Oh my goodness, how good it feels to finally feel better! Three weeks is too long to be sick in the summer. And way too long for a six year old to put up with :)
And so when I offered an outing to OMSI on Thursday, the child raced to the car (in his pajamas:) We had a lovely outing before our midwife appointment and it was just So Nice to hang out together again.
Then, Friday was the Not Back To School party for homeschoolers, held at our little neighborhood amusement park (the one P previously visited with Uncle Seth). The child raced out the door for this too! It was a hoot to see how many homeschoolers there are here in Portland (lots) and great to be on another adventure with the Little Man. (Well, mostly great, minus the extra thirty pounds in the 90+ heat - ouch! Oy the timing;)
After playing a few bean bag toss games, the kid was ready for rides... only to realize he would be riding solo this time. A sad, sad moment. Honestly, the lady at the counter hadn't even asked me if I was buying a ticket for myself. After all, each ride accompanied one of these signs:
Now, don't get me started on Pregnancy being listed along side "ailments" here, but the general gist is correct. Nine months along and a swirling dervish don't necessarily need to meet. In pondering this reality, it was in this moment that it really struck home how much empathy the child has shown the last few months. I mean, he was really, really bummed I couldn't ride with him. But he didn't beg, he didn't barter or badger. He merely sunk onto a shady bench and looked so sad my heart broke.
This is the child who has started playing solo while I make breakfast. The child who has offered me to stay in bed if I'm still tired. The child who, when we're reading at night and I have to take a bathroom break, tries to help me unravel myself from my pillowed cocoon and stand. The child who, watching me have a hard time get comfy one evening, patted my cheek and said, "It must be really hard being sick and pregnant." The child who tries to help pull me to standing from the couch. The child who offered to do the dishes the other day.
That child, that sweet child who's been putting up with less and less of me had finally had enough. He said in a shaky voice that he sure wished there was something there that we could do together. Oh, the disappointment was palpable. Here he'd come, all excited, to an amusement park, and now he felt like he couldn't do anything there. And then we spied the miniature golf. Phew ;)
18 holes later :) the kid was ready to ride solo. Heck, a number of the rides he was interested in wouldn't allow any grown-ups, ailments or no. His smile grew, he ran into a few kids he knew, and the fun rose alongside the temperature.
Then I joined him on the tiny train that rides around the park. He was soooo pleased I agreed to ride something it was precious. As we rounded a bend, it jiggled a little bit and P grabbed me, asking, "Does that hurt you too much, Mama?" Could a heart just burst? Seriously.
Just about the time we were so sweaty we were ready to bail, a buddy of his arrived and reinvigorated the afternoon. Now he had a friend to ride with too! Granted, at different heights and different comfort levels, they had to talk a lot to settle on what they would ride together, but they worked it all out quite happily. And we closed down the amusement park that day :)
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