I haven't posted much this week because Cody's had a nasal/sinus infection all week which translates to no sleep!  I've been walking thru the days rather comatose - but we finally had it diagnosed yesterday and he's on antibiotics so I am seeing a light at the end of the tunnel.  But a week with no sleep - wow.  TGIF that's all I can say!  Poor Cody was so exhausted yesterday from the week that he slept literally all day.  I took him to the Dr, the pharmacy - got him in and out of the car twice and he never so much as opened an eye.  I could NOT wake that kid up.  I think he was just so tuckered out from the week of no sleep and having an infection.  It took so long to diagnose cuz I thought it was allergies or at worst a cold.  But hopefully it'll be a thing of the past soon!

I felt bad for Casey all week because I had to spend so much time attending to Cody - so I took Casey to the park all by himself one morning while Cody was at pre-school.  If you live in the area, the Grass Lawn Park on 148th  (between Redmond and Bellevue) is amazing.  They just re-did the whole park - and for special needs kids like Cody with unending sensory needs - this park has a "spray ground."  It's a little circle on the ground - probably 10 feet x 10 feet and if you push a button water sprays out of different holes making fountains that come and go in different patterns.  and you can walk right thru it.  They also have neat swings for a Cody-type of child.  It's hard to describe, but it's a dome - or a lid-shaped swing - that he can lay or sit on.  On a busy day you see 3 or 4 kids crowded onto one so we go early in the morning when there's no one there and he has it all to himself.  It's a totally different swinging experience.  There's also climbing rocks with cushiony ground cover for more typical kids.  Then there's an upper level playground with a huge slide and great swings.  It's the best playground I've found for Cody.  And on the morning I took Casey alone, he LOVED it too!  Now that he can walk, his favorite thing to do is go to a new place and walk, walk, walk.  He touches the ground, touches the grass, looks at passers-by.  He doesn't like to swing or slide - just walk.  We went there at 8:30am this week and not a soul was there except for landscaping crews.  Even when we left at 9:30 it was totally vacant.  So I highly recommend it. 

Well, gotta run cuz Cody was up at 5am today and he's already quite bored with our playroom at 7:20am.  Luckily his ABA therapist comes over at 8:30 to distract him and keep him engaged for 3 hours.  This is Don's and my anniversary weekend - 6 years on Sunday!  We tried to plan an overnight getaway but my family was out of town, our nanny got sick, and now Cody's got this infection I want to keep an eye on.  But I think we'll hit that great park with perhaps an early morning breakfast-picnic - and celebrate with the boys.  Then it's church on Sunday followed by our yearly outdoor baptism at Lake Sammamish.  I can't tell you how much I enjoy watching baptisms in real bodies of water outside!  Reminds me of what it must have looked like "back in the day" before baptismal fonts and "sprinklings."  Our Pastors literally go waist high in the water and invite those who want to declare their faith publicly to walk out one at a time and get dunked!  There's worship beforehand.  And a large crowd gathers.  One by one people trudge through the water to reach the Pastors.  They give their testimony and with one "swoosh" underwater and back up, soaking wet and not caring a bit...to a huge round of applause and shouts.  It's such a fresh, dramatic moment - when someone says "I want to declare my faith publicly" and under the water they go!  Such a great event.  Especially touching are the times whole families are baptized together. 

Have a great weekend, all.  This weekend I will be praying for YOU.

with love, Shawna