It's now nearing September and I'm so excited! This has always been my favorite time of year. I love the fall...school starting, sweaters, colder weather, cider, donuts (though gluten free), apples, pumpkins, leaves, crisp air, Halloween...I could go on and on.
I'm sad that back to school looks different this year but I'm still equally excited! Our district is allowing some special ed programs to start in person the second week of school (everyone else is virtual through at least all of September), so Lauren gets to go to school for 2 hours every day in the afternoons. She'll have virtual learning in the morning. This will allow her to get her therapies, specialized services, and start easing back into a school routine. The great news is that her best friend is in her class again this year! Ryan is virtual until at least the first week of October and he is really hoping to go back in person. I hope he gets to go back too, it's nice to hear him excited to return to school. He's starting at a new school this year (our district has upper elementary in a different building) and I went there when it was a middle school. He's excited to go to a school my sisters and I went to! I found a babysitter that's going to come in the mornings so I can go to work and she'll help with the online learning portion for Lauren. Then Greg will wake up and hopefully be able to help Ryan navigate anything he hasn't already done. My days off (I'm only working 2 days, so I'll be home 3 days) I'll be managing online school with both kids until it starts in person.
Personally, I love colder weather because my illness hates heat. Give me 65 and cooler every single day and I'm thrilled. I've never minded winter (as long as it snows). I've still been managing to walk a mile 3-4 days a week, which is super great. I'm officially part time at work which means on bad symptom days I can lay down for a quick nap and give my body some rest. And have energy to go for a walk. I can clean my house. I can spend more time with my kids and not be too exhausted to enjoy it. I honestly just feel so much more at peace, I'm glad we decided to make this work, thankful for employers that understand, and so so happy that my husband has been willing to make this work so I can feel better. Lately the gastroparesis symptoms have been worse than the POTS symptoms. I've been having more good days than bad days and have only had to take my GI meds once this past month. I'm still hoping to wake up completely better, but until that happens I'm loving my good days and making it through the bad days.
We went up north this past weekend and my twin sister and her kids joined us for part of it. The kids swam in Torch Lake, we went into Traverse City, had way too many s'mores, and a lot of fun. The last day the four of us ended up finding two beaches with Greg's parents! The first one was super rocky and not great for swimming, but is great for rock collecting and the view was gorgeous. The kids loved it. The second beach was absolutely beautiful and the kids had so much fun swimming. I'm a moron and wore pants and of courses ended up having to go in the water and retrieve/regulate Lauren. Behaviorally, Lauren kind of struggled a lot this weekend and I feel like our lack of a routine is definitely wearing on her. I've started getting her on a better nighttime schedule. We started a new medicine for itching/sleep and (knock on wood) she has been sleeping through the night for like a week now!
