Normal? ....HA! What was I thinking?
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| Fri, 08-05-2005 - 11:38pm |
Ok, so I jinx myself by sharing our normal moment, cause the normals went running and screaming from my house. No way were they coming here!
We decided to have some fun with our vacation. We took the kids camping nearby for 2 nights and were going to go to sea world again and do all those fun camping things.
Well when unpacking I already shared on another post our experience at the playground. When we arrived we saw that the bathrooms and a small new playground where about20 ft from our site and in pretty darn good view. We decided to let the kids play there while we unpacked. What was I thinking!
Most of the 2 days I spent amazed at all these kids walking around with thier siblings or friends, riding bikes and having fun. Most between 5-12 years old and doing fine. And I notice how different we are because I can't even let my kids go to a playground in site of my cabin.
Went to Sea World again. Nope didn't make it on all the rides this time. Mike knew he WAS NOT going on the roller coaster again. There was this river rapids ride that was mild and he panicked getting on. I walked him off and waited yet again as DH took the other kids on. Most of the trip obsessing on what was next, perseverating and anxious while trying his best to have fun and be good but it wasn't happening. We made it 3 hours and had to leave, then nearly a meltdown because we were leaving.
At Sea World the kids had been insisting on sitting in the soak zone (particularly mike). We got awesome seats right next to where Shamu comes out of the water. Well once Shamu comes out and water floods the sides and our shoes and where I had my cell phones stored safely away. Good Bye Cell Phones. Oh and of course, Mike obsesses the rest of the time because his shoes are wet and he didn't ask to sit there in the first place. HELLO he was the one perseverating on it!!!! Dave got up and ran to the side of Shamu's little stage mid show and freaked out the usher gal and sent her flying down the stairs to move him. I got him back before she got there, but the look of terror on her face. Sorry, he is a bit impulsive and wanted swim with Shamu. Didn't dawn on him that he may drown or that is a big BIG fish.
Then Cait. I swear, the girl is a 5 yo in a 15 yo body. We were in the pool after and I wanted Groucho Marx glasses. She was following all the kids around "Mike, Mike, Mike (really loud) pretend your the trainer. Sit one my back like this and say" Of course Mike is ignoring her so he can spin in the water and do a stimmy splash but she keeps following him with her little demands loud enough for the world to hear. Then she starts making whale and dolphin noises and lays down on the stairs, lifts her head and starts slapping the water like she has fins. It was a whole weekend of this.
And the whining. The non-stop whining. "David, stop kicking my seat" "Emily got more turns with ...than I did". etc etc etc.
Oh, we bought cards to play games with the kids. Crazy 8's is a relatively easy game, but for some reason my autie's have decided to loose the ability to take turns and match. All they have to do is Match the suit, match the number or play an 8 (wild card). If they don't have that, draw till you do. First person with no cards left wins. Turns go clockwise. OY! Constantly, "Mike, my turn is after david. You have to wait for your turn". (watching cait draw a bunch of cards) "Cait let me see your cards. Look it is a heart or a 7, you have a 7. Or you can always play an 8. You picked up an 8 four cards ago."
Emily spent most of the time trying to pretend she didn't know them. There was a girl 2 cabins down that was Cait's age who became quick friends with Emily and wanted really nothing to do with Cait. She can't even make a friend for 2 dang days! And she didn't even notice. She thought the girl WAS her friend because she would puppy tag along whenever Emily and the girl were playing in front.
OH Thank god we are home!
Renee


Oh, Renee, oh, oh, oh. I'll say it again, I do not know how you do it!!! I'm exhausted just reading that, can't imagine how you managed and how exhausted YOU must be!!!
I grew up in a large family and I know for a fact that we completely wiped our mother out with just the kind of constant scenes you describe of fighting and bickering over games, etc. She always said vacations were never a vacation for HER, and frankly, we didn't do a whole lot of trips ever.
You and your dh just must be the most amazing people ever, some kind of special angels here on earth! Your children are so lucky to have you.
Really expensive delicious cyber wine coming atcha, also serious Godiva chocolates and vanilla ice cream, good combo, yum.
Sara
ilovemalcolm
Renee,
I am sorry it was so rough on you guys.
Pat
Happiness is a conscious choice, not an automatic response. --
Thanks both,
Wine, ice cream and godiva sounds heavenly Sarah thanks.
I was rereading the post and DANG I realized how funny some of that stuff is if you look at it from an outside point of view. Maybe I am just getting punchy this morning. Didn't get much sleep on those dang cabin beds for those days. One of those things we will laugh about in the future. OK not throwing sand at the 3 yo but the whale noises and flapping her flippers while some boys look on and decide she is not the girl for them. Oh, yeah. That will be a vision to go down in the memory books.
And we are talking about camping again for a week. Probably off season when it is not crowded. It is good to get Mike away from electronics for a few days where they really are not available at all.
We actually did a vacation 2 summers ago that took us across the USA. We were gone for 5 weeks, most of it camping and saw everything. It was very cool, but I remember it took a good few days to get the kids in a grove (routine).
Plus I think I am being extra sensitive these days. usually I don't care what other people think about us. I have developed a pretty thick skin. I know it is a really horrible thing to think, but sometimes I wonder if it wouldn't have been easier to have 1 child with obvious special needs that others could see rather than 3 with "invisible" disabilities. Easier on them and on me. I think other people and kids give alot of slack when they know there are needs, but with a kid like Mike they don't know.
Except for this one young man at the pool. He said "Are they hyper?" Then something like "I know kids like that" and a few more things. He was really sweet about how he said it too. He was maybe 15, so I guess awareness of differences is working on some level. I am betting perhaps that kid was ADHD on meds himself. He seemed to really understand.
Renee
Renee,
That was a funny post!! Everything you wrote is soooo familiar! Just minus 2 kids and you would be experiencing my life!!! LOL My boys do the same thing when they sit down to play a game. I get exhausted just listening to them. And Mike getting his shoes wet....too funny. That could've been Nathan. Waiting all day to do something...then getting upset about it!!!! Nathan will go on and on about something, but you never know what will set him off. Just ONE thing...and BOOM!!!
Too bad we don't live closer to each other. It would be a riot to watch Mike and Nathan together!!!
Michelle
renee,
sorry things didn't go as hoped. but i'm sure all of them enjoyed themselves even if you didn't. how does dh handle this stuff? or does he always deal with the easiest child of the moment while you take on the other?
v