We’ve brought in summer with a bang. I just barely got my first chance to sit down and skim through the e-mails plugging up this computer. This was our day today:

5:00 a.m. — wake up with Dave’s alarm and feel glad I get to sleep longer instead of going with him to the gym…I’ve got some maneuvering to do to try to get my kids situated in their swim/dive teams

6:08 a.m. — wake up for real to get Elle out the door for dive team

6:30 a.m. — finish finagling my sweet-talking to get Elle into the older dive team class so she can be with her friends even though she missed the age deadline by a couple months

6:45 a.m. — come home and do P90X since I can’t seem to make it to the gym to save my soul these days

7:30 a.m. — get the remaining things moved out of the living room for the painters coming to paint today, rummage up some bagels to feed the hungry mouths in line for breakfast

8:00 a.m. — get Grace & Claire over to swim/dive team, and arrange for them to get home safe since I can’t stay

8:25 a.m. — scramble to take a two-minute shower, get Lucy up, dressed, and fed, and get Elle and her friend to stake conference singing practice

8:45 a.m. — drop the girls off to singing practice 15 minutes late…head to Lucy’s ultrasound appointment

8:52 a.m. — arrive at doctor office, do a quick hairdo on Lu in her car seat so she looks reasonably presentable

8:53 a.m. — realize I forgot her shoes (at least it was hers and not mine)

8:54 a.m. — lug her on my hip to the door of the doctor’s office and realize I’m at the wrong doctor’s office…the one I need to go to is around the block.

Wait, did I just really admit that?? I’m telling you right here and now I’m losing it. Wait, I think I already said that too.

9:01 a.m. — arrive at the right doctor (supposed to be there at 8:45 but luckily they’re nice and don’t give me and my shoe-less girl the evil eye).

9:04 a.m. — wait in waiting room…get Lucy all fascinated with the big blue plastic dog there so I can clear my brain enough to realize I forgot my phone. Hope with all my heart my sis-in-law got there ok to pick up Grace and Claire after swim/dive team and that she wasn’t trying to reach me as I sat with Lu and the blue dog

9:15 a.m. — go into ultrasound, prep the tech by warning her that Lu does NOT like doctors and that our last try at an ultrasound was a complete disaster.

9:20 a.m. — realize this is going to be o.k. Lucy is laying on my lap in rapture over the Barbie movie playing in front of her in the dark coolness of the room surrounding her. Feel this wave of love wash over me as I watch her long eyelashes flutter in movie-concentration. My heart starts to slow down after all the stress of knowing this just wasn’t going to work.

I’m so happy I was wrong.

9:30 a.m. — the ultrasound tech informs me, after asking a bunch of strange questions about Lucy’s health, etc., that Lucy’s insides are flipped…meaning they’re all on the “wrong” side. Her liver, gall bladder, spleen, etc. are all in the opposite place from where they should be. Hmmm. She also informs me this is something that should have been caught in-utero. Hmmmm again.

The tech also informs me that I shouldn’t be alarmed. I’m not…but I have to admit it’s a little unnerving to find out that your child’s insides are not where they should be.

10:03 a.m. — let Lucy ride on the big blue plastic dog I’ve been bribing her with in there for the last hour, go home to check on the painter who’s doing a wonderful job transforming our living room

10:30 a.m. — fold laundry left over from being out of town, mop sticky floor

11:00 a.m. — speech therapy, Lu’s doing so great

11:55 a.m. — head out late to Stake Primary lunch meeting, remember all the stuff I’ve been letting slip since the kids got out of school and we’ve been living it up. Stress out a little bit.

1:20 p.m. — come home and make doctor calls and other calls associated with our new “hanger in the works”: Lucy’s interesting anatomy…glad I already have her echo cardiogram and nephrologist (kidney) appointments scheduled.

Now I gotta go wake up Lu from her nap for the next round of therapists arriving in five minutes.

So far summer’s been busy, but it’s stuff I choose to do, not what school and homework and lessons force us into. Man I sound a little negative about the school year. I’m very grateful for school, teachers, etc. I just love the freedom of summer though.

And I like to be in charge.

We’ve had the greatest time at our friends’ cabin and on a little mom/daughter get-away while Max is at scout camp. But boy howdy we’re missing him.

Pictures later.

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16 Comments

  1. Wow! Life sure is full. I”m glad you and Lucy had a good doctor’s visit.

    I’m looking forward to summer. It’s so beautiful out and the kids are up later and later – mostly because we go on family walks every night.

    The other day, Tyler and I went on a walk ourselves. I loved running up and down the golf course hills with my Forrest Gump walking boy in braces, he loved it. I was soaking it in, just the two of us, no interruptions.

    It’s nice to step back and just enjoy.

    I think of you and beautiful Lucy all the time!

  2. Seriously! The organ thing is a symptom that some kids with BBS have – there are several on the list with the organs on the opposite side. I have the name of our researcher in Baltimore who would love to speak with you – also there is the study at NIH that would find this fascinating.

    Please call me Shawni – I am Mary, I emailed you before.

  3. Shawni, I don’t know if you remember me…..My maiden name is Skinner and I am the same age as Saren and lived in Dingle when you all used to come to church there in the summers! Was the the play annie ect….. anyway, I read your book and saw your blog site! Your book is awesome! I love your blog! You and your kids are so beautiful! It was fun to have a peak into your life! My blog is lesliesmenagerie.blogspot.com if you want to look! I just wanted to say Hi!

  4. Hey!
    I’m loving the freedom of summer too. And I didn’t even put anyone in swim team this year! It’s great!
    Anyway, just wondering if you guys have any 4th of July plans ???

  5. My goodness you are busy! Quick question – do you still have Kara helping you? How do you manage to take the girls to their swim/dive practice while Lucy is still at home sleeping? This is going to be my dilemma once school gets out. Just wondering how you are able to manage it all. Thanks!

  6. No, Kara’s gone, darn it! But Dave’s here in the mornings so that helps. The kids have swim and dive team early so he can help out…a little if he’s not working out too late. I’m SO glad because Lucy sleeps in pretty well and it’d be so sad to have to wake her up.

  7. SO every day when I figure I can’t possibly fit it all in I will remember this post and keep it in perspective! You have time to plan a living room makeover with all you have going on? Wow.

  8. So sorry to hear that Kara is gone – I’m sure you miss the extra pair of hands!! Only three weeks left until summer vacation here! I can’t wait!!!

  9. Wow I am tired just reading that! You sure get a lot accomplished by lunch Shawni!
    I am never going to complain about our 8:00 swim practice again! I really wish I lived closer to you so I could help you with your kids! I would gladly take them to and from practice!

  10. I agree, I love summer too — so nice not to have homework and stress, just relax and have fun for 3 months before the schedule starts up again! We only have 1 more week of school!

  11. I love that you keep it real on your blog. I keep forgetting to ask you what Peds Cardiologist you are going to- I may be able to give you some pointers depending on what Doc and what office it is. Let me know!

  12. Wow! You really are busy! How you do it I'll never know! Its kinda fun seeing a schedule of how things go "A day in the life of Shawni!" 🙂

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