Staying in today

This morning Nikko was clingy as usual, especially after Brianna arrived. Ronin saw her and started whining, probably thinking I was going away. Little did he know that HE would be the one to go outside w/Brianna for a walk while Nikko had speech therapy. Audrey sat beside us while Nikko worked on puzzles, threading, barnyard stuff, pushed a truck through a gate, and used a big mirror. Therapy was ok today. When Gloria was working with Nikko, she was talking a little bit louder than usual, plus she used a hand under his chin and turned his head to look up at her several times. She hadn't done that before so I wonder why she did it now. Gloria told me that when Nikko has a runny nose I should give him the tissue and see if he will wipe his nose. I can help him, but I should do this so that he will learn to associate that when his nose is runny or eyes are teary, he uses a tissue to wipe them. Makes sense. Ronin gets it, as he leans into the tissue when I wipe his nose, but I think Nikko isn't 100% on it yet. After therapy we basically served lunch and then went into the basement to run the kids around until it was naptime. Ronin was extremely tired from his outing but we wouldn't let him sleep in the highchair. Nikko, meanwhile, had lots of energy and didn't nap until I was gone. Unfortunately Audrey had another meltdown while I was at the chiropractor, so getting texted by Brianna to come home as soon as possible wasn't fun to see. Lucky for me I turned off my phone. When I got back, I asked how Nikko reacted when I left. She said that when he realized that I wasn't around he ran around the house to look for me. But instead of crying or whining, which we both thought he'd do, he went to the toy bin, unloaded some big cars and trains, and lined then up across the floor. Then he went back to watching Hi-5. I wonder if that was his way to cope with my absence. Nikko had swim class tonight and Denis said that during class they sang Wheels on the Bus. Nikko started doing his hand motion, but when they gave him a plastic ring to use as a steering wheel, he was confused. I guess he learned it one way and figured that WE were all wrong! Nikko was tired at bedtime so after prayers I leaned in and he looked up at me to kiss me g'nite. I am sorry that Nikko did not get to go outside to enjoy the weather today. I'm glad Ronin was able to go outside, even play with sidewalk chalk at the park. But with our tight timeframe today, plus the chiro visit I was not going to miss, I had to sacrifice his outdoor time today. Luckily he got to play in the park with me over the weekend, so it wasn't a total loss. There will be other summer days, I'm sure! I had to make a conscious effort not to stress out about this decision.