Any Advice?

So, it’s 9 AM, Mary Clare just cried out my name (from my bed) and yelled for me to come get her.  She needs her snuggle time to wake up.  McCanless is still asleep and I have yet to shower.  McCanless has successfully slept in her own bed for four straight nights in a row, but bed time is not something she looks forward to and has become quite a fantastic procrastinator.  Drinks of water, under bed checks, hugs from Mommy, last kisses from Daddy and bathroom visits have been keeping her awake well past bedtime.  I haven’t even begun breakfast and I have no idea what is on the docket for today other than helping McCanless finish her “Big Scoop” book report and Mary Clare’s first day of Broadway Babies, her new dance class.  Next Thursday will be a rude awakening from our usually unscheduled summer days together!  I’ve somewhat tried to jump start our days early and get a bedtime routine going, but it just isn’t working.  Looks like we’ll be hitting school Cold Turkey!  Wish us luck!

The Funky Heart Explains…

a bit about the Fontan.  No wonder  I have trouble explaining what it is exactly.  Even the Funky Heart, who had the Fontan, has trouble!!  I feel better!

SPLASH!

How to tell Summer is coming to a close:

McCanless and I will start on the first of many (I’m sure) first grade projects today.  She has read her summer reading, thanks to my sister, Kacy.  Who just so happens to be a first grade teacher.  (Not McCanless’ first grade teacher, unfortunately.)  Today we will attempt to conquer her “Summer Poster” and maybe get started on her “Big Scoop” ice cream book report.   I’ve ordered all of the photo prints from Walgreens and we’ll venture out to Walmart to gather necessary craft items.  I usually try not to take the girls to Walmart unless absolutely necessary, however, this is her project and although I’m such a project girl, myself, I do “let it go” when it comes to her work.  McCanless is the kid who shows up to school with the obviously completely homemade, completely kid-done homework, projects, and take-home work.  100%, I promise.  Oh, how I’d love to jump in there and do it myself sometimes.  Not because I want hers to be perfect, but because I just love projects!

We have also started bed time boot camp.  Baby steps, anyway.  We have made McCanless sleep in her bed for two entire nights in a row so far!   And there have been no tears, screams or fits, amazingly!  I do have to allow her to listen to music while she sleeps.  (Whatever works, right?)  Funny, mom allowed us to listen to music at night and I learned every book of the Bible this way.  I guess listening to the same song over and over and over  will do that.  I still know them all in order to this day, as long as I sing that same song!  I just may have to find that CD!  Mary Clare is still in our bed.  Every. Single. Night. The little stinker will NOT stay in her bed.  This week, we’ll work on placement in own beds.  Next week, we’ll tackle actually getting into those beds before 10 P.M.  Baby steps.

We still have not heard from MUSC regarding Mary Clare’s surgery.  Emerson has a surgery date for September and hearing that news was completely sobering.  I’m not ready for that, but I know it is inevitable.  We’ll travel to Emerson’s 3rd birthday party in Georgia this month and we are really looking forward to that! Erica, Emerson’s mother, and I have not missed a birthday party yet!

We still have a couple of weeks before the first day of school, but school supplies have already been delivered to classrooms, I’ve gotten our Gamecock gear ready, Halloween costumes have been decided upon (and I’m sure will change a dozen times), and first day of school outfits are ready!  Bring it on!

“Look, Mom, a hermit crab!”

We had an impromptu science lesson this morning.

Because this is not a hermit crab.

I guess my beach baby just got confused.  Another funny story behind the new pet snail, Margaret, happened when I told McCanless that Mary Clare found a snail.  She ran straight to the bathroom to check it out.  Nope, not in the bathroom, McCanless.  Outside.  In nature.  Where most critters live.

Camp Invention 2010

I snapped these photos this morning of McCanless and her pal, Eliza with my iPhone.  Today was crazy hair day at Camp Invention.  We had braids all in McCanless’ hair and spray painted them hot pink.  Mary Clare didn’t attend Camp Invention, but found it necessary to also spray paint her ponytails hot pink.  It may be next week before the pink comes out of her cotton top.

McCanless is really having a great time this week. I can’t wait to see her showcase on Friday.  Last night she was telling me all about her latest invention.  She wanted to spray paint her tiny clam shells pink (the shells we found recently) and hot glue them to a wooden board, also decorated.  The individual shells would be a place for each of her earrings.  I thought it was a pretty good idea for a 6-year-old.  Maybe not as “techie” as her Governor’s School counselors would hope for, but pretty ingenious, I think!

Inventors can be cute too, see!

The Rainbow

One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish…

Reese, Edward, Kaitie, Mary Clare and Gracie

Mary Clare, Reese, Edward, and Rainn

She passed!  She is still not quite self-sufficient in the pool, but she’s close!  Maybe next year!  Way to go, baby girl!  Mommy had such a great time watching you and all of your little guppy pals learn to swim!

And who doesn’t go to the pool in heels?

We are still enjoying the last days of July at the pool, with pom poms and heels most days, of course.  McCanless is at Camp Invention at the SC Governor’s School for Science and Math this week, so Mary Clare and I have had some time alone and time to get ready for school, which is right around the corner!  We’re trying to fit in as much summer as possible right now!

I can’t wait!

I can’t wait to get my hands on this book!  I have been following Paul Cardall, award-winning pianist and CHD survivor, since well before his heart transplant and it has been amazing to follow his miraculous life and heart journey.  He was born in 1973 with tricuspid atresia and transposition of the great arteries.  The surgical plan to manage his CHD ultimately led him to the Fontan surgery, which is what Mary Clare will soon face.  He wasn’t born with HLHS, but ended up with a heart similar to Mary Clare’s.  His heart worked very hard post-Fontan most of his life, but eventually grew tired and sick.  In August of 2008, as a young husband and father, he was listed for a heart transplant and spent many months waiting for a heart .  On June 10, 2010, less than a year after his transplant, Paul hiked Mount Olympus!   I can’t wait to learn more about him!  What an amazing life!