leg of the race is just an excuse to cross the finish line and collapse.
One problem she has is that what she needs is the exact opposite of what is normally done for the runners. If an athlete crosses the line and falls to the ground, they are pulled to their feet and walked around. The trainers rub their backs and shoulders and apply ice to sore muscles. When Mia falls down, it is because her back is spasming and most of the time she can’t talk. She shakes her head when something hurts too bad. We know this, but the people on the field don’t always get it.
After taking this video, Mike and I rushed down to the field. We told them to let her lay down. After about five minutes of deep breathing and stretching out her back she felt much, much better. Her coaches know about her condition, but trainers from other teams at other schools don’t. We have to work with Mia to help her find a way to communicate what she needs. She doesn’t like to draw attention to herself; she doesn’t want to be different. I have a feeling this is going to be a long hard journey for her, but I’m proud of how hard she tries not to let it change her life.
“If children have the ability to ignore all odds and percentages, then maybe we can all learn from them. When you think about it, what other choice is there but to hope? We have two options, medically and emotionally: give up, or Fight Like Hell.” Lance Armstrong
In the five years that we’ve lived in this house, I’ve wanted a trampoline. Mike resisted because he thought it would make the yard look trashy. Hello! We’ve got a dozen skateboards, bikes and other toys thrown all over the yard at any given moment. I think we’ve got ‘trashy’ covered already. Instead of renting a jumping balloon for Jon’s birthday, we finally invested in a trampoline. It’s safe to say that our kids spend every free second on that thing. I love it. Not only is it fun for them, it is great exercise.
Speaking of exercise, Mia and Mica have been working out an extra ten minutes each night with Coach Dad. Last night, Mike and I both ran around the school. It is hard to preach the benefits of exercise when you don’t do it yourself. I didn’t want to run. I’ve been sick for over a week now and my lungs are full of crap. I did it anyway and boy did I pay. I started coughing and then choking and ended up puking in the front yard. How gross is that? All night I felt like I couldn’t breathe and kept having flashbacks of the trouble I had with asthma in more humid climates.The good news is that while I was running around the school I saw that the plum tree on the far side is in bloom. Yay for bunches of pink blossoms!
Overwhelmed and under appreciated. Any parent will tell you that sometimes those feelings come with the territory. With allergies and an ear infection piled on top of my usual ailments, I’ve been just a wee bit cranky. If ever there was a time for a tantrum, this is it. Unfortunately, kids are the only ones that can act like children and get away with it. I’ve been sucking it up as much as possible, but a girl can only take so much…
Mike gave me a time out and I came to our office to clean and organize photos. I downloaded the pictures from the digital camera to get it ready for the party tomorrow and found a surprise video. THIS IS WHAT GETS ME THROUGH THE BAD DAYS!
Sunday Jon turned seven years old. He is my sensitive son, the one who gets his feelings hurt at the drop of the hat. Last night, he confided that he still remembers the first time I forgot to tuck him in and kiss him at night. He started crying as he told me about it. Boy does that kid know how to tug at my heartstrings! He tries hard to be tough, but it doesn’t usually work. He is a cool dude, funny and sweet. Right now, he wants to be a skater. He practices every day on the porch, the sidewalk, the skate park or the playground. Jon is the clumsiest kid I’ve ever seen, so skating has been a great way for him to work on his coordination.
There was a four day weekend because of President’s Day and parent teacher conferences, so we piled in the Airstream and headed to the river. We planned to make s’mores instead of having a birthday cake, but Jon wanted to blow out candles. We found a little cake at the gas station and sang for him. He ended up spitting all over the cake when he blew out the candles. Smart boy – no one else wanted a piece after that! He got finger boards, skater shoes and new clothes for his birthday.
Happy Birthday Jon-Jon!
All the pictures from our weekend on flickr: set | slideshow
