Flying Too Close to the Sun

Pippa

Raina's eyes lit up when I told her she could go to the trampoline party.  She jumped up and down, her wig hair bouncing.  Her hair was slowly starting to grow back, but it had a long ways to go.  She liked to keep her hair long.  Raina ran off to tell her brother.  Instead of being jealous, he was happy for her.  He knew she'd been through a lot and he was glad she got to do things again.

That didn't mean I still wasn't a nervous wreck.  The other parents tried to engage me in conversation at the party, but I couldn't take my eyes off my daughter.  Any time she slipped even a little bit, my heart jumped.  But she bounced right back up and kept playing with the other kids.

After about half an hour, I had her come take a break to conserve her energy.  I had her eat a banana and drink some juice.  We talked so I could see how she was doing.  When she was really tired she paused between her words.  She chatted away.

After five minutes, I let her get back up.  I laughed as she ran back to the trampolines and got right back at it.  After the party, we walked home and she talked the whole way.  Lin was making dinner, so he got an earful about what had gone on.

"Daddy, there were soooo many trampolines!" she told him, animated.  "There were, like, a million!  And I jumped on them all!"

"Wow," Lin said as he peeled potatoes.  "That sounds amazing.  Do you think I'd like it?"

"Yeah!" she said.  "I can take you there and I can show you how to jump."

It was adorable that she thought he apparently didn't know how to use a trampoline.  Lin laughed and Raina ran off to tell someone else.  I walked up behind Lin and wrapped my arms around him.  I rested my head between his shoulder blades.

"I'm glad she got to go," I admitted.  I'd been so stubborn.

"Me too," Lin said.  "She'll be talking about it for days."

"I guess we know where the twins will have their next birthday party," I said.  Now that Raina had seen the place, she'd definitely want to go back.  I helped Lin with dinner as the twins raced around the house together.  I was glad they had such a special relationship.

Cam walked out with her shoes on and her purse.  "Dad, I need to go buy something real quick for my project," she told him.  As usual, she'd left a big project to the last minute.  It was due tomorrow and she was just now getting started on her poster.

"Okay," Lin said.  "Dinner's in half an hour."

Cam disappeared and came back a while later with a big 3-panel poster board, some punch-out letters, and some fancy markers.  She spread the poster out on the coffee table and began to punch out the letters and spread them out on the board as her siblings continued to run and play.  When she had the letters she wanted, she found some glue and began to press them on.  Just as she was finishing, Raina pushed her brother a little too hard and he stumbled, tumbling right back at the coffee table and Cam's poster.  The board bent and tore.

"Felix!!" she screamed, and he started crying.  "Oh my God!!  You ruined my board!"

I rushed over and scooped up Felix, who was crying and holding his side.  He knocked it against the table pretty hard.  I bounced him a little and shooshed him as I carried him back to the kitchen.

"Raina, time out," I told my daughter.  She cried softly as she walked to the rug, the twins' designated time-out spot.  I know she didn't mean to, but they had to learn how to be more gentle with each other.

I set Felix on the counter as he cried and gently lifted up his t-shirt.  His side was a little red, but he'd be fine.  I kissed it better and ran my hands through his hair.