Jayden's Wish trip

[blessedmom4]

I am sorry it has taken me so long to get here! Thank you for all of your encouragement and for sharing your beautiful family with us!

 

[Moodyzblu]

I am sorry it has taken me so long to get here! Thank you for all of your encouragement and for sharing your beautiful family with us!

Glad to have you here ! I understand .. you've been quite busy.

 

[KatMark]

This was the boys at 5 days old. They were born 6 weeks early and since we also knew that Jayden was going to be born with a CHD it was decided he was to be born in Boston with a team from Childrens Hospital Boston in the delivery room ! I can't tell you how I thank God every day that I live so close to such a wonderful team of Dr's and nurses. I'm also thankful for the ultrasound tech who caught the birth defect during a routine ultrasound.
It's sure not something you want to hear .. but am very glad to be able to prepare. Jayden is the little guy on the right.

[/IMG]

Absolutely beautiful babies. And so glad you had such great doctors, etc.

 

[swwake]

Hooray! I'm here! I can't wait to follow this story. Your boys are just adorable!

Let me know if you have WWOHP or any other questions. I have some partial TRs in my signature line. Maybe some pics of WWOHP in there, if I remember right.

Best wishes and Merry Christmas (if you celebrate Christmas?) to you and your family!!

 

[Moodyzblu]

Hooray! I'm here! I can't wait to follow this story. Your boys are just adorable!

Let me know if you have WWOHP or any other questions. I have some partial TRs in my signature line. Maybe some pics of WWOHP in there, if I remember right.

Best wishes and Merry Christmas (if you celebrate Christmas?) to you and your family!!

Thanks for joining in and Merry Christmas to you too !
I'll have to check out your TR and see what I can find.

 

[SandalwoodMomof3]

Subbing in - I can't wait to hear all about your trip too!!

Your boys are gorgeous - my daughter just turned 8 and also front-toothless

Funny story CHD-sis, I'm a twin!

Anyway, so much to do and so little time but I will keep checking in on you.

 

[Moodyzblu]

Subbing in - I can't wait to hear all about your trip too!!

Your boys are gorgeous - my daughter just turned 8 and also front-toothless

Funny story CHD-sis, I'm a twin!

Anyway, so much to do and so little time but I will keep checking in on you.

! Glad to see you.

How cool that you're a twin !

 

[Moodyzblu]

So at around 6:00 pm this evening the phone rang and it was Jaydens wish grantor !! I know i shouldn't be shocked .. but I was honestly not expecting it on a Sunday evening. Me and the boys were actually playing a Harry Potter video game at the time .. SO funny !
Anyway, he was super nice and said he and his partner would be here on Thursday night !!

I'm SO nervous .. what do we do .. what do we say .. what do we wear ??

I'm hoping Jayden isn't too shy with him and let's him see his super personality. But he has a hard time with meeting people .. poor little guy has severe anxiety issues. Not sure if it's from all he's gone through or something else. He's going to Boston soon to have some genetic testing done to test for DiGeorge syndrome. Like he needs MORE problems .. but it's better to know so we can get him the treatment he needs.

Well wish us luck ! I'll update as soon as I can !

 

[macraven]

congrats on getting your call so soon!!

 

[PolyndianPrincessJes]

Exciting, Michelle!! It all seems to be coming quickly. Can't wait until you get more info!

 

[swwake]

So at around 6:00 pm this evening the phone rang and it was Jaydens wish grantor !! I know i shouldn't be shocked .. but I was honestly not expecting it on a Sunday evening. Me and the boys were actually playing a Harry Potter video game at the time .. SO funny !
Anyway, he was super nice and said he and his partner would be here on Thursday night !!

I'm SO nervous .. what do we do .. what do we say .. what do we wear ??

I'm hoping Jayden isn't too shy with him and let's him see his super personality. But he has a hard time with meeting people .. poor little guy has severe anxiety issues. Not sure if it's from all he's gone through or something else. He's going to Boston soon to have some genetic testing done to test for DiGeorge syndrome. Like he needs MORE problems .. but it's better to know so we can get him the treatment he needs.

Well wish us luck ! I'll update as soon as I can !

That's awesome that you got the call!

Here's the way it always worked for us. (Remember, it's been several years since I was a wish grantor)

Two volunteers meet with the child and the child's family at the home. Sometimes we brought a small "icebreaker" gift for the wish child and sometimes for all children in the home.

They will spend some time getting to know the child and the family. They'll explain the wish process, the four types of wishes (I want something, I want to go somewhere, I want to be something (like policeman), I want to meet someone).

They will ask the wish child directly what his wish is. The goal is to hear it straight from the child and ensure that the wish is the child's wish and not someone else in the family's wish. (Doubt that's a problem, based on you saying Jayden lives and breathes Harry Potter!). They will also work with you and Jayden to try to figure out a 2nd and 3rd choice for back-up wishes. We had to have back-ups, because you never know what could happen. (For example, we had children with travel wishes who, for some reason or another, were unable to travel due to health, surgery, etc. when their wish came up)

They will fill out a bunch of paperwork along with the interview and they'll tell you what to expect next.

As for what to wear, how to act, etc. Wear whatever is comfortable. No need to dress up. And everyone in the family should act normal. They want to see how the household is normally. There might be things they need to identify that will help with the wish like - are there any special needs of the wish child or other family members? Any overstimulation issues? Also, what other things does the wish child like? What are his hobbies, etc? This is because they really try to customize the entire wish to the child - it is a once in a lifetime event! There may be wish enhancements (or add-ons) that they add, based on what they learn about Jayden and the family.

Please don't be nervous. Your family and Jayden have already been approved to receive a wish, so there's no way to "blow it" at this point. Just enjoy the process. The wishgrantors will be very easy-going people, comfortable for you to talk to, and will have hearts of gold.

Also, make a list of any questions you might have (like - do I need to save/take any money? who else can go on the wish trip? will we be staying at GTTW? etc.)

I'm excited to hear how this goes for you this week! Congrats again!

 

[Moodyzblu]

congrats on getting your call so soon!!

Thank you !

Exciting, Michelle!! It all seems to be coming quickly. Can't wait until you get more info!

It IS coming fast .. which is good because 7 yr olds aren't known for their patience !

That's awesome that you got the call!

Here's the way it always worked for us. (Remember, it's been several years since I was a wish grantor)

Two volunteers meet with the child and the child's family at the home. Sometimes we brought a small "icebreaker" gift for the wish child and sometimes for all children in the home.

They will spend some time getting to know the child and the family. They'll explain the wish process, the four types of wishes (I want something, I want to go somewhere, I want to be something (like policeman), I want to meet someone).

They will ask the wish child directly what his wish is. The goal is to hear it straight from the child and ensure that the wish is the child's wish and not someone else in the family's wish. (Doubt that's a problem, based on you saying Jayden lives and breathes Harry Potter!). They will also work with you and Jayden to try to figure out a 2nd and 3rd choice for back-up wishes. We had to have back-ups, because you never know what could happen. (For example, we had children with travel wishes who, for some reason or another, were unable to travel due to health, surgery, etc. when their wish came up)

They will fill out a bunch of paperwork along with the interview and they'll tell you what to expect next.

As for what to wear, how to act, etc. Wear whatever is comfortable. No need to dress up. And everyone in the family should act normal. They want to see how the household is normally. There might be things they need to identify that will help with the wish like - are there any special needs of the wish child or other family members? Any overstimulation issues? Also, what other things does the wish child like? What are his hobbies, etc? This is because they really try to customize the entire wish to the child - it is a once in a lifetime event! There may be wish enhancements (or add-ons) that they add, based on what they learn about Jayden and the family.

Please don't be nervous. Your family and Jayden have already been approved to receive a wish, so there's no way to "blow it" at this point. Just enjoy the process. The wishgrantors will be very easy-going people, comfortable for you to talk to, and will have hearts of gold.

Also, make a list of any questions you might have (like - do I need to save/take any money? who else can go on the wish trip? will we be staying at GTTW? etc.)

I'm excited to hear how this goes for you this week! Congrats again!

Thank you for all your info .. it's a huge help !

 

[KatMark]

So at around 6:00 pm this evening the phone rang and it was Jaydens wish grantor !! I know i shouldn't be shocked .. but I was honestly not expecting it on a Sunday evening. Me and the boys were actually playing a Harry Potter video game at the time .. SO funny !
Anyway, he was super nice and said he and his partner would be here on Thursday night !!

I'm SO nervous .. what do we do .. what do we say .. what do we wear ??

I'm hoping Jayden isn't too shy with him and let's him see his super personality. But he has a hard time with meeting people .. poor little guy has severe anxiety issues. Not sure if it's from all he's gone through or something else. He's going to Boston soon to have some genetic testing done to test for DiGeorge syndrome. Like he needs MORE problems .. but it's better to know so we can get him the treatment he needs.

Well wish us luck ! I'll update as soon as I can !

How exciting!!! I can't wait to hear all about it. You could send a PM to that's nice (a very good friend of mine here on the DIS) whose daughter, Juliana, was granted a wish. I'm sure Tim would be happy to fill you in on their visit. Just let me know ahead of time so I can let him know the PM is coming because he hasn't had a lot of time on the DIS lately, but I can send him a message on FB and alert him.

 

[lorasmom]

When our wish grantors came, it was very low key. They just hung out with Gabby, played some games, asked her a million questions I was really nervous that she would be a total goofball and not really answer their questions, but she was a rockstar - they really just made her feel totally comfortable, and developed a great rapport with her.

Relax and have FUN!

 

[Moodyzblu]

How exciting!!! I can't wait to hear all about it. You could send a PM to that's nice (a very good friend of mine here on the DIS) whose daughter, Juliana, was granted a wish. I'm sure Tim would be happy to fill you in on their visit. Just let me know ahead of time so I can let him know the PM is coming because he hasn't had a lot of time on the DIS lately, but I can send him a message on FB and alert him.

Thanks ! I think we're good though. I got another call from second wish granter and she was real good about asking me if i had any questions and also asked me what the boys liked and what their favorite things are.

When our wish grantors came, it was very low key. They just hung out with Gabby, played some games, asked her a million questions I was really nervous that she would be a total goofball and not really answer their questions, but she was a rockstar - they really just made her feel totally comfortable, and developed a great rapport with her.

Relax and have FUN!

Thats pretty much what she said to me. That they would come and just hang out and get to know Jayden.

He keeps asking me if its Thursday yet ! It takes a lot to get him excited .. but this has really put a sparkle in his eye.

 

[Azheartmom]

Finally made it over to your PTR- so glad I did! Your boys are GORGEOUS!!! Super cute!

Amazing that you knew about Jayden's CHD prior to birth, I agree that is a blessing. Unfortunately, we didn't know about Grace's until after birth, and we had limited input on her Original surgical plan. That being said, Grace beat every odd, so in a way, glad it happened exactly as it did!

Does Jayden have any arrhythmia issues?

 

[PolyndianPrincessJes]

Tomorrow's the day!! So excited for you guys. Tell them you have to go in late May. Can't wait to hear all about it!!!

 

[lovethattink]

So excited for you! I hope all goes well tomorrow night! Take pictures!!

 

[Moodyzblu]

I know !! We're so excited.

Jayden has an appt tomorrow with a geneticist so hopefully knowing what's going on later that day will keep him cheery and patient through the testing and such. Poor kid .. it's always something.

 

[FosterA]

Finally got on over to your TR to check it out. OMG! your boys are sooooo cute. Even as little babies in the hospital they were photogenic!

Can't wait to hear all about the trip!