Today was a whirlwind of activity. First, Colton had his first basketball practice. Since Emma’s arrival (she was a basketball coach for kids in Sweden), Colton has really taken to the sport. He had so much fun it was difficult to get him to leave and head to soccer, which was important as it was trophy day and a thank you to the coaches, one of whom was Matt. We raced over and made it for the last bit. Colton was very proud, saying, “I’m going to stand next to my coach in the picture, he’s my DAD.” Smiled abounded.
Next was a birthday party with a football theme, so Colt then played 90 minutes of flag football. This was just about the worst idea for a bunch of 5-year-old boys. At least my 5-year-old boy. There are a few bullies in his class and to see it unfold in front of my maternal eyes was heartbreaking. At one point a couple of boys jumped on top of Colton and were hitting him. I had all I could do not to assault them myself. Then, of course Colton instigated his retaliation, which I was not proud of. Colton is a very sensitive kid, and he feels everything deeply. Hence the highs are sky-high and the lows are devastating. He got upset a lot today. I got pretty upset too. It was one of the least fun experiences I have had with my kids in a while.
We got home just in time to change clothes for our family photo shoot. This was our gift to Matt’s dad for his 70th, and scheduled at this time to include Oscar. We thought mid November was a safe time considering his October 25th arrival. Ha.
In the midst of the chaos of organizing six kids and getting them all to smile, Auntie Nikki showed up. She is always like a beacon from heaven, and things got better from there. Vannette made her departure and I stepped up into my role with Oscar. It felt good, if harried. We bathed, fed and put all three to bed. Now I am pumping waiting for Oscar to wake up for his first feed. I have no idea when that will be! But to cuddle my guy in the wee hours will be lovely tonight. It will be one step closer to real for me. No more arm’s length. At least not tonight. I will post our report tomorrow. Fingers crossed for a smooth ride.