A Halloween Adventure in Autism (11/7) Prayer Request for Catie (p.129)

[KathyRN137]

All caught up!!! Sounds like the trip was going really well, up to this point. Glad the day ended up working out at DHS, and that Billy got to see his Fantasmic! I sense that this trip may be starting to go downhill, though...hope the problems are short-lived Can't wait to read the next installment...hope it's in before Thursday night...I leave Friday to go to Texas for a long weekend of training and fun for my new job........as a Disney travel agent!!!

Congrats on the Disney TA job... how thrilling!!


Kathy

 

[wvdislover]

Congrats on the Disney TA job... how thrilling!!


Kathy

Thanks, Kathy! Hope your job hunt ends soon...successfully

 

[Mickey_Mom]

I'll try my best to get going on the next chapter... its rather embarrassing to be writing about a Halloween trip when its now past Memorial Day!


Kathy

Oh no worries..... it's a great report no matter when it's read!

 

[MeMom]

I'll try my best to get going on the next chapter... its rather embarrassing to be writing about a Halloween trip when its now past Memorial Day!

Kathy

Ha ha....we do that all the time!
We stretch out one trip report until it's time for the next trip, so you may be getting Santa Claus in March or hot summertime pictures in October.

 

[mrsksomeday]

Originally Posted by KathyRN137


I'll try my best to get going on the next chapter... its rather embarrassing to be writing about a Halloween trip when its now past Memorial Day!

Kathy

I am just waiting for your thoughts later in the trip .

 

[Charleston Princess]

My theory is Halloween is fun no matter what time of year it happens to be!

 

[KathyRN137]

Oh no worries..... it's a great report no matter when it's read!

Ha ha....we do that all the time!
We stretch out one trip report until it's time for the next trip, so you may be getting Santa Claus in March or hot summertime pictures in October.

I am just waiting for your thoughts later in the trip .

My theory is Halloween is fun no matter what time of year it happens to be!

Hold on to your hats, girls! An update is on the way!


Kathy

 

[KathyRN137]

Chapter 32: In the Heat of the Night


Tuesday Morning
November 3, 2009
Day Four



I jerked awake, suddenly.

“Mom! I need orange medicine!”

I blinked as the room quickly came into focus. Despite the heavy drapes in the Kidani master bedroom it was evident that it was still dark outside. Ed lay next to me in the enormous bed, snoring softly.

“Mom!” Billy called again from the living room, “Orange medicine, please!”

I hopped out of bed and scurried to the door, which we had left partially open during the night. I didn’t want Billy to wake Tricia and Catie. I found him sitting up in the sleeper chair, blankets and sheets and pillow strewn about on the floor. Nearby, the girls were stirring on the pullout sofa. Tricia moaned softly and turned over. I placed my finger to my lips and motioned for Billy to be quiet. Dodging the bedcovers and the metal corner of the pullout, I went over to him and whispered for him to come with me.

“He’s wet,” he announced. Ah-ha. That explains why all the sheets were on the floor. Billy’s clothes were in one of the drawers in the bedroom, so I took him by the hand and led him into our room. He put his other hand to his head and repeated, “Orange medicine, please!” We tiptoed past his father and onto the cold tile floor of the master bathroom. Billy immediately found the light switch and flipped it on. Even at the age of eleven, he had a fear of dark places. As I helped him remove his pajamas I could feel the heat radiating off of him. His eyes were glassy and his cheeks were flushed.

Oh no.

I sent him into the toilet, which was separated from the rest of the bathroom by its own door. I tossed the wet clothes into the tub and then turned on the water in the glass shower… keeping it as lukewarm as I thought would be tolerable. Then I poured the last few teaspoons of the liquid Motrin I had brought from home into a plastic medicine cup and rummaged through my park bag to find some of the disposable Tempa-dot thermometers I had picked up the day before at the first aid station. I placed one on his forehead and poured him some water. Down went the Motrin, followed quickly by the entire cup of water.

“More, please!” he gasped. I gave him more water and stroked his head as he gulped it down.

After enough time had passed… the directions are right on the cover of each thermometer… I removed the little piece of plastic from his forehead and put him in the shower. I held the thermometer up to read it, counting off the dots as they corresponded to numbers.

Oh my God. It read 104.4. Even if I factored in any possible margin of error due to this method of measuring body temperature, I was still very concerned that he might be coming down with the flu. I opened the shower door, stepped in, and handed him soap and a washcloth. (That shower is big enough to hold half a dozen Billys.) He just stood there under the water staring at the colorful border of Lion King tiles with a dazed expression on his face. I nudged the washcloth into his hand and he began to wash, robotically.

Shutting the door, I picked up the wet clothes out of the tub and went back out to the darkened bedroom to check the digital clock on the bedside table. It was just a few minutes after four. Quietly I opened the door to the living room, picked up the sheets and bed pads, and put them into the washing machine. I turned it on and winced a bit as it splashed and rumbled loudly. Closing the closet door helped… a little. Back I went through the living room, past the sleeping girls, and into the bedroom. Ed stirred a bit as I opened the bathroom door and light flooded into the room. I shut it quickly and helped Billy finish rinsing himself off. I got him into some clean pajamas and towel-dried his hair.

“Come snuggle in the bed with Daddy and Mommy,” I said. I didn’t have to say it twice; he climbed right up onto the bed and got under the covers. Ed woke briefly and I filled him in on the situation. We both agreed that we would give the medicine time to do its work and that we might have to cancel our 8am reservation at Crystal Palace if Billy did not get back to sleep. Fortunately (or unfortunately, as the case may be) he was not his usual giggly-wiggly self and was soon snoring along with his father. I lay there looking at the ceiling and praying that this was just some crazy little 48-hour virus and not the flu… especially the dreaded Swine Flu that was going around.

“Poor Billy,” I thought. “He’s been looking forward to this vacation for so long… and now he’s sick… and on our Magic Kingdom day, too.” I must’ve been tired because somehow I drifted off into a fitful sleep with strange dreams of guests in hospital beds rolling up Main Street, USA, dragging their IV poles alongside them.

***************************************************************************​

The clock radio clicked on at 6:30, just as I had set it. My hand shot out and banged the snooze button sharply. Turning quickly to see both my “boys” still sleeping, I breathed a sigh of relief. More relief as I felt Billy’s forehead and found it damp, but cool. Thank God for Motrin. However, we still had a dilemma. Fever or no, it was evident that Billy was sick. How could I justify taking him to a busy theme park and putting him on rides? On the other hand, how could I make him stay behind while his sister and cousin went off to have fun in his favorite place in the entire world? It was a lose-lose situation.

As I lay there fretting over our bad luck, Tricia poked her head inside the room and wanted to know why we weren’t getting ready for the day. Not wanting her to wake her brother, I got up and we went into the living room. Catie was already making up the pullout and Tricia was about to head off into the shower. I quickly filled them in on what was happening and they were both concerned.

“Are we still having breakfast at the Crystal Palace?” Tricia asked.

I sighed and walked over to the laundry closet to pull the now-clean sheets out of the washer. I didn’t really know how to answer her… yet.


Kathy

 

[mebbradley]

AWWWW poor billy!

 

[MHTeacher]

Oh, no----I can see how torn you were with what you should do, Kathy.

I'm hoping it was some little fever virus, and Billy was able to enjoy his MK day!

 

[Hedy]

I'm giggling at Tricia wondering why you were running late....

 

[SwansLoveDisney]

Poor kid! Being sick on vacation is terrible. And being sick on vacation at Disney World is just plain unfair!

 

[eandesmom]

Oh no! Poor Billy and poor Kathy!

I'm worried that it was the last few drops of orange medicine.

talk about a cliff hanger!

 

[KathyRN137]

AWWWW poor billy!

Of course it had to hit Billy... the one who could least understand/accept staying "home."

Oh, no----I can see how torn you were with what you should do, Kathy.

I'm hoping it was some little fever virus, and Billy was able to enjoy his MK day!

Thanks! I was hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst...

I'm giggling at Tricia wondering why you were running late....

Yes, very out of character for me (well, at least at WDW!)


Kathy

 

[Goldeelox9]

Oh No Kathy! I really hope the day gets better!

 

[KathyRN137]

Poor kid! Being sick on vacation is terrible. And being sick on vacation at Disney World is just plain unfair!

No, not very magical at all!

Oh no! Poor Billy and poor Kathy!

I'm worried that it was the last few drops of orange medicine.

talk about a cliff hanger!

I have more on the "orange medicine situation" coming up next...
and hopefully I will not keep you in suspense too long!

Oh No Kathy! I really hope the day gets better!

Thanks, Lisa! It would be a bit of a roller coaster, I can tell you that.


Kathy

 

[AmandaSparks730]

Oh d-d-d-dear

Definately a lose/lose situation...you don't want Billy to get worse, and you don't want him to be upset while the girls were having fun...then again, you don't want the girls to have to stay around Billy at the risk of THEM getting sick, too...

 

[MaryAz]

Oh boy, poor Billy. Hope it does not get any worse. No one wants to be at Disney!!

 

[mrsksomeday]

Poor sweet Billy, always polite even when he is sick. I am so sorry he got sick on your trip, that breaks my heart.

 

[praisehisname]

Oh no, poor Billy (and mom)! I hate the dilemna of deciding whether to change plans or see if the kid can make it.