WEDNESDAY

For nearly six months, Wednesday was a day to be dreaded. Jacob received his first chemo treatment in the hospital on Wednesday, August 6th. Each Wednesday came unwelcomedly with anxiety, fear, frustration, and drama. There was also the emotional blow to our family behind the scenes. Each of us on eggshells. The increased needs of our children for time, attention, and reassurance. Most kids have meltdowns, we had our routine share. But it became more than that. The drama was amped up. Our "normal routine" was sabotaged. And our sleep habits were doused.

Jacob was routinely in our room climbing in our bed or setting up camp on the floor. His kicking feet followed him along with his grating teeth. The constant grinding of enamel kept me up some nights. Other nights I was kept up because of guilt, anguish, plain insomnia, or intense (key part of that word being TENSE) overload. Jessica too found her way to our bedroom floor for slumber. Sometimes the two of them would step on each other. Eventually they staked claims to regions of the carpet. Jayson went through a teething phase and would wake in the middle of the night too. Perhaps he just didn't want to miss out on the festivities.

I'm just saying - we have been tired, worn out, and essentially on survival mode - practically removed from the rest of the world. I've had some sadness about that too.

One night I said to Jon, "do you ever think it will go back to a Wednesday night where we put the kids to bed and you and I stay up to watch Lost?"

I have been a faithful Lost fan since the first episode of season 1. I've ridden the uncertainties and twists whether I liked it or not. Waiting until JANUARY 2009 for the next season seems like forever for any big fan. I noted in my mind that if Jacob's counts stayed good, we would be finishing his chemotherapy around the time Lost came back on the air. Waiting until January while wading through a weekly chemotherapy protocol made it seem like it would be forever.

Like I've noted before - time keeps ticking. The same number of beats per minute whether its a moment that you want to hang on to forever or whether you need it to be over. The passing of time is constant in this world and because of that we've reached the end of chemotherapy. And the season premiere of Lost is on television.

I've never wanted "Wednesday" to be blamed for so much anxiety, tears, chaos, or sadness. Now in 2009 we are in a state to put the wonderful back into Wednesday. Today I announced that we would be taking a field trip. I had hoped to get outside and walk around the zoo, but the possibility of rain lingered. So we visited the California Science Center.

My children received no choices regarding destination or whether or not they would attend (sometimes it's just best when MOM is the boss). Jacob seemed to light up. He raced upstairs and COMBED & GELLED his hair. Yes, you heard me right. It kind of can swoop to one side.

Also, let's embrace Wednesday with snapshots. So, lots of less than perfect photos to follow that chronicle a slice of perfection on our Wonderful Wednesday:



There are two Kid Discovery Centers that made going with Jayson and Jessica very enjoyable. Jessica put on a little show for the studio cameras.


Jacob took a space shuttle for a spin. So did Jayson, but he dove off before we could snatch his picture. Jayson crawls at the Speed of Light. He's super fast.

Jessica was most interested in the "cute mice." See what kind of influence Cinderella & Enchanted movies have on our girls. I still thought they were a bit gross. I've seen them run threw our backyard before (a few years ago) - nothing cute about that.


I loved watching the boys with their tools. Jacob has always loved power tools - even if they were just battery powered. Jayson knew right what to do with the brightly colored plastic screws that dozens of kids have handled - put them in his mouth of course.



I was busy playing with Jayson while my big kids checked out the computer lab.


Jayson totally loved the chicks. It was fun to see him get excited. I think he'll be fun at the zoo also. The kids also learned about the heart and what healthy blood looks like. The picture was totally fuzzy, but it was fun to hear a volunteer talk about it.




Okay, so if you haven't been to the CA Science Center, you haven't had the chance to gaze up and see this:

The center itself is free. You pay $8 parking per vehicle. We added the expense of watching the Imax 3D movie called Wild Ocean. I find it thrilling to have dolphins swimming right in front of me. The Rose Garden Cafe has wonderful lunch options (I try to avoid the opposite corridor which is home to McDonalds). Jacob ate Taco Bell tacos. Jessica ate fruit. I enjoyed the Chipotle Chicken Wrap. Jayson ate a little bit of everything. He was so happy to be out and playing ALL Day.




No trip is complete without testing your strength. The kids can lift a truck with their pulley system.



It seems like my kids are ALWAYS drawn to the cement slabs. They always run along the wide balance beams - every time, never fails.


Yeah for Happy Wednesday!!!