And now that the kids are older and slightly more civilized we have started braving the foreign shores with them in tow. This week we're in Jamaica. The boys are off for spring break and we rented a house with my best friend and her nine year old son. We did the same thing last year and were all brimming with excitement as we boarded the plane yesterday at 530am. It's an insane time to fly but the early departure allowed us to be out by the pool in our fab villa by 10am. Can't beat that.
I worried about lots of things before we left. How would we keep Sam dairy free in a country that's not as allergy sensitive as ours and with a cook who probably puts butter on everything? Would Sam do his exercises in front of another kid and while distracted by pool and trampoline? How would we keep them to an hour per day of video games when that's their favorite thing to do and one of the things they remember most fondly about last year's week?
So we're on Day Two and so far, so good. The chef is pretty focused on the dairy freeness but is not as knowledgeable as I've become. He boasted of his butter free brownies last night but when I pointed out the milk in the chocolate he nodded along and agreed that the Oreos I smuggled in from Jersey would be a great alternative. But he stocked the house with pretzels and Frosted Flakes and made crustless peanut butter sandwiches so seems to kind of get it which is more than I expected. He also appreciated the can of Pam I brought along so we may all be eating a little healthier this week.
The exercises are happening. The biggest challenge is doing them on the cold and sticky floor but Sam's been doing them willingly. And a whole other benefit of being away has occurred. They have one of those insanely dangerous trampolines here. It makes me super nervous but it's loads of fun and Sam cannot stop jumping. He did it for about an hour yesterday while I read Stephen King's newest, massive novel and drank the first of many rum punches. Today he decided that you could jump the highest when it's pouring rain and you're naked. I'm not so sure he's right but he looked pretty cute and the exercise had to be good for his core - and way more fun than another round of sit-ups.
The best part of the trip so far has been watching Sam through my friend Ann's eyes. She's known him from just about the moment he was conceived and has lived through all of his challenges right beside me. She and Sam have always had a thing. He is a boy who likes to cuddle; and she's never one to say no to a good squeeze. And he's always had an appreciation for a pretty girl - and she's a beauty.
But their connection goes deeper than that. His shyness creates a distance between him and a lot of people. When given the option of talking to Ben, who always has so much to say and is super engaging, or trying to pull a conversation out of Sam, many people pick the easier route which sends Sam a little deeper into his cave.
Ann has always made the time to get to know him, so he opens up with her in a way that he doesn't with anyone else; watching her with him makes me so happy. He shows her his true funny, creative and precious self which he reserves for family and it makes me fuzzy to see someone else appreciate all the shiny layers he keeps hidden from most.
So she's been reading my blog and has a sense of the transformation that's been occurring over the past several weeks but one of the things that got me so excited as we headed to the land of reggae, was to hear her impression of Sam. Would she notice? What would he be like with her? And it's all good. She can't believe how much he has to say. Her smile said it all as he crawled onto her lap to watch a movie. And her jaw dropped over lunch when the usually quiet Sam couldn't keep his mouth shut. Sammy, she said, what's with all the talking? I don't know, Sammy laughed. I think it's the Brain Balance.
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