Ambushed by Joy (Or, Open House at Romp N' Roll)

So, I haven't posted in a while. It's been a bit of a struggle to keep our collective family head above water for the past few weeks. I won't get too much into the mundane hassles, but we've had issues with daycare transitions, finding childcare coverage, keeping up with grad work, preparing for travel, and recently, one of my co-workers was seriously injured in a car wreck which left us very short and me very frantic at work. In addition, Adele had a fairly distressing bout with roseola (that's the one with the crazy high fever for days, followed by spots on the torso) and has been getting teeth at a really unreasonable rate. And first Jon and then I have come down with the Evil Throat Cold that's been going around. I'm feeling the pressure, beyond a doubt, of having so much going on and, so it seems, so little flexibility to cope with it: I have 1.5 more days of family leave time left to use until January.

I have also had to confront an unpleasant reality in my own mental health lately. I had an episode a few weeks ago, and now I'm learning I may have long misunderstood my difficulties with breathing. I'm learning to face the fact that my greatest enemy may be is anxiety. The good news is that I am learning more about myself every week, and that I'm taking measures to help myself. And there's been progress, and hope.

So. There's that.

I have had some success lately with viewing overwhelming situations as opportunities to see my own relative powerlessness and paradoxically, simultaneously, to learn how strong I can be. This is a lesson that my birth experience reinforced. It's really about consciously giving God the opportunity to show me wonders that I don't have the audacity to imagine. Small, everyday wonders, like being okay at the end of the day, are still wonders. I'm also being inspired daily by sister Julian of Norwich. I'm more than halfway through her Revelations of Divine Love,  and the library may not see this book back for a while. I encourage you to read it in dark places. She is a prophet of light.

Another of the best treatments for anxiety and the accompanying gloom is to just let myself get caught up in my childrens' joy in new experiences. Just get unreasonably happy, happier than circumstances seem to warrant. Circumstances themselves may cower in fear in the face of joy!

So Romp N' Roll is this colorful indoor playground for tinies 6 & under. They have classes, similar to Gymboree (I'm given to understand; I have no real experience with Gymboree). Normally, since it's not free, it's not somewhere I'd spend my Saturday morning. But this past week they had a free open house session. So after Adele had an adequate morning nap (ok, I woke her up from it), we went over to check it out.

AUGH! Color! Lights! Sound! Music! Don't go if you have a migraine or have done hallucinogenic drugs! Otherwise, bring your small people and expect them to go completely wild. And expect to love it.

Everything is all padded so Adele got to try out some new physical feats. I wish I had a picture of the steep inclined plane she scaled. She was pursuing a stuffed dog and was SO pleased with herself when she caught up with it.

Miles was being all sleep-deficient and three-ish and was moaning about not wanting to go to the "indoor painground" (playground). Yeah, that changed within seconds of arrival. He just grinned at me and went "I LOVE it here!" and went dashing off to climb on something.

Adele climbed these. I'm sure she's been able to do stairs for some time now, but we don't have any. So I didn't know. She kept chirping and laughing at random.

Modeling the shirt that Melissa and Josh got her long ago!

Miles shows me how intrepid and independent he's become. Perhaps it's a result of preschool?
He's also much more imaginative than in months past. This cylinder was an airplane, btw, and he was riding it to Grandma and Grandpa's house.

Sizing up the challenge...

And going for it!

Adele is gaining a sense of her own relative size.

Seriously, this was a morning of wild, unbridled joy for the kids, and for me. I'm so grateful for all such good gifts.

Next up: we're traveling to Maryland to witness and participate in Jon's brother Tim's wedding! Tim and Corey will be married this Saturday. So down the rainbow colored chute we go!

Forward! And, Allons-y!