Hello Dolly! This blog is long overdue, but with some very chaotic moments happening in our lives recently it has taken me a while to be able to sit down and write it. Anyone who knows me knows that I volunteer with scouts (cubs and girls), devote time to Autism and the Autism Society, work two part time jobs, then of course there is my family and children so there is homework extra activities, doctors visits.... the list goes on and it doesn't end. Someone mentioned something to me the other day that I had forgotten and I really hadn't forgotten but it is on my list of "to do" and just hasn't been checked off yet. Sadly some of the things that I do work or volunteer in have gone south and will have to be delegated elsewhere... but that's another blog and another day or maybe not at all.
Now, my trip that was supposed to be a great vacation and birthday extravaganza for our kids all rolled into one. If you know my husband (lucky you!) you also know that getting him to take time off of work is like pulling teeth. So this was an accomplishment on my part. I had also gotten all of the outside activities, my own job and his to all line up for the exact same week so we could be gone. I was thrilled, excited and we were all more than ready to be gone for a week. We really needed this!!
We left on a Friday afternoon and drove half way. This was better for Thomas since the drive was so long. The first night was not so bad. My daughter had started coughing a bit, but we thought perhaps it was the change in the weather and it was raining quite a bit. By Saturday she was coughing more and it was raining and dreary. I was giving her things like Sudafed and Motrin and hoping that it was just the change in the weather, I should mention that when we got to Florida the ground there was covered in pollen. We were all quite shocked! By Sunday evening she was running a fever and to our knowledge there was no immediate care close by. Lucky for me, a doctor here called her in some medicine on Monday and we were able to get her an antibiotic and cough syrup at the CVS in Florida for a sinus infection. In about 24 hours she was much better and her fever was gone! Little did I know that by Monday afternoon my husband would be down though.....
Monday afternoon we were eating at a restaurant and my husband who had been feeling "funny" all day was feeling worse. We thought perhaps he had a stomach virus. He went back to the room and was sick the rest of the day. That evening the children and I (me of course an emotional wreck) went to the front desk of our hotel and asked for a separate room so the rest of us would not get sick. By this time I'm fighting back the tears and I think they felt sorry for me. Luckily they were able to give us another room in the same building on the bottom floor. We walked the long walk to our building (30 some buildings) and got in our new room. I went up to where my husband was to get our bags and clothes, medicine for Thomas, etc. When I picked up the bag for Thomas his medicine fell out and busted all over the concrete. I immediately began to cry, there was nothing else I could do. I took several trips and got everything in our room, got everyone bathed and in the bed.
The next day we went out, just the 4 of us because my husband was still sick. We went to breakfast and I went and got Thomas his new medicine that I broke. I took the kids out by myself and we did the very best that we could! Every part of my body hurt, we encountered some very rude people when it came to Thomas' guest assistance pass or when he would tantrum in the middle of a park. I found myself in tears on a ride a few times, especially if it was a ride that was dark so the kids wouldn't see.... I tried very hard for the stress I was feeling to not be put on them. I wanted them to have a good time no matter what. I should mention that on this day.... I dropped my Blackberry on the concrete... yes it still worked!
On Wednesday night my husband finally was able to go to the onside immediate care that the front desk was able to tell me about. The verdict there was that he most likely had food poisoning. He was miserable, I was miserable, the kids as far as I could tell were still enjoying themselves! I was really trying!! My oldest son had some disappointments, some things I just couldn't do by myself with all 3 of them. I felt terrible for him. It's difficult to be the older sibling of an Autistic brother, and even harder when often that means that you have to give something up. I'm hoping that soon we can make that up to him!
Late Wednesday afternoon my husband was able to rejoin us as he was finally feeling better. I was finally able to breathe again and we were all able to sleep that night. My husband slept in the other room one more night just to be sure. Thursday morning he came out with us and the day went fairly well, until Thomas went into a full blown asthma attack that day and all we had were his inhalers and no nebulizer.
Friday was our LAST day there and it went pretty much like this, Thomas had on and off asthma attacks all day everywhere we went. I dropped my blackberry on the concrete again. The kids had a blast because they got to fight Darth Vader, which was finally something they had REALLY wanted to do. I cried a river.
Saturday we packed up to go home and my husband fell off the back of the car! By now I knew that Disney was NOT the most magical place on earth and certainly not the place for us to be anymore. I gladly checked out and told my husband to hit the road and make it a days drive, we were getting home in ONE day!!
If anyone has ever questioned the fact that I'm a strong person or determined this should be enough to prove that I am. Give me a situation and I don't back down, but push through. Just like with Thomas and his Autism, just like with the medical obstacles thrown at me, just like the many other situations I've been faced with... I don't back down but P.U.S.H, pray until something happens!
