Friday, December 12, 2008

Blessed Holiday Season

The confluence of several things these last two weeks have kept the Scheck family here on the ropes. We had a rough cold sweep through the house leaving only Anna untouched. Sophie and Tara had the worst of it and fortunately Henry's immune system fought it off pretty well. It did have us sleepless for some time. Sophie's birthday is actually today, we had her party this past Sunday with all her friends at The Little Gym, who, I have to say, throw a wonderfully complete and worry-free party. Our big girl is now seven and as bouncy as ever. We just returned this evening from a dinner out at a local hibachi grill - a favorite entertainment spot. The usual Christmas mayhem has kept us hopping too - gifts, planning, crafts, cards - all wonderful traditions that have kept us busy and thinking wintry thoughts.



In the few hours left recently that haven't been consumed by the above, have been spent in recovery trying to keep up with an immensely energetic Henry. He looks great, feels great and is literally running around the house. He has resumed his weekly Little Gym class which he enjoys so much that he completely loses himself in it, screaming, running and throwing his hands in the air. It is my absolute favorite time of the week with him. It's so readily apparent that he is just being a kid. And while he still doesn't have the balance of a normal 4 year old, he runs and jumps and crawls on everything in sight as well as joining in with their group activities.

All of this December has been wildly distracting and, aside from our colds, very upbeat. Even the visits from the hospice staff have become a highly anticipated event as they, as much as Henry, have enjoyed playing and building rapport with him during this amazing time. Tara and I often comment to each other that we've simply never seen him look so happy and healthy. It's really a tremendous irony and one we're extremely grateful for. Not infrequently do I think about the wonders of modern medicine and feel unable to fathom what it has afforded us as a family, not to mention some of the best time of Henry's life.

So this weekend, we will venture out, weather permitting, to cut a real Christmas tree, in contrast to last year. We couldn't have live plants in the house due to Henry's weakened immune system and had to forgo one of our favorite traditions. We will trim the tree, hopefully just in time for Grandma Linda's arrival for a pre-Christmas week of visiting. In the meantime, we'll continue to ride the goodwill of the season and relax with each other, knowing it is a true blessing.

6 comments:

Jen said...

I hope that the colds are over with now!

What a wonderful post- have fun getting the tree!

Michelle said...

The Ziters in Vermont are getting a Christmas tree today as well... we will be thinking of the Schecks as we cut, put up, and decorate our tree! Have fun!! Can't wait to see pictures of your beautiful tree. :)

rlbates said...

Happy Birthday to Sophie! Merry Christmas to you all

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday Sophie - dinner sounds yummy! It's been so wonderful to see Henry full of energy and having a ball playing with his family and friends. Have fun tree "shopping." Sounds like a great way to spend the weekend with decorating and getting ready for Grandma Linda. Hopefully all of the colds have come and gone and you all can have a blessed holiday season.

Love, Julie, Brad, Patrick, Andrew and Samantha

Anonymous said...

I'm so glad to hear that everyone is recovering from the colds and that Sophie's birthday went well and Henry is feeling good! Thanks for the updates!
Love,
Karen

Anonymous said...

Happy birthday Sophie!! Looks like you had a wonderful time at your party.

Shanda