WWRT - Days 14 - 19

As of 6:30 pm today, our vacation was unofficially over. I say that because I'm still in a hotel room with my kids, roughly 2200 miles from home. I'm hoping we can make it in 3 days, but I have 4 days set aside to get there.

Tuesday, we spent a wonderful day with my cousin Heather and her kids. We all just talked and played the day away. Heather was so sweet and made an appointment for me to get my hair cut. She knew I wanted to do that when we got home. It was fun to watch our 6 kids just be kids and play with their cousins.

Wednesday, we left Seattle and headed to Yakima. I originally planned on going through Mt. Rainier, but the cloud cover was so low, I didn't think we'd see anything. Instead, we went to Snoqualmie Falls and on through the pass. That afternoon, the kids were swimming at my grandparents' pool with more cousins.

Thursday was sightseeing day! We drove around Yakima and saw the number of houses and schools I spent my childhood in. We had another great afternoon with cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents. I love my family!

Friday, we went down into the valley and visited with my Great Uncle Dave and his daughter Donna. Our visit included my Uncle Steve and Aunt Holly. I was lucky to have them along most of our trip. Then, back to the Ryans for more family bonding.

This was party weekend! My cousins had us over for an anniversary barbecue on Saturday. The kids played all over the hill, dogs & cats tried to get in or stay out of the way, and I tried to keep Hayden corralled to the playhouse. The kids found a pretty little kitty that I seriously thought about taking home with us. Today was the 40th annual Paradise Picnic to celebrate the Ryan's 65th anniversary. They aren't my biological grandparents, but they have been in my heart since I was a baby. I'm glad the kids and I could make it. I saw family and friends I haven't seen in 15 years. I also really enjoyed seeing my children play with their cousins the way I did at their age.

I hope the girls remember this trip. It's been long, but worth it. We saw a lot and we aren't even done yet. I wish we lived closer to everyone. Maybe someday.

Pictures

These are the promised pictures so far. Enjoy.

WWRT - Days 8 - 13

Wow! We've been on the road for 13 days! It doesn't seem that long at times, then I think it seems longer. This has been such a fun trip so far and I'm so glad we did it. The kids are doing so well and have complained very little. And you know what? I don't think I've heard "Are we there yet?" once. Thank goodness for DVD players.

Well, July 29th we headed up to the Redwoods. We had such a nice drive up 101. It took a little longer than I thought, but by early afternoon we were driving through a huge tree! The kids thought that was so cool. Thanks to the kindness of a guy in the group ahead of us, I actually managed to do it without scraping my car. After that, we stopped at a few side of the road places to see neat wonders in the redwoods. Our last real stop was the Avenue of the Giants visitor center where the kids got to do some exploring and see the various sites they have there. We ended the evening in Crescent City, CA, spending the night near the ocean. The kids actually needed their warm pjs that night.

At the last minute, I changed the route to Corvallis, OR, by going up the coast. I've never driven along the southern coast before and, considering the heat wave inland, decided the cool weather would be nice. We didn't see much because of fog, but we still had a good drive. The foliage and mountains and ocean all together are just lovely. Finally, I had to cut across the mountains to get to my brother, Cory's, house. There, the kids and I had a nice visit with Cory and Meg and their latest addition, Linus. He's one of the biggest 5 month old puppies I've seen in awhile.

The next morning we were driving up to my dad's house in Seattle. We stopped at the Mount St. Helens Visitor Center along the way. I was living in Yakima when it blew and wanted to show the girls what happened. We couldn't see the mountain due to haze, but the kids all enjoyed the walk through the nature trail around the marshes. Hayden walked most of it himself as well. That evening we were in Seattle with my dad and Aunt Holly and Uncle Steve.

The next 2 days, Saturday and Sunday, were spent in party mode. Dad and Hayden share the same birthday. Dad's 60th party was Saturday with his friends. It was so much fun. Great food, music and people. The kids also got to ride horses. Hayden's 3rd birthday party was Sunday with more aunts and uncles and cousins. All of us enjoyed just visiting and playing. The kids especially had a good time getting to see each other again.

Today, was just a nice quiet, relaxing day. The birthday boys just took it easy and had fun. We took a nice walk by the lake and again enjoyed each others company. I love Seattle so much when we have weather like this. It really makes my want to move here. Yes, Jason, we will be talking more about that!

I'll post pictures tomorrow. We are going to have another relaxing day with the Stribling cousins. Then we are off to Yakima, WA. The last leg is coming up!

WWRT - Days 2 -7

Yes, it's been a week now since we left Texas. And yes, I'm still alive and not resenting my road trip idea. The kids have been relatively good and we haven't had any issues along the way. One week down, 2 more to go.

After leaving Texas, the kids and I drove into New Mexico, staying in Albuquerque for the night. The next day was spent driving into Arizona and seeing the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest. The girls thought that was beautiful. That night, we stayed in Needles, CA. This is the home of Snoopy's brother, Spike. After staying the night, I can say that is the only neat thing about Needles, CA.










Day 3 brought us to my grandparents house in Mountain View. There is something so comforting about stepping foot in your grandparent's house. And when those people are 2 of the most amazing people around, you feel even better. The kids really got to visit with them and get to know them a little better, Hayden especially. They all played games and read, just like I did at their ages. The rest of the visit was spent at Shoreline Park, visiting Mount Diablo and Vallejo, a lunch with my brother Joel, exploring the new Academy of Sciences and seeing the Pacific Ocean near the Cliff House. All in all, we had a great time.


Today was our day to explore the Redwoods. After breakfast, I packed the car up again and off we went. We got to the Avenue of the Giants around 2 pm and enjoyed the drive through the redwoods. The kids thought driving through an actual tree was so cool. The rest of the trip up to Crescent City was beautiful. It was really worth the drive. We even got to see a big herd of elk along the way. The girls couldn't believe they were wild and weren't afraid of the people watching them. It was such a cool experience to share with them.

Wild West Road Trip - Day 1

Ah, I'm relaxing in our lovely hotel room after our first day of driving. My sweet angels are all fast asleep and I'm able to plan tomorrow's trip.




We started the day not knowing whether we'd leave today or tomorrow. Hayden was either sad because he's realizing he can't hear without his implant on or he wasn't feeling good. I still don't know. We made a solid attempt to give him his pain meds, but I'd be surprised if any actually stayed in his body. The Tylenol with codeine really tastes nasty. Jason and I agreed that if he felt better by mid-morning, we'd go. Well, he was back to normal within 30 minutes. So, we loaded up the car, made sure we had everything, and pulled out of the driveway at 11:05 am. A quick stop to the store, then gas, and we were on our way.

The kids and I haven't been to Jason's new office yet, so we decided that would be our first adventure of the trip. We stopped by, saw his office, and went to have lunch. We got to say our last goodbyes to Jason and finally, we were officially on the road at 2 pm. I planned the first day to be an easy drive, only 5 hours. Junction, TX is between San Antonio and El Paso on I10. The drive is a nice one, going through part of the Texas Hill Country. Plus, we can see most of the sites while going 80 mph! Gotta love that!

We only stopped twice between Houston and Junction. The 1st was to console Hayden after his short nap and then a potty break at a rest stop before San Antonio. I love that some rest stops are putting in play areas for kids. The only problem we had was that it was 105 so it was really to hot to play on. The kids got to run around for a minute then back to the car and AC.

All 3 kids did pretty well today. I'm hoping our drive tomorrow will go as well. The plan is to be in Albuquerque by 7ish tomorrow night. It should be doable. I've just got to have lots of opportunities for the kids to run around. Wish us luck.

Hayden is bilateral!

Today was Hayden's big surgery day. It actually started last night when we took the girls to their friends' house for a sleepover. Hayden asked for and got to have ice cream before going to bed. A real treat! We were hoping that he would sleep late, but no, he was awake and playful at 7 am. I let him play as long as I could to avoid having to say no to waffles. He couldn't eat past midnight. We were able to avoid feeding him, got dressed, and were off to the hospital a little before 9 am.

Hayden's surgery was scheduled for 12:30 and we had to be there at 10:30. We were told to be at the main hospital, but then were moved to the Clinical Care Center. That's where he had surgery last year so we were happy to move. For the next 2 hours, Hayden played and just enjoyed himself. He even decided that this was the best time to go sit on the potty. What a big boy!

The surgery was a little late, starting at 1. Right before he went back to the OR, Dr. Vrabec and Jody came back to answer any questions we had and see our little guy. He was loving on his Grover and wanted to him to get his picture taken too. Hayden told us he loved us and went with the teddy bear of an orderly back to the OR with some tears, but he was a good boy. Jason and I spent the next 2 hours reading and talking about our kiddos. Hayden's doctors came out at 2:20 to tell us he was done and everything went well. Yeah!! I was nearly in tears I was so happy!

Soon after that, we went back to recovery. Hayden was already stirring and didn't want the bandage on his head. We quickly got him in my lap and he calmed down. I knew he was uncomfortable, but he did so well. After drinking an apple juice and his entire sippy cup of water, he threw up...on me. Fortunately, I brought an extra shirt! He was just so good, I don't think Jason and I could have been more proud. It was a long day and he made it.

We all left the hospital at 5 and were home an hour later. Hayden threw up one more time in the car, but he was ready to eat when we got home. I got him changed and cleaned up while Jason made his waffle. I ran to the store and Hayden ate 2 more waffles. When the girls got home, Hayden did have moments of playful behavior. After that, he just wanted to rest with me and has been sleeping since.

It's been a long day, one we have worked towards for months now. I'm so thankful to Hayden's team of doctors for doing this surgery for him. His future is just a little brighter now that he's bilateral. He needs to heal over the next 4 weeks then will get activated. That's when the external part is turned on. He can then move on with therapy and improve his speech even more than it has already, hopefully. It's an exciting time for him!

Summer

Summer is half over and it's been busy. I feel I say that a lot, but really, we are very busy folks. The girls are finishing up the last day of VBS at church. They have had so much fun. Both girls are with friends in their groups and the message, science and water slides have been great. I hope to volunteer next year.

Since Monday of last week, at least one person in the house has seen a doctor each day. The trend continues into next week. Hayden has his Cochlear implant surgery on Monday. We have to be there at 10:30 with surgery at 12:30. He should be done between 3:30 and 4:30. An hour or so in recovery, and barring any issues, we should be able to go home after that. The girls will be with my friend Julie. She watched them last year. Her 2 oldest girls are the same age as mine and they are all good friends. For a refresher on the surgery, go here. For the surgery day pictures from last year, go here.

The next day, while Hayden is recovering, I have treatment and Sydney is getting sealants on her molars. We are supposed to leave for vacation on Wednesday, so I'm trying to get as much in before we go. If Hayden needs another day to heal, we will leave on Thursday. That's one of the perks of a road trip.

Speaking of road trips, it's going to be quite the adventure. Three weeks, 12 states, ~5700 miles, and lots of family and pictures. Three kids, 1 adult. Wait, what am I thinking! Well, I'll just say the chemo messed with my logic and reasoning. Yes, that will work. Anyway, we are going to have so much fun. I've had to cut some of my side trips out. I've got to have us home by 8/13 so I can have treatment the next day. I don't think the kids will mind though. I'll try to update along the way so everyone can see how we are doing. Jason, mom and the dogs will still be home. The kids haven't been away from Jason that long before. I think everyone will be happy once we get back.

Look for an update on Hayden on Monday night/Tuesday morning.