THE FINAL COUNTDOWN

So, one more day until Kani's "Going Home Party." Two more days before we actually get home as a family of four. And I still have a (little) fever. Ick. This is the third week in a row that I have been sick in some way. And it's no fun. I don't think it helped to drive the eight hours by myself on Sunday, or to be around the sick kids when I took Kani home. But you do what you have to do.

Last night was to be our last hoorah date. But I'm not too disappointed. Eric brought home dinner from the restaurant we were going to go to, and although we had planned to watch a movie at home, we just ended up going to bed early (I on the couch, Eric on his chair - until he went up to bed; I opted to keep the couch. It's my new best friend). And I don't feel the need to "get away" from Cameron just now. He watched cartoons so nice and quietly yesterday after I picked him up from school. And I was able to just chill on the couch. It could be worse. One of the good things about Cameron is that he doesn't watch TV very often. So on days like this when I really need a break from his incessant chatterboxing/stimming/etc., I don't feel as guilty about turning on the tube.

I feel like this weekend is anti-climatic. Perhaps that's because I feel I have a lot to do between now and then (around the house, at school, etc) and because we've been making this trip for the past six or seven weeks. Perhaps it's because I have a fever and am not really able to concentrate on the fact that we'll soon have two boys at our home forever. Perhaps it's also due, in part, to the fact that I know the reality of the situation is not all fun and games. The coming weeks and months are going to be difficult as we all learn how to live together. We've been through this before, and aren't naive enough to think that life is going to be wonderful with two six-year olds. I mean - it will be wonderful, but not all the time. And that's also tempered by the to and fro we'll be experiencing. We've got a lot to do. Register for school. Arrange appointments. Arrange caregivers. Keep busy enough with special activities (I've signed us each up for a sports-related activity) that we all have our own thing and we can have some time apart.

Anyway, we're in the home stretch now. All we have to do is pack the car for tomorrow (includes wrapping gifts for housemates -- the staff will have to wait for us to send a gift later, as I have been in no way able to do that this week), clean the house (doesn't THAT sound simple?), and make it through the rest of the stuff I need to finish for school. But I have been productive today - I got Kani registered for school, and he'll be ready to start on Tuesday. His bus time works fabulously with the rest of the schedule, so we should be good to go there, too. Now, if I could just get better....I need as much energy as I can muster for this weekend of all weekends. Not to mention the coming days ahead AFTER the weekend. No "week off" anymore. It's game time!