Camp ROCKS

Well, 4 complete days of camp have come and gone, and my spies have given daily reports that Madelyn is all smiles and having an awesome time at camp. It's such a relief. It's harder than I thought with her being there (for me - not her!). It's not that I don't get to see her - I'm used to that - but I find myself constantly worrying about her. Is she having fun, is she getting along with her new friends, does she have enough clothes, enough panties, is she getting enough to eat, enough rest, enough water, is she homesick, blah, blah, blah - you get the picture. It's been a HUGE relief to have some friends there staffing this week (what a great coincidence that they are there the same week as Mads - that was a great surprise), and to hear little updates on how she's doing. Not just that she's doing well, but I've gotten specifics on some of the things they are doing, and some things she said...

For example: I asked Aimee to tell her that at the rate she was going, she better make sure she sends her clothes to laundry. (On day 2, I'd seen pics of her in 4 different outfits!! And when we packed her I packed her 11 outfits for 10 days and told her she didn't have to do laundry if she didn't want to). So now I've been panicking, think OMG - she's not going to send her clothes to get washed because "Rarah said I didn't have to", and then she's going to get to day 6 or 7 and not have any clean clothes! So I was going to go buy a few more outfits and get them in the mail real quick. And then I thought - no, she'll figure it out. She's a big girl, and at the end of the day if she has to wear some dirty clothes it's not the end of the world. Now you all know 1. this is a kid who wants to change if she gets the slightest amount of dirt or stain on her shirt, and 2. the thought of her having to wear dirty clothes both grosses me out and makes me feel just awful! So anyway, I asked Aimee to tell her to be sure to send laundry. I get a message from Barrett the next day, along with my "daily dose" that Madelyn is doing great and having fun, she says... "She said she thought she would be ok with her clothes, but will need to wash her underwear". I just laughed. That's my kiddo!

So in all of the pictures we've seen, Madelyn seems to be having the time of her life. PHEW! I really thought she would, but you just never know. She's so independent, strong willed, and fun, and so I really did think camp would be nothing but wonderful for her. It's just so nice that this experience is transpiring as we'd hoped. Again, a huge thanks to our friends who helped make this decision. It wasn't easy, let me tell you. But Trey and I discussed it a ton, and talked to several people with more experience in this area, and ultimately, I am so glad we made the decision to send her to Greene.