When it rains it pours. I dive head first into the crashing waves and I take it all in, embracing the challenge. With the new schedule one kid in the morning the other one in the afternoon at school, I had to adapt to their medical appointments and do them in different days even if they were for the same doctor. Ivy got a retainer for the lateral incisive teeth who grow slightly back and reached the top of the bottom teeth, not ever and in front of them. She is a good sport and is happy for the attention and investment in her teeth. Jackie had a filling – the newest molar had some dark ridges. Either a quick cleanup now and a sealing or a cavity later. She also had a new scoliosis brace made for her. She really outgrew the last one.
This week ivy got a ride with neighbors. Its helped a ton as we had plenty to do int he morning with other appointments or different drop-off and pick-up time. Jackie has mostly come home by bus home in the evening. The traffic is insane since the university students flooded the city. One could walk faster from one point to another than drive the car.
Last night though, after conrad cooked dinner and it was the best chicken with gravy I ever had, Jackie offered to do the dishes. She offered! This blows my mind. We have showed them, walked them through, mostly did it for them, and what shocks me is that as she tastes a bit of sense of accomplishment through initiative and self-reliance, it starts to spread to other areas.
Coming home by bus takes double the time. It is not comfortable compared to being chauffeured, but it is also not impossible. And instead of punishing us for not pampering her as we have the first 6 years of school, she is taking on more responsibilities.
She used to be the messy kid, but now she is the one who makes her bed before going to school and ivy is the messy one. I never thought I will see this day. Be careful what you say, or how you compare the kids even in your mind – the tables turn fast.