Alan wrapped up the Summer Reading Program with Grandma Debbie (Theme: “Libraries Rock”) and got to pick out a free book at the Mayfield Library as a prize. Alan chose Pete the Cat and the Tip-Top Tree House, which was one of his favorite series from Mrs. Russo’s class!
Yesterday Alan had his first surgery — the removal of his tonsils and adenoids. He braved through it and hopefully is now well on his way to having three fewer bouts with strep throat next winter as compared with last.
He was brave in the pre-op room, where he played with Dinosaur stickers, as well as on his walk to the operating room alone with the surgeon and nurses. Alan’s Cavs doggy, which we got at the Cavs v. Suns game in March, was with him in the operating room, wearing a ‘good luck’ necklace for Alan. The gold coin on the necklace was a gift from Alan to me on last St. Patrick’s Day.
It was a very tough first 24 hours after the surgery with Alan unable to swallow as much medicine and water as he was supposed to (actually barely any at all). But following a long night, a visit from Lulu and Rosie helped get things going in the right direction again. They helped him overcome his fear of swallowing and Alan was able to get down medicine, water, and even a donut! Later on in the evening, he resumed drinking milk and eating ice cream too.
7/22/18 Update: Alan continues to get a little better each day. He still has to take Tylenol for the pain and soreness, and nights have been especially tough for him. But on the brightside he’s spent the last six days with Daddy or Grandma Debbie playing Chess, Checkers, Go Fish, and Legos. Alan was excited to at least get the Lego Police Station out of this ordeal! There have also been a lot of McDonald’s Happy Meals with The Incredibles 2 toys and popsicles/ice cream cones.
7/24/18 Update: Alan built his Lego Police Station and took a photo for me. What an awesome Lego city!
7/28/18 Update: By Day 9 Alan was able to sleep through the night without waking up in pain. By Day 10 Alan starting using his voice again. By Day 11 Alan stopped having to take Tylenol. Today, Day 12, Alan is now back to full strength and will get to see his cousins tonight!
During Alan’s fun-filled weekend, he found time to make me a laundry cart from Tinker Toys. It’s the new-and-improved model of an earlier version that he created. It’s designed to help me wheel the laundry basket from one end of the apartment to the other.
With his traveling behind him, Alan could finally get what he’s been waiting for this summer – a sleepover with Tyler and Carleigh at Grandma’s house! In fact it was a true summer weekend from start to finish for Alan.
The sleepover took place on Friday night. Alan brought the Sea Patroller (from Paw Patrol) as the featured toy of the night. Highlights included the kids picking out donuts from Dunkin Donuts for their bedtime snack and going on a walk in their pajamas with flashlights. On their walk, they met a woman with a white dog named Misty that Alan liked. The kids were excited to explain that they were in their pajamas going on a “midnight” walk with their grandma!
On Saturday morning the kids went to the library to get new books (one of Alan’s favorites pictured below) and play with the kitchen set. Alan’s doing the summer reading program again, and he earned a raffle ticket for reaching the halfway point on his game board. The kids read and played some more until it was time to go home.
But the fun didn’t stop there for Alan. Later on Saturday he went to Josh’s house to play with Josh and Killian. The boys played outside, including in Josh’s backyard pool. After I picked Alan up, we played two of Alan’s new favorite games – chess and checkers – on our brand new set. We could have finished the night playing those games, but Alan wanted to run to the park to hit some baseballs until the sun went down. We’ve been playing a new game when Alan hits a ball far where he tries to circle the bases before I can get the ball and track him down. He likes showing off his speed ever since the coach told him he’s fast!
On Sunday Alan got to help Tata shop at Giant Eagle for the first time in several weeks due to his traveling. He enjoys pushing the cart and helping out very much. Afterwards we hit baseballs again at the park, despite the heat. It was a full summer weekend for sure!
Alan had a pretty sweet playoff debut, going 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI singles. Alan brought his sunglasses to the game just in case he played OF, and he actually did play RF for 4 innings. The Yankees tried their best but ultimately lost to the Red Sox 9-5 to conclude the season.
Alan was fortunate to get to play this game, as it took two rainouts on July 3rd and 5th to get this game rescheduled to a date after Alan’s trip to Vancouver (June 29th-July 7th). That also allowed Alan to play in front of Grandma Debbie, Papa, and Lulu tonight. Alan made sure to tell everyone again that Lulu was his dog.
After the game, the team took a group photo before celebrating the season with some ice cream at Dairy Queen!
At DQ, Alan joined in and ordered a vanilla cone. While Alan and his teammates were eating, the coach passed out balls and commended each player. He called Alan a “hitting machine” and said he was the fastest player on the team — a comment that Alan earned by beating out an infield hit in his first at-bat by a whisker.
But the night didn’t end there. After Dairy Queen, at Alan’s request, we went back to our favorite practice field to keep hitting and running the bases. The sun may have set on another baseball season, but it’s never too early to prepare for next season!
Alan made it back from another vacation (to Vancouver from June 29-July 7) just in time to make today’s Indians game — already the 30th of Alan’s career.
Alan debuted his new Jose Ramirez #11 shirt today at the game. Ramirez — still our favorite following Alan’s Kids Starting Lineup experience last season — has been having another great season. After Alan wore his number today, Ramirez was then named as the American League’s starting third baseman in the All-Star Game for the second consecutive year.
While at the game today, Alan once again opted to stay inside the Kids Clubhouse to play at the train table. This time we brought an old favorite — Percy — from home to use on the table. Alan made some new friends at the train table, as well as at the giant glove just before entering the MVP line for the postgame run. It was a beautiful day for running the bases!
