You Can't Stop the Waves But You Can Learn to Surf: Wait...Summer's Over???

I am finally ready to write about our summer and at the same time I am watching for the bus to pull up at the end of the first day of school...shame on me, I know! These pics are from this morning.
Clearly he is accustomed to sleeping in ...

Our summer had kind of a rough start but is ending very well. Between me and Harry we were sick with very bad colds from the end of May through the middle of July. He was on antibiotics twice, but it's ok...it's the first time this has been necessary in over a year, when he started his diet and then his monthly IV infusions changed to weekly subcutaneous (tiny needle just under the skin) infusions of a blood product that boosts his immune system. He was sick twice, then I was sick for 3 weeks...all is better now. So thankful for family, friends, and childcare!

Summer had a few other bumps as well. The good news is, Harrison finally got to give up one of his seizure meds, Depakote, which causes drowsiness. We have noticed throughout the summer that he has been much more awake, alert, and interactive with people and his whole environment. The bad news is, someone forgot to tell me that Depakote is a mood stabilizer. This child was a bear all summer! A lot of screaming and tantrums, out of the blue, (molars? headaches? stomach ache?) while he was awake and also in the middle of sleeping like he was having nightmares. He sounded like he was terrified, it was awful! It got to the point where we could let him scream because it usually did not last more than a minute or two, and often he would just start laughing (figures). Still, physical and cognitive progress has improved tremendously! He goes all over the house and down the driveway in his gait trainer, and he loves to play with the ipad and also control things like toys and the food processor with his big yellow button while he is in his stander. Glad to get off that medication. And, by the way, he is very much enjoying playing with his first loose tooth- ugh!

Harrison was very busy this summer, despite the screaming episodes and- oh yeah- the constant retching, which bought him a new round of Prilosec, until further notice. Anyway, as I was saying, Harrison had a very full schedule. He went to camp at his school for 5 weeks, overall had a great time. Lots of playing in the sprinkler, watering the garden, arts and crafts, and his favorite part of the day was the "shake break." OK, proud mom spot, and an opportunity for me to recognize the lesson in all of this. I want to share the teacher's comments on his summer report: "Harrison has been a joy to work with this summer! As anyone who meets him will attest, Harrison truly has an infectious laughter that brightens the room and brings a smile to all those around him and within earshot. It was fun to watch Harrison express his personality and preferences this summer as he clearly demonstrated his musical preference for One Direction's What Makes you Beautiful!" Oh his big sister is so happy!

Harrison continued his swimming and horseback riding, even going on a beautiful trail ride.

He celebrated his sister's high school graduation party in a Bounce House for the first time,

and he went to the beach in Barrington, RI twice to visit my friend since 1st grade- her mother was visiting and got sucked right in!

Harrison also had a blast at the end of the year carnival at school- his favorite was doing the sack race with his friend Kaitlyn. They got to spend a lot of time together this summer, and I absolutely adore the way she dotes on him. I'm a little bummed that they are not in class together this year...but it's ok, she's right up the street!

Perhaps the best week of Harrison's summer was when he was on vacation from Mom and Dad...those pretty nurses and babysitters are so much more fun to hang out with! He went to some outdoor concerts, one in JP and one in Holliston where he saw lots of his friends and his teacher: