Summer Vacation

Whoops, its  been a month since I last updated the blog. Time flies, as they say.

I had last written about Paige having an MRI to see what, if anything, was going on in her leg and how it might be affecting the growth of her left (shorter) leg. It looks as though the Femoral Artery in her left leg has some irregularities that may be the key to what's going on with the leg. We believe her kidney may have nothing to do with the leg length difference (and the Femoral Artery may instead be the culprit). We hope to have more info in the next few weeks once several more folks take a look at the MRI scan.

Onto the summer. In June, Paige and I spent a leisurely week in New Jersey with my parents. Every now and then I'm asked the witty question "what exit?" when I tell someone I grew up in New Jersey. That, or they look confused and tell me I don't sound like I'm from New Jersey. One time a lady (in upstate New York) actually said something along the lines of "I'm so sorry" when she learned where I was from.

I don't think any other state is the butt of more jokes than poor New Jersey, and the problem has worsened ever since The Sopranos, The Real Housewives of New Jersey and Jersey Shore (whose cast members, by the way, are all from Staten Island) all hit the airwaves.

Mom, I think the idea you suggested years ago is still a good one. If we change the name of the state from New Jersey to Princeton most of the jokes would stop. Maybe Mr. Christie can work on that.

New Jersey is quite beautiful if you can get past Newark Airport and has lots of open land and, believe it or not, lots of wildlife. During our week there, we saw the fellow pictured below several times a day in my parents' backyard. Most of the time he had several deer friends with him, they were probably discussing how to raid the local vegetable gardens in the middle of the night.

We happened to be at my parents house for Father's Day, so Paige and I took Mom and Dad out for dinner. Here are Dad and Paige with the Fathers Day cards we got him.

Somewhere along the line Mom dug out an old hairpiece of hers (we were looking at some old photos and I think I had asked her how she got her hair to look a certain way). It didn't take long for Paige to try it on for size. 

Paige and Gramps spent some time in the backyard. That hammock is deceiving - if you don't lie right in the middle of it, it flips over and dumps you onto the ground. 

After we returned home to WI, we were invited by some friends to spend the day at their lake house. This is the third summer in a row we've visited with them there, and Paige is getting quite accustomed to hanging out on their boat. Our first visit to their lake house, two years ago, was pretty memorable, as I'll show you in just a little bit.

This year she even rode in the tube (pulled by the boat) by herself. 

At the lake on this day were a bunch of adults and two kids: Paige and Ian. Paige is quite fond of Ian, as you can see here. 

Paige is also good friends with Ron, who earned the nickname Captain Ron the summer two years ago when he first showed Paige how to drive the boat. Here he is yet again letting Paige steer the boat. Check out how she's trying to push the throttle as far as it will go.

Getting back to the memorable first visit to the Hudson's lake house two years ago. One thing that sets Paige apart from most kids, apart from her Hypoplastic Left Heart, is the various medication she takes on a daily basis. Two of those are blood thinners. These cause her to bruise easily. Anyone that knows Paige knows she always has a bruise - or two, or three - on an arm and/or leg.

So, in the summer of 2009, Paige was 4, and she was attending daycare when Jim and I were both at work. One afternoon I got a call from daycare telling me she had tripped and fallen onto her forehead. She appeared to be OK but they asked that I come by and take a look for myself. When I arrived 20 minutes later she was out on the playground, holding a bag of ice to her forehead, but she said she felt fine. I took her to her pediatrician to be sure. She confirmed Paige was A-OK.

But oh, those blood thinners.

She hit her head on a Wednesday. By the following Saturday, she looked like this:

Because her blood doesn't clot as easily as most people (due to the blood thinners), the blood from her hitting her head 1) swelled up her forehead (you can't see it here but her forehead was swollen up a good 3/4") and 2) the blood drained down around her eyes causing the puffy raccoon effect.

Saturday was also the party at the Hudson's lake house and we didn't want to miss it. On the way there Paige and I picked up something to drink at the grocery store. For those of you who have not brought a child who looks like they've just gone several rounds with Muhammad Ali to a public place, let me tell you it stops people in their tracks. One fellow jokingly asked what happened to the other guy. I was relieved when nobody called the cops to report a case of obvious chid abuse. 

When we got to the Hudson's party everyone thought Paige was wearing some (really awful) makeup. 

It took over a month for the bruising to disappear. To give you an idea, here we are 2-3 weeks later and the bruises are lighter but still pretty obvious. This photo was taken at a family reunion. My sister in law did her best to apply some foundation to the bruises for the family photos (it sort of worked, but you can still see he bruising). 

We refer to that time as The Summer That Paige Hit Her Head.

Back to 2011. 

One of the highlights of every summer is the annual 4th of July parade in Lincolnshire, IL, where Jim works. All of the firetrucks are in the parade, and all of the firefighters' families ride on the various trucks and engines and throw candy to the crowds.  Here is a photo of some of the vehicles lined up before the parade. It was pretty hot this day and I was very glad to be riding inside the fire engine instead of on top of one.

Every year Paige gets to drive the engine. I never get over the envious looks she gets from the kids lining the parade route (how on earth does she get to drive the fire truck?). Driving the engine is fun - but what's really fun is activating the siren, which is what she's doing here. You know you've done it right when people along the road begin to put their hands over their ears (inside the engine the siren is not loud at all).

We invited our next door neighbors, the Abraham Family, to come with us and ride in the truck. It was way more fun with friends to play with (and share candy with) during the parade. The kids even managed to throw some of the candy to the crowds lining the parade route.

Most years the fire department gives all the firefighters and their families t shirts to commemorate the day. We have some fun t shirts from years past. They have always been a solid color. Until this year. 

My eyes hurt from looking at this picture (I'm sure yours do too - sorry). 

After the parade we all came back to the station to regroup. Here are Paige and Eli enjoying some down time.

When Paige was a year old we had her sit for a photo in front of the firetruck holding Jim's helmet. I thought it would be a fun photo to take as she got older. 

Here is the same kid with the same helmet, 5 years ago.

We board our horse a few miles from our home and try to get out to see him a few times a week, even if we aren't going for a ride. This is what we were doing a few days ago late on a Wednesday afternoon. Here are Paige and Artie enjoying a nuzzle.

Some people find the sounds and smells of the ocean relaxing. Other people go camping to relax (I am not one of those people, as my husband can tell you).   I enjoy hanging out at the barn. The photo below was taken on a quiet afternoon of Paige and our trainer, Kelley.

Back to reality

We've been home from Disney World for a few weeks now and getting back to 'real life' was a bit easier than I had thought. Both Jim and I figured Paige would still be expecting the first class lifestyle when we got home but she settled down into the swing of things without a hitch.

She did ask one night if we were going to have an appetizer before dinner (uh...no) but that was pretty much it.

Shortly after we got home we had a fun visit from a friend of mine, Cindy, who I first met (gulp) 20 years ago when we both worked at Focus Ranch (turn your speakers down before clicking that link). Interestingly, Cindy was from the Chicago area where her dad was a fireman (she now lives in Wyoming on a ranch). Jim's fire district is about 10 miles from where her dad used to work. Small world. 

Anyhow, her kids Lila and Nolan had fun with Paige in our new pool which was terribly cold when they visited. They toughed it out, though, and had lots of fun splashing all around.

Three peas in a pod.

The following week Paige's kindergarten class put on a end of the year show. Here is Paige with two of her classmates and her teacher, Ms. Johnson.

Little story why each kid seems to be saying something in the photo. Last fall, during Fire Safety Week, Jim visited Paige's kindergarten class to show them his bunker gear, air pack and other interesting stuff a fireman wears. He was an instant hit. Later on when he would stop by the classroom to pick up Paige for various doctors appointments, he'd smile and ask the class if this is where the troublemakers are (they'd all crack up and say yes). That soon morphed into all of Paige's classmates calling Jim "troublemaker" every time he stopped by. Which is what happened on this day.

It made for an interesting scene. All the kindergartners lined up on the back wall of the gym (in line, quiet and behaving) when all the parents and grandparents arrived to find their seats for the upcoming show. In come Jim and Gina, and like other parents, we found our kid, smiled and waved. Out of nowhere 20 kindergartners broke into huge grins, pointed at Jim and all yelled "troublemaker!" We got a few curious looks from the other parents.

After the kids sang a few songs for us, there was a PowerPoint presentation, with each kindergartner's photo and what their plans were for the future. Here was Paige's page:

(We have one horse, Zee, who made an appearance earlier in this blog. We used to have a second horse, Bo, but sold him a few months back. Paige is still not too happy that Bo is no longer in the family).

It was funny to read what the kids all had planned. Several of the girls wanted to be kindergarten teachers. A few of the boys (who had a tendency to get into trouble) wanted to be police officers so they could arrest people. There were two or three who were very clear they didn't want to get married. Sounds Dr. Phil could have a field day with that one. 

Last week Paige had an MRI of her legs to compare the arteries in each leg (we think the artery in her left leg might be smaller than the one in her right, possibly the cause of the difference in the length of the right and left legs). I've never had an MRI but I'm told many folks don't like being confined in such a small space for the test. Paige did great, as usual, getting the IV (that sent dye into her bloodstream) and laying very still for the test.  We should be getting a call in the next day or two confirming the results. 

Make A Wish Trip - Days 6 and 7

After our long day yesterday (Day 5), we all slept in a bit and took it somewhat easier on Monday, Day 6. This was to be our last full day at Give Kids The World, so we hung out there a bit before heading anywhere.

Goofy and Pluto came over from Disney World to meet up with the kids - here is P with Pluto, her new favorite character (he was also the first character we met on Day 2, I think maybe that had something to do with it). 

We then went over to the carousel where P rode the unicorn.

Families are encouraged to let their kids have ice cream for breakfast at least once during their stay at Give Kids the World. Today was the day - chocolate ice cream with rainbow sprinkles. 

And then off to the pool for a few hours of swimming. There are two pools at Give Kids the World, Paige liked the one close our villa, it was round and 3 feet deep at the edge and a little over 4 feet deep in  the middle (a few inches over her head). The second pool was much bigger with a 'zero entry' so that kids in wheelchairs could enjoy it as well. 

As we didn't spend too much time at the village we didn't meet too many folks. On this day we met a very nice family from Miami whose 4 year old daughter had a brain tumor. 

I think Paige liked the pool closer to us because you could turn on a fountain that would rain down on everyone in the pool. 

After swimming, we stopped by the Enchanted Castle of Miracles at Give Kids the World. As each child arrives at the Village they are given a gold star, which they take to the castle, write their name on the star and make a special wish. They deposit the star into the Star Fairy's wooden chest, who will then place the star in the Castle sky that very night.  Today Paige was going to make her wish and leave her star for the Star Fairy.

Here are Jim and Paige standing outside the Castle. 

But first, a stop inside the Castle to sit on the throne. 

Here is one photograph taken on the inside of the castle. You'll see that practically the entire ceiling is covered with stars (I understand there are over 300,000). I had to sit down, take a breath and also take a moment to think about each child whose stars were looking down on me.  

Shortly after this photo was taken, Paige made a wish and left her star on the Star Fairy's wooden chest. 

Back for more ice cream! Both Paige and I were in love with this wonderful rocking horse. 

Jim and Paige headed to the Islands of Adventure (at Universal Studios) for the afternoon (I stayed behind for a nap). Paige loves roller coasters and she also loves swimming. The perfect combination is a water ride that leaves you soaking wet. Here she is after riding one such ride at Islands of Adventure. 

I think this was another roller coaster at Islands of Adventure.

And onto Day 7. After packing up our car with all of our luggage, we stopped by the train station at Give Kids the World - inside the station is the largest model train set up I've ever seen (not that I've seen a lot of model trains but this was pretty impressive). 

And Paige took a quick ride on a neat helicopter rocking-thing for a few minutes. 

We then returned to the Castle of Miracles to see where Paige's star was. Here, a volunteer is showing Paige, with a souped up IPad, where the star is located. We went into the Star Tower, a recent expansion of the Castle (which is running out of room) to find her star.

Paige's star is in the upper L hand corner of this photo. 

All the families who stay at Give Kids the World are invited back anytime they are in town (not for an overnight stay, but are welcome at the village all day, every day). Most visitors' first stops is to this Castle to find their child's star. 

Wiped away a few tears and headed off to Sea World. 

Here are Paige and I in front of the flamingos. 

We then headed for the stingrays, and bought some 'stingray food' to feed to them (try finding that at your local Petco). Here is Jim with Paige and a hungry stingray. 

After one runs of out of stingray food you get a few minutes of stingrays continuing to cruise by hoping you have some more. 

We then headed off to the Manatee Rescue exhibit. The Manatees were all hanging out on the surface but there were plenty of neat fish to watch. 

I'm not quite sure what this fellow is. 

We then went to feed some dolphins where we learned that they liked to be scratched under their chins (like most Golden Retrievers I suppose) but they don't like to be patted on their heads (we were told this ahead of time so we made sure to do the chin scratching and no head petting).

All that work for one little fish. 

After the dolphin feeding, Paige and Jim went on the Journey to Atlantis water ride. This photo was taken after they had gone down a steep fall and made a big splash into the water, when most people would think the splashing was all over. 

Not so fast. As each boat rounded this corner, a large spray of water shot down onto them. Since I had been standing there for about 10 minutes (and had seen it happen to every other boat) I stood ready with the camera to capture their expressions when this delightful moment happened. 

Before leaving Sea World, we tried our luck with a game where we tried to throw wiffle balls into cups. Here Paige and I have each tossed our balls towards the cups, hoping to score that big penguin sitting on the ground. 

Although we didn't win the crazy big penguin, we did win the medium sized one, which Paige is proudly displaying here. 

Jim managed to fit this penguin in his suitcase for the flight home. We still made a trip to the post office and sent a very large box (full of all the toys, games and stuffed animals Paige had been given while on the trip) home. 

After leaving Give Kids the World, we had 3 more nights in FL where we relaxed at a hotel by the pool. Here is Paige, with a glazed over/exhausted look that Jim and I had developed several days earlier. 

That night the hotel played "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" on a large screen at the pool. Jim and P were relaxing watching the movie. 

Thursday we made a quick trip to Downtown Disney to find some last minute Disney t shirts. Here Paige is posing with a character from the Pirates of the Caribbean. 

She then asked to have her picture drawn by a character artist. She posed like this (hand on her hip) the entire time, and towards the end asked if she could move it (as her arm was tired).

And here is the finished product. 

Back to the hotel, where we enjoyed the pool and water slide for 2 more days before we headed home. 

I'm not sure we could ever return to Disney, as any return trip we'd make would pale in comparison to this one (would sort of be like watching the movie after you've read the book). We'll see.