Dog Days of Summer

Last summer, early August was crazy for us. Within a few days, we moved into our new house, Thomas was born, and Emma Kate had her first day of school. Naturally, we fell into a routine of getting Emma Kate to and from school, and Thomas and I spent the day playing, running errands, and doing housework. With a new baby, we decided to take a little break from private therapy, and I felt comfortable knowing that Emma Kate was getting plenty of therapy at school. Other than a few school holidays here and there, most of my days were spent chasing just one baby while the other was at school.
 
At the end of May this year, school came to a screeching halt, and I learned that I had a lot of readjusting to do. It took me a few weeks to figure out what our days were going to look like with both kids at home. Summers are always challenging for me, because I always put extra pressure on myself to be super mom, teacher, and therapist for Emma Kate. After almost a year away from private therapy, we decided that I needed the therapy almost as much as Emma Kate! We went through all of the evaluations and got back on the schedule for Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy and Aquatic Therapy two days a week. Therapy, though great, looks much different than it did a year ago, as now we have little Thomas tagging along. I’m constantly trying to find the balance of getting Emma Kate the services she needs, while not making Thomas miserable at the same time. Needless to say, it’s been a challenging, but fun summer, and I have loved having both of my babies at home with me. I will surely miss Emma Kate when she starts back to school.
 
Here’s a little of what we’ve been up to this summer:
 
It’s therapy day! Here we are waiting to be called back.

 Story time! We try to do this everyday before lunch. We read, blow bubbles and play on the ipad.  We have loved spending time at the river and on the party barge this summer. Here are Emma Kate and Thomas with Honey and Poppa.   And summer wouldn’t be summer without swimming! Emma Kate still does great in her pool ring, and in aquatic therapy she’s even learning to swim with floaties.  Despite the blazing temperatures, Emma Kate LOVES being outside. Swinging is always a favorite.    Playing in the dirt is fun too!      If a dirty face and bottom are any indication of a good time, than I would say it's been a pretty good summer.   Hope you are enjoying your last few days of summer before school starts back!