August 2019

Here's what we've been up to during the month of August:

The Routine (Rob)

As noted last month, we've had a change in our home life with Becky and Alex going out to the Hudson Valley for Alex's therapy program during the week, and coming back on the weekend. August was our second month of this routine. For now, Becky and Alex have been staying in different AirBnB locations in the area. In a lot of ways, this is more interesting than staying in a motel because they get to stay in a different place each week with different amenities and hosts.  Beginning in September, Alex will move over to a different therapy program in the area so that we can compare which suits him best. Eventually, we'll have a long term plan that will involve getting an apartment out there and Becky working part time during Alex's therapy to help pay the added expenses. This routine obviously takes its emotional toll sometimes, on top of the stress of wondering if your child will ever be able to communicate. Alex has adapted to it pretty well, he generally enjoys the therapy program and the people working with him at the clinic really like him, and that is super important. Becky has good days and hard days, and has been a trooper in keeping a positive outlook while relentlessly finding the best services available here. It's always hard when Becky and Alex pack up and hit the road every Sunday night, and drive 2.5 hours out to the Hudson Valley area of the state. I clean up after they leave and it's always sad when I put Alex's toys away. As hard as this is, we are grateful that our circumstances allow us to do it. Looking back someday we'll know we did all we could.

The Evenings (Rob)

While Alex is in therapy, Becky has been catching up on her continuing education requirements that she has to keep current for her profession. After Alex gets out of therapy, usually around 3 pm, Becky and Alex both take a break by going to a library, park or a beach near the Hudson River. Becky has been finding a lot on nice parks in that area. We usually catch up on the phone at some point while Alex is playing. I have a lot of quiet time during the evenings now. As an introvert, this probably doesn't trouble me as much as it does for some. A friend from the ward who also works here at the university was in a similar situation while his wife and kids were visiting family in Utah for an extended summer vacation, similar to what Becky and Alex did last summer while I was working. I had him over for dinner and we enjoyed hanging out and having some human interaction in absence of our families, along with our burgers, chips & guac and root beer. Most days I keep myself busy with all the domestic chores, house cleaning, various to do list items, ward clerk stuff (although that hasn't been very busy for me yet), and researching ideas of things that I can write about to earn a few extra bucks. I haven't been doing as much science writing as in the past, but I'd like to keep that going to some extent because it can be an enjoyable way for me to supplement my income. I would also be open to doing some part-time evening work to earn money, as long as it's different enough from what I do during the work day. But it's actually kind of hard to find jobs like that, and having a PhD actually makes it harder. 

The Weekends (Rob)

When Becky and Alex come home on the weekends, we try to make the most of the time. Becky has two clients that she sees on Saturday mornings. I usually take Alex out to a park or for a hike some place during that time. You'll see many photos of places we have been that are usually some combination of forests, rivers and lakes. Winters here can be brutal, but the summers are quite the opposite and so you have to take advantage of the time to enjoy the outdoors. Since we don't eat anything fancy during the week, we usually have some nice dinners at home, and play time and therapy time too. Alex has been doing much better in nursery now. He lasts the full hour and sometimes doesn't want to leave when we come get him. He won't sit still through sacrament meeting usually, but he really enjoys nursery now. We always let him run around the open gym after nursery and he loves that. Then he falls asleep on the way home and we all get to enjoy some naptime. It's a great routine. 

Anniversary No. 4 (Rob)

To celebrate our anniversary this month, we got a babysitter and had a date night. It's been too long since we've done this. We went out to a Japanese ramen place for dinner, and then we walked over to Robot City Arcade, which boasts itself as the larges arcade in New York. I don't know about that, but they do have like 120 arcade games that you can play for a quarter or two. It was like stepping back in time, or back to season 2 of Stranger Things. I learned that Becky and I share a love for the game Arkanoid, and she is much better at it than I am. I got to play some of my other childhood favorites, including NBA Jam, Road Blasters, Jungle King, Street Fighter, and so on.

Photos and Other Tidbits (Rob)

Here is a link to photos and videos from August; we have a whole bunch this time. You'll see some very picturesque parks that we've visited, Alex playing with cars cars cars, and also some of the therapy workers that have been working with Becky and Alex.