Easter Eggs Everywhere

Susanne had her hands full today. She was not only taking care of Paxton, but also her oldest nephew, Parker. Parker was dropped off for the day around 7:30am. Susanne invited Parker to help her take care of Paxton, which he was very interested in doing. After Paxton was good to go, they all moved downstairs to have breakfast.

Paxton couldn't keep his eyes open after only being up for about an hour. Susanne put him back down a little early for his morning nap. Susanne and Parker took the monitor outside with them to be able to keep a close eye on Paxton while they played. They initially started out by racing down the driveway on Parker's Big Wheel. Susanne hadn't been on a Big Wheel in well over twenty years. She was pleasantly surprised that she could still fit on one. Eventually, they started adding in other activities. Soon, the Big Wheel races turned into an obstacle course. This was something that was close to Susanne's heart. This was one of the top things that she and her sisters loved to do for entertainment as kids. It brought a smile to her heart when they started pulling things out of Gigi and Poppy's garage that reminded her of her childhood.

Time flew by so quickly. Before they knew it, Paxton was ready for his medications and to be set up for his next feeding. Susanne was impressed with how well Parker helped with everything. He was such a good listener and followed instructions very well.

Once Paxton woke up from his nap, they all watched Paxton's favorite TV shows which included Sesame Street and Sid the Science Kid. Parker was enthralled with the TV. He was so focused on what was on the screen that he tuned everything and everyone else out. This actually came in handy because Susanne was able to successfully complete a therapy session with Paxton without Parker becoming completely bored. Paxton's favorite activity this morning was playing with his sensory balls. He was becoming more and more interested in touching things that had different shapes and textures.

After the shows were over, they went for a walk to the park. They played for hours going on imaginary adventures and eating exotic foods. Paxton even got to participate. He went down the slide with Susanne and even sat on a swing with her. He seemed to have a great time. On the walk back, Susanne and Parker collected a variety of things from the environment. Once they returned home, they laid every item out on the table. They named each different item and talked about them.

Susanne put Paxton to bed for his next nap and feeding. Afterwards, she made lunch for herself and Parker. They ate their hotdogs sitting on the floor looking out the front door watching the landscaper mow the yard. Parker had always been obsessed with lawnmowers since he was born so this was the perfect mid-day entertainment for him.

After lunch, they baked cupcakes for Paxton's Uncle Wally. He recently had a birthday that they wanted to help celebrate. Parker was a great assistant throughout the entire process. Susanne was certain Parker's daddy would be thrilled to know that he helped make them.

While the cupcakes cooled, Susanne set up an Easter Egg hunt outside. She quickly realized that Parker loved finding them just as much as he loved hiding them. They probably went through this cycle about five times before moving on to the next activity.

Next, it was time to dye real Easter Eggs. This would be Paxton's first time ever doing this. Leah was so kind to have purchased an easy to use egg coloring kit so Paxton could participate too. It looked like a salad spinner that you just add the dye and the egg to the inside basket and push the button on the lid to spin it around to decorate it. It was pretty cool. Susanne was excited that Scott was able to join them for another one of Paxton's firsts.

Right after they finished dying all of their eggs, Leah showed up to pick up Parker. Parker and Susanne frosted all of the cupcakes before they headed out. Susanne was excited when she discovered that Leah had brought her homemade rice krispie eggs that had M&M's inside of them. She and Parker had made them the night before. It was the perfect way to end their wonderful day. Susanne was sad to see Parker go. She always had such a great time with him.

Once he left, Susanne realized how exhausted she really was. She somehow found the energy to bathe Paxton, read him a few stories, set up his feeding, and get him off to bed. She ended her night by making some Mexican food and plopping herself in front of the TV for the rest of the evening.