We're in the oppressive heat of summer, and it's not uncommon to find Max asleep during the days. It's too hot to take him outside, and in order to keep it cool in the house, we keep the blinds shut in the afternoon, which makes it cold and dark...perfect sleeping conditions.
I don't like these weeks in July. They're hot, and Max sleeps a lot. In order to get out of the house, we head for the hills, or get out once the afternoon showers have hit. We can't take him swimming because we can't get him safely in the pool. Indoor activities don't usually go well with Max. He talks all the way through movies in the theaters. Museums are usually boring if he's not with his classmates. And he could care less about going to a mall. Travel to family is out because if it's hot here, it's sweltering where family lives. We know our weather is pretty mild compared.
So, we hang out at home. Usually he has therapy through the week days. But, summer for the rest of the world means holidays and vacation. This means even therapies are spotty. We haven't had a "normal" schedule all summer. This leaves days open without much going on, and again, perfect sleeping conditions. There is little to anything I can do to MAKE Max stay awake if he wants to sleep. We learned early on, if he wants or needs to sleep, we just let him sleep.
I have to remember summer doesn't last forever. Soon, school will be back in and schedules back to normal. And while I love seeing my family and friends' holiday photos on facebook, it will be a nice break from the feeling of wishing we could go somewhere as a family. We'll be back on a level playing field...everyone back in school. Everyone enjoying the cooler temperatures. No wishing we could go swimming, or go on a trip to a theme park, or worrying about heat exhaustion after a short time in the sun. We took Max on a bike ride on Saturday, early in the day before the heat really hit. We were out for about 10 minutes and he was already zapped from the heat.
Yes, we'll get through these awful weeks of summer. Then we'll be out playing again. We have a glorious later summer/fall around here. In fact, it's my favorite time of the year in Colorado. Until it gets here though, you'll find us in our cave...air running, draining our bank account to keep it cool enough for the dude. We've been trying to get up in elevation because it's cooler in the mountains. But, that can only happen on the weekends. In the evenings, once the afternoon storms have rolled through we can get out and enjoy the cooler temperatures. Thankfully, Max is usually awake enough to enjoy it by then.
Last night, we got a rain shower, through the sun, and a double rainbow. We all got drenched, but it was fun all the same. A good reminder, it won't last forever...we'll get through the not so fun bits of summer.
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