Life is Good....Vacation Makes it Better!

After having a sleepless night with Mia and leaving with this newly developed rash/sore, anxiety was setting in. Of course whatever was going to be..... was going to be. We packed the car and at about 5pm, we all piled in and headed south. Dave was ready to get some pavement under those wheels and cover some distance. Well, that drive only lasted an hour!!!!! An hour! Really? Yup!!! The babies were so cranky we decided to stop for dinner and a stretch and put on clean diapers (the babies, not us -ha, ha). We were hoping, praying, that this break would settle everyone in for the night. If not, we were in for a VERY long drive to my Uncle's house. With our vacation getting off to a rough start, I was thinking, "oh no, what have we gotten ourselves into?".

Lucky for us, the babies settled into a movie with the big kids. At about 8pm it was lights out and everyone fell fast asleep! Dave drove through the night, I only helped for a couple of hours in the early morning. When everyone woke up, around 5am, we were in N. Carolina. Now we just had to make it through the day. We stopped for breakfast in South Carolina and then drove straight to Uncle Tony's. We arrived to an empty house at 3:15. Can you believe that?! My uncle said he NEVER expected us to be there so early but I believe we really did scare him away! He' s not fooling me. If we didn't scare him, I know we scared at least on of the guys who knew he would now be bunkin' with the family of 6! Yes, it was my two uncles, their two friends and all of us spread between two bedrooms and many couches.

With the drive behind us and the guys back home, it was time to unload, settle in and start our vacation! The first couple of nights were cold, in the 30s, but it was in the 60s during the day. Monday and Tuesday the temperatures were just above 70 so we went to Magic Kingdom Monday and Animal KingdomTuesday. Wednesday was 80 and my uncle took us for a drive on the boat!!!! The kids got to drive and play Captain. They LOVED it! Thursday was a wash out so we went to the Aquarium. Friday was also a wash out but we were busy packing to come home :( Yes, with four kids, that takes ALL day.

Mia didn't care for Magic Kingdom but had a better day at Animal Kingdom. She HATED the tram and protested the large crowds and noisy speakers at the attractions. Overall, she was a trooper and tolerated all of it (with some encouragement from all of us). Her rash was very bad on Monday but then cleared up little by little. Her sore disappeared within a day after arriving, phew!!!! All the kids were amazing!!! We are just so blessed.

It was so refreshing to get away. No doubt, it was a lot of work but so worth it. Dave and I didn't feel like passing ships, there were no therapies or doctor appointments to run to and best of all, I did not have to cook, clean, do laundry or grocery shop. Is that heaven or what? Not to mention, Dave was there to help manage the babies. The older kids were just beaming all week and they were so good! The family time we spent, not only with ourselves, but with my uncles was priceless! I am thankful to have those memories, not only for myself, but for my children!

Here is Mia enjoying her

first vacation!!!!

And Away We Go!

I can't believe over a month has gone by already! Like everyone, life has been busy. Mia has been pushing forward with her therapies. She is saying, "hi, Tecla (her nurse at Daystar)," "up," "night, night," and "kitty kitty." She LOVES her special education teacher, and so do I. They sing songs together and play. This has helped her vision, socialization, understanding of cause and and effect and her communication skills. Thanks to her physical therapist, Mia is sitting up like a big girl!!!! She does topple after awhile but continues to build strength daily. She is amazing!!!


Mia has a helmet check every Monday. She has been tolerating the helmet well, however, she has developed a rash and a sore. She has earned a few days out of the helmet in order to heal. The pediatrician gave her a topical ointment and an oral antibiotic to speed up the healing process. If she doesn't heal or if the sore gets infected then we will have to discontinue the helmet. Obviously, we are praying that doesn't happen. Of course all of this is happening right before we leave for Florida.

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Two Days Later

You know, I try to stay positive. We plug along, always pushing forward to the next task, the next stage, the next appointment, the next procedure, etc. It has been a whirl wind for us and we've managed, for the most part, to stay strong and positive. Our faith has been tested but we have not wavered. But last night was it! I lost it! For the first time, I was wondering what I did to deserve this. Why, God, can't you give us a break? Does everything have to be hard?

So, here we are planning to leave for Florida. Mia has not had any issues with her helmet until Monday (I already explained all that). Yesterday was Mia's first full day on the antibiotic. When I picked her up from Daystar, they told me that she had diarrhea and her bottom was extremely sore. I figured okay, we can handle that. Well, her diarrhea was AWFUL. I mean every 5 minutes she was running and her poor little bottom was on fire!!! She cried for over 3 hours straight. I laid on my bed with her and continuously cleaned her bottom and loaded it with Desitin. I kept her diaper off to try to give it air. I was up all night with her.

Meanwhile, my head is just screaming, WHY????? Why is this happening the night before we are suppose to leave on vacation? This is our first vacation in three years. Haven't we earned a vacation? Why does this have to be hard too? Can't we just have something not be difficult? I know it seems minor but at the time it wasn't. I still had loose ends to tie up, laundry to do, etc. (Anyone who has ever packed for 4 kids, including a child with special needs, know what an undertaking this is). I was suppose to put the girls to bed, bring the cat to my mom's, do a few things and go to bed early so I would be rested in order to take my turn at the wheel. Not to mention poor Mia!!!!! I felt so bad for her last night. I mean she just could not stop crying. It was heart wrenching. Her bottom was so sore and I kept thinking now she has to sit in a car seat for 24 hours. Not to mention dehydration and the fear of a yeast infection. Let's put a few more things on our plate! Why not....we can handle anything, right?

So, here is the plan. We are not going to give her the antibiotic but we will bring it with us. I will continue to put the ointment on her sore and pray that will heal it. If not, I will have to call her pediatrician and ask what to do next. I have googled all the children's hospitals in the 6 states we will be passing through in case we need them. This was already in the plans but now my anxiety has increased 20 fold!!!!

Okay, we are packed and ready so I guess I am done ranting. I am also feeling better now that I have shared my frustrations! Thank you. You have all allowed me to restore some faith.

Wish us luck!!!!