Author: Doris

Fixing dimmer switches:

Rehabbing the diswasher (so gross, all this old food clogging up everything):

Cleaning the garage:

I found myself at a bar for the US/Belgium game.  I never watch any sports.  I don’t understand the rules for soccer, especially when the game is thrown into overtime.  I didn’t know anyone else at the bar – but it was kind of exhilarating.  So much screaming, stomping, cheering and groaning.

The Volvo, which we bought more than 10 years ago, now has more than 110K miles on it.  I had to get a special waiver because it no longer passes the emission testing.  Just this week, it sounds like a Harley because the muffler has somehow malfunctioned and the battery died.  It has lasted through 6 au pairs, 2 kids, 2 dogs and more than 10 years.

We are still driving the Volvo, but there will come the day when it is clear that we’ll have to buy a car and we won’t have that much time to decide what kind of car.  So this summer, we are trying out a bunch of cars.  Jeremy’s interested in the Prius.  There are three versions, the hybrid, the plug-in hybrid and the wagon Prius.  We just wanted to make sure getting Edda in/out would be easy and that her wheelchair would fit in the trunk.

Edda loved the plug-in version so much that she fell asleep in the back seat.

The wheelchair kind of fits.  You have to take off the headrest, but it’s not really going to be the primary Edda-mobile, so as long as it kind of fits, it’ll be OK.

This year’s camp theme is superheros.   Here’s Edda in her superhero outfit ready to take on the world.   Edda got sent home from camp on Thursday for lice.  We spent hours Thursday night delousing her and the rest of the house.  Strange that I’m pleased for a call from the nurse about lice!  Past summers, the nurse has called for uncontrollable crying or seizures and then I slump into my office chair while I’m on the phone.  Lice is a regular kid issue, so I can just roll with it. We trimmed Edda’s hair about 4 inches to help with the combing.  If you brush it just the right way, you can see the grown up Edda peeking out from behind the fall of her hair.

Out late last night, we didn’t leave the restaurant until 10:10!  Way past our bedtime.  I had to drive into DC for this dinner date. I planned on meeting up with Jeremy who took the Metro.  Because of the location, it would just be easier to drive home afterwards than to take public transit.  I can not parallel park for the life of me and DC parking rules are so difficult for me to understand; I parked half a mile from the restaurant.

The annual Rett conference is in town.  I’m not attending, but that doesn’t mean I don’t get to see (along with a few of my fellow Rett mom pals: Laura and Lauren) Duncan who flies in from England and has done a tremendous amount for our little community and break bread with him.

When we moved every year (all over the US and all over the world), we were always the ones to say goodbye.  Now that we stay around, other people are always saying goodbye to us.  Meghan – good luck on your new adventure!  Come back and see us, OK?

Vince is off to Sweden.  He and Kiki left yesterday, late afternoon from Dulles.  I’m hoping to track him via Instagram, but do far, no sign.

Each summer, I try to schedule “just enough” for Vince.  I think it’s important that Vince has some time just to hang out with friends and sleep late.  This past week, Vince had some down time and we hosted so many boys.  It’s like a frat house here.  Well, minus the girls, the beer, the loud music and the sticky floors.  OK, maybe it’s only like a frat house in the sense that there were stinky boys staying up late and sleeping in and eating cold pizza.

Hey – where are you going with that pizza?

Food only in the kitchen and dining room! This is Jeremy’s rule. I am not good at following this rule either.  Only Edda is disciplined enough to follow this rule.

The handoff.

Watching a movie and playing video games.

Burritos.

Chicken tenders.

Three boys asleep.  Wake up!  The day is a-wasting.

Edda’s going to Camp JCC starting on Monday.  We love Camp JCC.  Here’s Edda with some returning counselors who stopped by to say hello.  I don’t know who they are because I’m not really allowed to be at camp.  Edda has this WHOLE OTHER LIFE that I know nothing about.  I just pay the $; she has a good time and comes home tan and tired and makes friends and she tells me nothing about it.

We met Edda’s one-on-one counselor on Friday.  We taught her how to fold/unfold the wheelchair, how to use her old Android phone to play videos and how Edda walks but does not go up and down stairs and does not use her hands.  It’s always a little nerve wracking handing Edda over to someone for 6 hours.  It’s not that I think Edda’s going to have a terrible time, it’s just that I hope the counselor has a good time!  I think I would collapse if I had Edda for 6 hours a day on the go-go-go, to the pool, to camp game, to sing, to do arts and crafts and to dance.  It already sounds tiring and I’m only typing it out. This is Edda’s 4th summer, and it’s always been great.

Edda’s secret talent: eating and sleeping at the same time.  Bet you can’t do that.

The house is crowded now with our cousins living in our basement, so when guests come to the house (like Kiki to take Vince to Sweden), we bring Edda into our room and let the guest stay in Edda’s room. Good night, Edda!