SenecaWolf
I let my mind wander and it didn't come back!
- Joined
- Jan 26, 2012
Cast of characters (and boy are we characters!)
Sarah (Me)
I am disabled due to a car accident I had when I was 16. I lost control of my car on a turn, hit a tree and shattered my pelvis and right hip. I spent 3 months in the hospital and was told I would never walk again and would probably not be able to carry children. I walked out on crutches after 3 months then 4 years later had my first child and 2 years later had my son. The lingering effects of the accident are I have no right hip joint, I caught the MRSA infection in my hip during my initial stay and have since had 8 surgeries to clean it out. I have tried a total hip replacement and it lasted 9 months before MRSA came back and had to have it removed. I am now left with no hip joint so my right leg is about 5 inches shorter and due to years of walking around like that I have ended up with scoliosis. BUT, I refuse to give up and try to do as much as I can!
Kyler (16)
Kyler was my first born and I swear I thought that if all babies were as easy as her I would have had a dozen of them! She slept 6 hours straight thru the night by a week old, got her first tooth at 3 months without a fuss, crawled at 6 months and was walking at 10 months, she was content to play by herself and just perfect. Then she started preschool. She started at age 3 for the full day and had many, many incidences involving hitting or other problems with the other children. She didn't want to participate in many group activities and consistently disrupted the class. We made it thru that year but due to renovations at the school both of the 4 year old classes were combined and that's when she really had problems. She made it 2 months in and we were asked to remove her. I started teaching her things at home and in the mean time had her evaluated at a Montessori school when she was just 1 month shy of 5, where her IQ came back as 137 (no surprise, she was scary smart) but her emotional age came back at 46 months. Lots of meetings and evaluations later we learned that she had a sensory processing delay, mild hearing loss and a very slight case of Asperger's . At 16 now, she is aware of things that bother her and has learned how to adjust quite well. She's very responsible (she is the type of Aspie that is all about rules), she's in Regent's courses in high school but in a smaller classroom as she still doesn't handle a lot of overstimulation and she has a plan for college. She LOVES anime, drawing and adores animals. She has played the cello since 5th grade and loves babysitting. We have a great relationship and I love that we're so close.
Ian (14)
So remember how I thought I could have a dozen? Then Ian came along...he didn't sleep thru the night until he was 3, teething was a nightmare, he had colic, night terrors and any other thing an infant/toddler could get. I was very grateful when he started preschool with no problems. I feel bad that while they were growing up there were so many times we were dealing with Kyler and her meltdowns or focusing on behavior modification that I felt he was overlooked. We always made sure to have him involved with everything but it just seemed for awhile that time was so unbalanced. He has grown into an amazing young man, he loves music, is helpful and considerate and so fun to talk with! He is highly motivated and loves to talk current events (he loves Yahoo news). He has just recently become a Jr. Firefighter (Explorer) at the fire hall where his dad was a volunteer and is starting high school this fall. He already knows he wants to go to Syracuse University and I cannot wait to see what the future holds for him!
About our Guardian Angel, Brent.
My husband, Brent, passed away suddenly 2 days before Christmas 2006 and 4 days before our first scheduled trip to Disney. I went to a friend's house for a Christmas get together while he stayed home, I had a bit too much to drink so slept it off there. I returned about 7:30 am to find him on the floor in the kitchen. Ian had been awake for almost a half hour terrified because he couldn't wake up his dad, he was only 8. My world collapsed on me, I had never finished my degree, I married when I was 21, I had just turned 31 and had no real work experience. He was the guy who could fix anything, if it was mechanical or electronics, he could do it. He was the Cubmaster for my son's Cub Scout Pack, he was a volunteer firefighter, never missed a little league or soccer game and always received recognition for parental involvement at the kid's school. I fell into a horrible depression and finally after 6 months went to work at a convenience store to try to keep my mind busy. I was there for 4 years but I finally had to stop working because my back and legs just would not let me go on at that rate. I applied for disability on August 3 and was approved by November 18. SO, now that leaves me way to much free time and lots of time to devote to Disney!
Brent and the kiddos
ANYWAYS!!!!
that's enough background...off to the point of this trip!
Sarah (Me)
I am disabled due to a car accident I had when I was 16. I lost control of my car on a turn, hit a tree and shattered my pelvis and right hip. I spent 3 months in the hospital and was told I would never walk again and would probably not be able to carry children. I walked out on crutches after 3 months then 4 years later had my first child and 2 years later had my son. The lingering effects of the accident are I have no right hip joint, I caught the MRSA infection in my hip during my initial stay and have since had 8 surgeries to clean it out. I have tried a total hip replacement and it lasted 9 months before MRSA came back and had to have it removed. I am now left with no hip joint so my right leg is about 5 inches shorter and due to years of walking around like that I have ended up with scoliosis. BUT, I refuse to give up and try to do as much as I can!
Kyler (16)
Kyler was my first born and I swear I thought that if all babies were as easy as her I would have had a dozen of them! She slept 6 hours straight thru the night by a week old, got her first tooth at 3 months without a fuss, crawled at 6 months and was walking at 10 months, she was content to play by herself and just perfect. Then she started preschool. She started at age 3 for the full day and had many, many incidences involving hitting or other problems with the other children. She didn't want to participate in many group activities and consistently disrupted the class. We made it thru that year but due to renovations at the school both of the 4 year old classes were combined and that's when she really had problems. She made it 2 months in and we were asked to remove her. I started teaching her things at home and in the mean time had her evaluated at a Montessori school when she was just 1 month shy of 5, where her IQ came back as 137 (no surprise, she was scary smart) but her emotional age came back at 46 months. Lots of meetings and evaluations later we learned that she had a sensory processing delay, mild hearing loss and a very slight case of Asperger's . At 16 now, she is aware of things that bother her and has learned how to adjust quite well. She's very responsible (she is the type of Aspie that is all about rules), she's in Regent's courses in high school but in a smaller classroom as she still doesn't handle a lot of overstimulation and she has a plan for college. She LOVES anime, drawing and adores animals. She has played the cello since 5th grade and loves babysitting. We have a great relationship and I love that we're so close.
Ian (14)
So remember how I thought I could have a dozen? Then Ian came along...he didn't sleep thru the night until he was 3, teething was a nightmare, he had colic, night terrors and any other thing an infant/toddler could get. I was very grateful when he started preschool with no problems. I feel bad that while they were growing up there were so many times we were dealing with Kyler and her meltdowns or focusing on behavior modification that I felt he was overlooked. We always made sure to have him involved with everything but it just seemed for awhile that time was so unbalanced. He has grown into an amazing young man, he loves music, is helpful and considerate and so fun to talk with! He is highly motivated and loves to talk current events (he loves Yahoo news). He has just recently become a Jr. Firefighter (Explorer) at the fire hall where his dad was a volunteer and is starting high school this fall. He already knows he wants to go to Syracuse University and I cannot wait to see what the future holds for him!
About our Guardian Angel, Brent.My husband, Brent, passed away suddenly 2 days before Christmas 2006 and 4 days before our first scheduled trip to Disney. I went to a friend's house for a Christmas get together while he stayed home, I had a bit too much to drink so slept it off there. I returned about 7:30 am to find him on the floor in the kitchen. Ian had been awake for almost a half hour terrified because he couldn't wake up his dad, he was only 8. My world collapsed on me, I had never finished my degree, I married when I was 21, I had just turned 31 and had no real work experience. He was the guy who could fix anything, if it was mechanical or electronics, he could do it. He was the Cubmaster for my son's Cub Scout Pack, he was a volunteer firefighter, never missed a little league or soccer game and always received recognition for parental involvement at the kid's school. I fell into a horrible depression and finally after 6 months went to work at a convenience store to try to keep my mind busy. I was there for 4 years but I finally had to stop working because my back and legs just would not let me go on at that rate. I applied for disability on August 3 and was approved by November 18. SO, now that leaves me way to much free time and lots of time to devote to Disney!
Brent and the kiddos
ANYWAYS!!!!
that's enough background...off to the point of this trip!
That just won't do. So next I check out value resorts, heard good things about Pop Century, I love the theming, we'll go with that...$1700, hmm, this isnt looking promising. But, I already have it in my head that we're going so I can't turn back now, that would just crush me! I figure I'll ask Ian where he wants to stay and bring this up to Kyler. She says "No! Why don't you give him the surprise trip he was always going on about!" Hey good idea! He had seen the commercials where kids were surprised by their parents and had always thought that would be a cool idea but he also knows that I am really OCD with trip planning and wouldn't be able to pull it off...so he thinks!
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