Bella’s Very Merry WISH-mas Party ~ 10 Days of Dreams Come True MAW/GKTW Dec 3-10

[kayrosek]

We'll be praying for a successful, complication free surgery for Bella and a quick recovery.

 

[StefaniLyn]

I just wanted to pop in and say THANK YOU to everyone for your thoughts, prayers, guestbook messages, and cards. Bella is once again back in Club Med (aka Children's Hospital of Wisconsin) as she had her g-tube place surgically this afternoon. The surgery went incredibly well and we could not have asked for a better outcome. Because of the amount of scar tissue, the surgeon was actually able to use the old g-tube site and simply create a new hole. What was going to be a 3-4 day hospitalization will likely turn out to be just an overnight stay. I truly appreciate all of the prayers and messages we have recieved from our wonderful DIS friends on facebook as well as Bella's CaringBridge website. Your support and comforting words mean the world to us. The details of today's incredible events are on Bella's CaringBridge website www.caringbridge.org/visit/isabellagriggs

This evening, Bella is sleeping comfortably while a pump is feeding her through her new g-tube, which she has affectionately named Annastasia. Her pain is completely controlled with regular doses of tylenol. Her status post-op is incredible and miraculous. God has answered prayers and spared Bella from pain and suffering. He guided the hands of her medical team as they achieved the best possible outcome for this surgery. Praise Him!

I was hoping to get an opportunity to post another TR installment, but with us getting out tomorrow, I think it will need to wait until we get home. That, and the fact that DIS doesn't seem to like the fact that I'm posting using a different connection. It keeps signing me out and because I'm such a dork and forgot to copy before I hit 'post', I have now retyped this twice as it was lost when I got signed out.

 

[All7OfUs]

That's wonderful news!! And to be pain-free; what an incredible blessing!!

He is GOOD!

 

[p00h4me]

Because of the amount of scar tissue, the surgeon was actually able to use the old g-tube site and simply create a new hole. What was going to be a 3-4 day hospitalization will likely turn out to be just an overnight stay.

What great news and blessing from the Lord! So happy for Bella! We'll wait patiently for another trip update. Just take care of Bella for now. Hope Bella enjoyed the "Rocky" story.

 

[Jdougherty]

Yeah for Bella!

many wishes on s speedy recovery!

 

[fnrsgrl]

Hooray! So glad Bella is doing well and not in pain! Praying things continue to look up!

 

[Momofwishkid]

So glad Bella is doing well with no pain. Keeping you all in my thoughts.

 

[pacrosby]

Hi Stephanie!

So glad the surgery went so well and all appears to be moving in the right direction. It'll be nice to get all the stress surrounding mealtimes behind you.

I finally got to catch up on your report! The Candlelight Processional sounded wonderful and I'm so glad you all enjoyed it so much (well, the adults anyway). I didn't think my kids would've appreciated it and likely would have started getting antsy which would've ruined it for us (and anyone around us ). We're trying to talk my parents into coming with us when we do our 'anniversary' trip this December. I know they would LOVE the CP. I might consider getting them tickets.

Mayor Clayton's bday party sounded like fun too!!! I'm so sorry we missed all the night time activities at the village (with the exception of the xmas party of course )

Don't worry about taking longer than you would have originally liked to complete your report. At least you have a good excuse; look at me!!!!

 

[kayrosek]

Oh I am so glad to hear that everything went so smoothly and glad to hear your stay at club med won't be too long.

 

[cleostar09]

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This evening, Bella is sleeping comfortably while a pump is feeding her through her new g-tube, which she has affectionately named Annastasia.

I LUV the name! LOL

 

[StefaniLyn]

That's wonderful news!! And to be pain-free; what an incredible blessing!!

He is GOOD!

Thanks! We feel so blessed that her surgery went so well. I know God was definitely watching over her that day.

What great news and blessing from the Lord! So happy for Bella! We'll wait patiently for another trip update. Just take care of Bella for now. Hope Bella enjoyed the "Rocky" story.

Her recovery went so well! In fact, she went to soccer practice the day after surgery! Crazy kid!

And I did have time to work on another installment - just haven't posted it quite yet. It's coming soon though!

Yeah for Bella!

many wishes on s speedy recovery!

Thank you!!!!!

Hooray! So glad Bella is doing well and not in pain! Praying things continue to look up!

Thanks so much. I guess she's developed a tolerance for pain after all these years! This past week has been wonderful for Bella as she discovers a new freedom with food and eating

So glad Bella is doing well with no pain. Keeping you all in my thoughts.

Thanks!! It was truly an answer to our prayers!

Hi Stephanie!

So glad the surgery went so well and all appears to be moving in the right direction. It'll be nice to get all the stress surrounding mealtimes behind you.

I finally got to catch up on your report! The Candlelight Processional sounded wonderful and I'm so glad you all enjoyed it so much (well, the adults anyway). I didn't think my kids would've appreciated it and likely would have started getting antsy which would've ruined it for us (and anyone around us ). We're trying to talk my parents into coming with us when we do our 'anniversary' trip this December. I know they would LOVE the CP. I might consider getting them tickets.

Mayor Clayton's bday party sounded like fun too!!! I'm so sorry we missed all the night time activities at the village (with the exception of the xmas party of course )

Don't worry about taking longer than you would have originally liked to complete your report. At least you have a good excuse; look at me!!!!

Hey!!! I'm glad I have given you time to catch up, lol!! The bday was fun, and when you return you should try and stop in for it! Unfortunately, there is always just too much stuff to do in too little time on a wish trip! I still need to pop over and check on your trip report one of these days. The kids are on spring break this week so they're keeping me pretty busy. Next week will offer me more time to hang out on the computer!

Oh I am so glad to hear that everything went so smoothly and glad to hear your stay at club med won't be too long.

Surprisingly it was one of our shortest stays ever. Pretty impressive for having a g-tube placed. Even her docs were impressed at her quick recovery!

I LUV the name! LOL

Thanks I knew you would. Bella thought that Anna sounded like a good 'twin' name for Emma and then Kennedy suggested Annastasia (Cinderella's stepsister). And it stuck!

 

[StefaniLyn]

Because we weren’t going to a park, we were able to sleep in this morning – sort of. Sleeping in means 7:30. Eh, good enough for me! The kids were up and dressed within a few minutes. We skipped showers because I knew I’d want the kids to wash up in the afternoon and 2 showers in a single day would be like torture to my poor children!

Anywho, I had laid out our Maroo-made Wish Trip 2009 long sleeved t-shirts for the entire family the previous evening. We donned our apparel and headed off to the Gingerbread house for some yummy grub! To all futureWish Trippers, do not pass up any opportunity to delight in the delicious fresh waffles. YUM-MY!

After breakfast, we piled into the car and I presented the girls with a little surprise. Two days ago, I had ordered Give Kids the World Fishing hats for each of the girls. They were too cute to pass up and when I learned that they would be delivered direct to our villa within 24 hours, I ordered them immediately. As promised, they were waiting for us upon our return yesterday evening and I scooped them up and tucked them away before anyone noticed. The girls LOVED their new hats, and put them on right away. We were now all set for FISHING DISNEY!

Prior to our trip, I made a deal with Grandpa (remember, he stayed home). He was insisting that Bella HAD to go on a 7 Seas Lagoon Bass Fishing Expedition during this trip because on our first trip in 2007, she was too young and didn’t join us (we actually went twice back in ’07 because we were on the Deluxe Dining Plan and water activities were all included). Bella was only 3 at the time and recently diagnosed with epilepsy. So she stayed back in the room while we fished. Fast forward to planning this trip. I honestly just didn’t have the funds to pay for a Bass Fishing Excursion (I think they run around $200ish), so I told Grandpa we’d do it next time. But he insisted, and then he sweetened the deal. If I agreed to book fishing, he would not only pay for fishing, he would also pay for the Candlelight Processional Dinner Package. Gee, how could I pass up that deal? So I relented and now here we were, on our way to the Contemporary Resort to meet up with our Bass Fishing Guide at 10:00 for a private chartered fishing trip in 7 Seas Lagoon.

We arrived early and made our way through the Contemporary Resort to the marina in back. We spent a few minutes taking pictures by Mickey’s Ears. These are some of my favorite photos of our trip.

We let the girls run around the dock for a while knowing we’d spend the next 2 hours on a boat. They enjoyed playing hopscotch on the hexagon shaped sidewalk blocks. I caught a few more priceless pictures as we awaited the arrival of our guide.

At 10:00 on the dot, we saw a pontoon boat pull up the the marina. Knowing this was likely our guide, we gathered our stuff and went over to meet fishing guru Rick. After introductions, we hopped aboard and headed out.

UP NEXT: Act 4: Scene 2 - Will Our Fishing Excursion Be Fruitful?

 

[yinyanggirls]

Yay! Stephanie's back!!! I know you guys have been through so much lately, and super duper busy, but I'm so happy we get to see how the trip ends.

Cute hats!!! I want to get some too! Phoebe is very photosensitive and wears hats often.

 

[StefaniLyn]

As Rick motored the boat towards our fishing destination, we explained that this was Bella’s Wish Trip and her first time fishing on 7 Seas Lagoon. We were hoping to make it a memorable one for her. Rick was admittedly worried that we might be disappointed this morning. This was his 2nd excursion of the day and on the other group caught just 6 fish. They just weren’t biting he explained – it’s too cold.

I told him it would all be okay as long as Bella caught at least one fish. With a wink and a smile, Rick said he was pretty sure he could make that happen. We pulled up to the dock by Wilderness Resort and tied up the boat. Rick helped us bait and cast 4 fishing poles – one for Bella (with me helping her), Daddy, AJ, and Kennedy (helped by Grandma).

Within less than 5 minutes, we had our first bite – and it was on Bella’s line! We jerked back and hooked it. Bella excitedly reeled the reel (backwards at first, oops!) and brought that fish in, almost all on her own! When it was near the boat, Rick scooped it up with the net, removed the hook from our new friend, and presented the fish to Bella – who promptly screamed and dove for safety behind me.

I coaxed Bella out for a photo of the bass. She named it Emma, and gave Rick the O.K. to toss Emma back into 7 Seas Lagoon.

As he was tossing Emma in, a shout came from the other side of the boat. It was AJ, and she had a fish on the line! Rick helped her reel it in and AJ had the same reaction as Bella – I’m not touching THAT!” And our second fish of the day was tossed back into the lagoon.

Kennedy was next to catch a fish. I was surprised as she spent most of her time casting and reeling in the bait to repeatedly ‘check’ and make sure it hadn’t been eaten. But apparently she let it sit still just long enough for a fish to bite!

There was lull in the action for a few minutes. Then Daddy reeled in another fishy friend.

The luck continued. After an hour, we had caught about 8 fish. Rick was impressed especially given his earlier trips this morning. He started asking about our previous bass fishing excursions – who was our guide, where did we fish, and most importantly, how many did we catch? 18, I recalled – that was our record.

I could see the competitive edge in Rick. He wanted to beat our record, and we were happy to help him try! But we were only at 8, so it was time to pick up the pace. Both Bella and Kennedy handed off their reels to myself and Grandma after an hour claiming their arms hurt. Grandma quickly snagged a bass on Kennedy’s rod.

AJ reeled in the next one. Eager to get a ‘great shot’ with AJ and a fish, I bribed her with $2 to hold a fish. And she did! She claims it bit her so she dropped the poor thing. I felt terrible, but it promptly flopped itself off the edge of the boat back into the water.

Fish after fish was reeled in 9 . . . . . .10 . . . . .11 . . . 12. Could we possibly beat 18? Our fishing excursion was starting to draw a crowd of onlookers as they waited in line to board a boat to Magic Kingdom. As we reeled in each fish, the crowd would applaud. Rick became very popular as well as many people inquired as to where they could book fishing excursions. 13 . . .14 . . . 15 . . .16. Are we going to do it? Just ½ hour left!

Kennedy, who spent the next 30 minutes without a single nibble on her pole, had given up and started playing with the video camera. I convinced her to give it one more shot and almost immediately, she had a bite! Woo hoo – with her fish we had now all caught at least two fish! I would have been happy with that!

17 . . . . . .18 . . . .and then 19!!! Yes! We had broken our previous record! And there were still 15 minutes left in our 2 hour trip! AJ caught another one, and I offered her $3 in souvenier money to KISS it. I swear, that kid will do anything for money – EEEEEEWWWWW!!! She kissed the fish!

As soon as her kissed fish was thrown back in, the crowd on the dock roared again as Grandma helped Kennedy reel in number 20!!! I checked my phone for the time . . .ten more minutes. The pixie dust continued to rain down upon us for the duration of our trip. 21 . . . . . 22! It was now nearly noon and we had caught a whopping 22 fish!!! Amazing!

I told the girls they could all cast out and reel in one last time before we headed back to the dock. Bella was busy playing ‘hot dog’ in her life preserver so she declined. Kennedy asked if she could just ‘let the little minnow go’ instead of using it for bait. We agreed, and Kennedy’s ‘bait’ found a new home in 7 Seas Lagoon.

AJ accepted, and cast out one last time – a nice side cast that landed her bait right under the dock. She slowly reeled in and then BAM! A nibble. She jerked back and Rick promptly scooped bass #23 into the net! Can you believe it? 23 fish in 2 hours! I couldn’t have been happier with our excursion, our guide, or our luck – they were all amazing!

I asked Rick to pose with the girls for a photo to commemorate the blessed event. I couldn't decide which picture I like better so I'm including both.

We headed over to pay for the excursion. Thanks to a DISer’s tip, I had a coupon for 20% off from one of the guide books. After paying, Rick started driving us back to the Contemporary. He then asked the girls if they would like to take turns driving the boat! Are you kidding? Of course they would!

Starting with the oldest, AJ, Rick give the girls each a turn to drive the boat on the way back to the Contemporary. AJ pretty much did it all on her own.

Kennedy didn’t require much help either, just a little direction so we would avoid an island.

Bella, barely able to see over the dash, needed a little assistance as she motored her way back to the dock.

We thanked Rick profusely for the amazing bass fishing excursion and then waved good bye as he drove our boat back to his home base.

 

[All7OfUs]

So glad Bella is making a spectacular recovery!!

Those hats are adorable on the girls- what a fun surprice, Stephani!!

So, now, I have to know--- did you catch anything????

Editted:

So you did, and did, and did, and did....


HAHAHAHAH!!! What extreme fun!

 

[that's nice]

Stefani!

Nice to see you again. I'm glad Bella has been doing well with Anastasia! I've been getting your caring bridge updates, so I feel like I was informed.


Those are awesome hats!!!!

I CANNOT believe how many fish you guys caught! Awesome!!! It looks like everyone was having a great time too!

 

[pacrosby]

Hey Stefani!!! You're back


Dh bought a couple of those hats online after we got home (along with a bunch of tee-shirts, the 'snow' globe, pins and...............I forget what else. the hats were toddler sized though (oh well, can't blame the guy for trying). I guess someday they'll fit my grandchildren.

"Emma" the fish huh? Too cute

Looks like you had a terrific day fishing! Thanx for the update!

 

[StefaniLyn]

Yay! Stephanie's back!!! I know you guys have been through so much lately, and super duper busy, but I'm so happy we get to see how the trip ends.

Cute hats!!! I want to get some too! Phoebe is very photosensitive and wears hats often.

Yes, I'm back. Still trying to get organized and find some 'me' time lately but it's getting better.

The hats are cute, but you might want to check the size first. When we were there they had one in the House of Hearts on display - maybe ask them to try it on? They are one size fits most and AJ's was pretty small. The website says fits most kids to 10 years old. If Phoebe has a larger than average noggin it maybe snug. it is super cute though and it even folds up into it's own pouch!

If you order them while on your trip you will save shipping costs and they will deliver it right to your villa.

So glad Bella is making a spectacular recovery!!

Those hats are adorable on the girls- what a fun surprice, Stephani!!

So, now, I have to know--- did you catch anything????

Editted:

So you did, and did, and did, and did....


HAHAHAHAH!!! What extreme fun!

Her recover is better than I could have imagined and I can only attribute the success to all of her prayer warriors and God himself. Guess he thought it was time Bella caught a break too!

Yes, we did, and did, and did. It was the most spectacular fishing trip ever!!!

 

[StefaniLyn]

Stefani!

Nice to see you again. I'm glad Bella has been doing well with Anastasia! I've been getting your caring bridge updates, so I feel like I was informed.


Those are awesome hats!!!!

I CANNOT believe how many fish you guys caught! Awesome!!! It looks like everyone was having a great time too!

Hey Tim!! Thanks for following Bella's CaringBridge. It's such a great tool to keep everyone informed on Bella's health issues.

I can't wait to catch up on your TRs too!

Hey Stefani!!! You're back


Dh bought a couple of those hats online after we got home (along with a bunch of tee-shirts, the 'snow' globe, pins and...............I forget what else. the hats were toddler sized though (oh well, can't blame the guy for trying). I guess someday they'll fit my grandchildren.

"Emma" the fish huh? Too cute

Looks like you had a terrific day fishing! Thanx for the update!

Sounds like you bought one of everything in the GKTW store! I still want to purchase some t-shirts one of these days, and a few other things. You are right about the hats - AJ's was snug. It probably won't even fit her now!

Bella names everything Emma. Emma the g-tube, Emma the Bitty Baby, Emma the imaginary friend. It's quite humorous.

Fishing was so much fun! I don't normally participate in sports that involve slime and scales, but magically Fishing Disney helps me forget all the yucky stuff!

 

[p00h4me]

Yeah , new updates!!! Love the hats and reading about your fishing experience during the 7 Seas Lagoon Bass Fishing Expedition. Wow! Catching all those fishes most of made the 2 hours go by really fast. What fun you all had! Great pictures and so funny about AJ holding and kissing the fish for $$.

So glad to hear that Bella is doing well. Tell her I said Hi!