Baseball

We were hoping to get Zoe into a basketball league, but since there was no basketball until fall, we decided to sign her up for baseball instead.  Mind you, she really knows nothing about baseball other than the Phillies game Mimi took her to and that she loves the Phillie Phanatic.  We were a little skeptical, but she didn’t let us down. 

Today was the first game, and subsequently, Zoe’s first time on a baseball field. She was so excited to get on the field and test her skills. When we got there, she grabbed her glove and headed over to coach Andrew (who was also her basketball coach) to meet all the players on her team. There were several girls on her team so she was relieved about that. After about half an hour of practice, it was game time. They were playing the Orioles and low and behold, guess who was on that team? Samuel! Zoe got so excited when she saw Sam and said she wished they were on the team together. Samuel was the first friend Zoe made when we moved here. He lived next door to us and we were all very close. Now Sam has two younger brothers and it’s so fun to watch them all play sports together.

The rules are a little different than traditional baseball, since this is the 6-8 year olds.  The coach pitches to the kids until they get a hit, and everyone bats and then they change sides.  There are no outs, and no ‘assigned’ position, the kids play at a different position each time out on the field.  They main point that is stressed, “It’s not about winning, it’s about having fun!”

 It took all of Shell’s being to pass on coaching the team however she is no where near ready to be coaching after her operation. She just has to sit this season out and enjoy from the bleachers.   Zoe did really well for being a ‘rookie’, she likes baseball and of course suckered Mimi into buying her a bat so she can practice at home. Now she’s the proud new owner of a new sassy red bat, let’s hope we can put it to use!

 

 

Horse Sunday

It’s been weeks since Zoe has had her horse lessons due to all the medical issues with Mimi however, now that things have slowed down a little, I’m trying to get everything back on track.

When we woke up this morning it was raining, I asked Zoe if she wanted me to cancel her lesson but she said, “NO WAY!” She was ready to get back to riding. I asked Mimi if she felt up to come with us and she said, “YES!” We all put on warm (waterproof) clothes and headed to the farm. This would be the first time Zoe would ride in the indoor ring so I was excited to check it out.

Miss Bridgette was waiting on us when we pulled in. Zoe went out to the pasture and came back with Maura. She has ridden this horse in the past though, it’s never been her favorite horse due to the fact that Maura has lots of pep in her step and I think she scares Z a little. I was surprised to see Zoe take full control of Maura. She was trotting around and even cantered a little. She looked amazing. I thought because so many weeks had passed that she would need a refresher course but she was right on point and I was extremely proud of her.

It was nice to be back at the farm. It’s so quiet and peaceful there. We absolutely love to watch Zoe ride. For me, it takes me back to my childhood. Having a horse was the best and most therapeutic time of my life. I have the fondest memories of being her age and riding every second I could. Watching Zoe follow in the same footsteps is priceless.

Friday Night.....

 S'mores in the backyard........

Homework

We are still trying to get adjusted to everyday life again after Shelli’s surgery however; things are a little easier now. Shelli still cannot drive, lift anything over 5 lbs, or walk too far without taking a rest but, we are in a much better place now then we were a week ago. Her energy level is coming back slowly and she is on her way to her old self.

She can’t do much yet but, the one thing she is able (and willing) to do is homework with Zoe. Yes, homework is usually done at the table but since Mimi can’t sit too long at the dining room table because it makes her back sore, they have to make the best of it and do it on the couch. It works for me because it gives me time to get dinner ready along with school lunch for Zoe at the same time. (Not that I’ve had to cook too many meals because friends always stop by with food!)

Team work makes the dream work!

A week ago...

A week ago today, Shelli had surgery. Today, she is home and recovering. When I look back on all that happened, I’m so thankful that she is okay. Shelli and I have been through so many things. We’ve had our ups and downs, good times and not so good times, but at the end of the day, we are always there for each other. We are a team and we stick by each other. I can’t remember the last time I was this scared and to be honest, looking back, I don’t know how I made it though 9 days but we all made it through and we are in the healing process. Thank you for all the warm wishes, cards, and care packages.

(pictures from the hospital)

Special thanks to Sharon, Dana, and Patti for all your help. We couldn’t have done it without you!
And extra extra thanks to our Zoe who has been super helpful and is taking such good care of her Mimi!

Spring Break 2012

Spring Break didn’t go the way we had planned. Shelli left on Sunday night for business to Connecticut. I awoke to a call early the next morning (last Monday) saying that Shelli had been admitted to the hospital. I quickly packed a bag with a few changes of clothes for both me and Zoe, put the address of the hospital into the GPS, and off we went – 3 hours to Connecticut. Without going into too many details, Shelli had to have emergency surgery. After being in Connecticut for 5 days, I called Dana to the rescue and she drove up to sit with me during Shelli’s operation. I was in need of super support!!! After Shelli was out of the woods, Dana and Zoe headed back to PA. Zoe can’t afford to miss any school. Zoe had already missed two days and I didn’t want her too far behind. Words cannot begin to describe how grateful I was to have Dana right by my side. By the time she got here, I was going on day 5 of no sleep, 12-15 hours at the hospital a day sitting with Shelli in pain and trying to keep Zoe occupied, enough said! I was completely depleted and worried to death.

When Dana got to the hospital, they were wheeling Shelli into the operating room. I threw my arms around Dana as tight as I could, shed a few tears, and said, “Follow me; we are going to the OR!” We met Shelli in the operating room and got to spend a few minutes with her before they took her in for surgery. Shell was under for about 4 hours, it seemed like 4 days. The time wasn’t moving and I was anxious. (I thought Dana was going to have to slap me). Once the doctor came out and gave us the good news that she made it out and was in recovery, a huge weight was lifted off of me - I could breathe again!

Zoe was a perfect angel through it all. For the 5 days she was here, we would get up, spend all day at the hospital , eat what we could find on the way to the hotel, take a shower, sleep, wake up, do it all over again. She didn’t once complain. Shoot, we even had to buy clothes because we ran out and then even still had to resort to doing a load of laundry at the hotel. Zoe was worried, and just wanted to make sure her Mimi was okay. Not to mention she knew all the nurses and doctors and had to make sure she never missed a report. Jill even made a few visits to the hospital as well.

When Zoe left Saturday, I was SOLO. My partner in crime wasn’t here with me. I missed her (and Dana) the second the elevator door closed. It didn’t really hit me hard until I left the hospital that night and headed back to the hotel room without my sidekick. I had no one to push all the elevator buttons, no one to eat dinner with, no one to cuddle with, and no one to eat my nightly cookie with. (Every night the hotel had cookies out and we would stop and get one before we went up to our room). It was also hard waking up Easter morning and missing all the festivities. Dana stepped up and made Easter as ‘normal’ as she could for Zoe and I couldn’t of been more thankful. I don't know that I would of made it without her here with me. I on the other hand, tried to lighten up the mood for Shelli on Easter as well. After all, she has been in the hospital for 7 days at this point and she needed a little cheer too!
All in all, I thank God that Shelli made it out of surgery safe and sound. This whole experience had put a lot of things into prospective for both of us. We are on the mend and should be home soon!

Happy Easter!