Reconnecting

{Splash park at Marsh Creek Lake}

Things are much better over here than they were last week. Nothing was going right - Malayna's behavior was awful, she was sad and contrary and seemed anxious about everything. She hasn't been sleeping very well which is really unusual for her. The thunderstorm fear is still going strong, and she's been tossing and turning and waking up during the night. She's not calling out for us, but I can hear her in there and can tell that she's awake. A few mornings she's woken up around 4:00 and stayed awake until 8:00 when I go in to get her. Needless to say, less sleep means more crankiness.

These past few days, however, have been better. She's sleeping better, after many assurances from me and Jimmy that there will be no thunderstorms. Malayna and I did a little research on thunderstorms (on the computer) and even created our own thunder with a brown paper bag - we blew in it and then popped it with our hands. When thunderstorms are a possibility, we turn on her extra battery-powered lights and I tell her that if the power goes out I will come get her right away.

Yesterday she and I went to Marsh Creek Lake. It's about an hour from here, so we packed a change of clothes, a cooler with lunch and snacks and a few pool toys. They have a big pool and a kid's play area with fountains. I knew that we needed a fun day with just the two of us, and since yesterday was sunny and not too humid, it seemed like the perfect chance. We had a great time. She's usually ready to go after about two hours, but yesterday she lasted for three. We splashed in the pool, ran around the sprinklers and met lots of new friends. We had a picnic in the shade of a big tree, with ice cream for dessert.

It was just what we needed.