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

[StefaniLyn]

Great report Steph! You are very thoughtful, and kinda funny, putting together a ratings chart for the rides. Too cute! Poor Bella, with her accident. Good thinking on having the leggings just in case. I'm planning for multiple wardrobe changes for both girls for every reason you can imagine. If it's possible, it will get dirty/wet/ripped...

The ratings chart interview process was a lot of fun. The girls recalled little bits and pieces of each ride as I went down the list. Kinda like a walk down memory lane . . . .

After Bella was potty trained, I stopped carrying extra clothes everywhere. It was only because of the cold weather that I had those extra leggings. I had actually been asking Bella all day long if she wanted to wear them to warm her legs up. Thankfully she said no each time or we would have been buying an entire outfit!

 

[pipersmom]

I'm so glad Bella felt well enough to continue doing the park! Random vomitting just bites, when Piper is getting sick, it's one of the first symptoms, because of all the mucus she swallows. (Sorry to be so graphic, I've gotten over it over the years!) Thank goodness for those leggings! And woohoo for dh doing what he had to do! I love the girls laughing in the pic with spongebob, they all looked totally happy. And very cool chart, I'll have to show Piper tomorrow, she'll love that!

 

[StefaniLyn]

Great update even without alot of pics That was so sweet to put together the rating chart! We cant wait for US. Im so sorry Bella got sick and at DH staealing the socks. You gotta do what has to be done. At least BIL stayed to pay.

Thanks The girls wanted to do the ratings chart for every day last night, but I told them they had to wait til I got to that point in my TR writing.
I felt so bad for Bella - I'm sure she was hoping to leave all that medical garbage at home!
Uncle TJ had just finished purchasing the socks when we exited the restroom - no kidding! Apparently there was a mistake with something for the customer before him and the super duper slow cashier just couldn't figure it out! She had to call a manager to help.

Great update! You tell the story so well! I love the photo of the girls with Sponge Bob! You chose great!

Thank U! I kinda wish I had gotten in the Spongebob picture too -just because now I'm curious to see what Spongebob felt like! Is he fabric? Or maybe plush? possibly spongy like those stress balls? is it creepy that I want to know?

ds ryan 6 wants me to tell you he liked your report about the rides, and he thought your chart was pretty cool
poor bella feeling so sick and least she seemed to recouperate (sp?) quickly. tell her i think her socks and leggings made a very nice fashion statement. i have to tell you as much as i love pictures you tell the story so well i can just picture everything that happened.

awwww . . . . Thank you Ryan! U r too sweet!

Bella was a little lethargic for the remainder of the afternoon, but she has become accustomed to living life to it's fullest even when she feels sick. Her blood glucose spikes after nearly every meal and it leaves her feeling ill for about an hour but she does her best to work through the discomfort.

 

[praisehisname]

I really enjoyed reading about your day at Universal! I never really researched it very much, and your posts made it seem like a lot of fun!

 

[pacrosby]

Great update Stephanie!!!! Px or no px. Honestly, I think sometimes px can distract people from the prose and you write so well that I enjoy focusing my attention solely on your words.

Your chart cracked me up - great idea to add alittle spice (informative too!)

I am sooooooo sad we didn't catch that ridiculous SpongeBob. That picture of him with the girls is terrific.



Pamela

Matty's Wish Trip PTR http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2325607
Matty's Wish Trip TR "Mom, Dad, 3 Kids, and a Gingerbread Boy" http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2356739

 

[StefaniLyn]

I'm so glad Bella felt well enough to continue doing the park! Random vomitting just bites, when Piper is getting sick, it's one of the first symptoms, because of all the mucus she swallows. (Sorry to be so graphic, I've gotten over it over the years!) Thank goodness for those leggings! And woohoo for dh doing what he had to do! I love the girls laughing in the pic with spongebob, they all looked totally happy. And very cool chart, I'll have to show Piper tomorrow, she'll love that!

Don't apologize! Talk of bodily fluids doesn't even phase me anymore. You should hear some of the conversations I've had with other special needs moms! Serious potty talk going on there!

DH isn't one to make his princess wait while some amateur cashier gets her quarters in a row. It was, in my opinion, an emergency. My poor baby girl was embarassed enough about the situation and we weren't about to waste any more of Bella's Wish Trip time.

Piper should keep her own chart for the parks. We'd love to compare results!

I really enjoyed reading about your day at Universal! I never really researched it very much, and your posts made it seem like a lot of fun!

Definitely fun! DD10 wants to return next year when Harry Potter opens up! I said probably not, but maybe the year after!

Great update Stephanie!!!! Px or no px. Honestly, I think sometimes px can distract people from the prose and you write so well that I enjoy focusing my attention solely on your words.

Your chart cracked me up - great idea to add alittle spice (informative too!)

I am sooooooo sad we didn't catch that ridiculous SpongeBob. That picture of him with the girls is terrific.

Pamela

Matty's Wish Trip PTR http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2325607
Matty's Wish Trip TR "Mom, Dad, 3 Kids, and a Gingerbread Boy" http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2356739

Thanks Pamela - you're so sweet!

I enjoy reading the text most in TR's but a computer screen full of text can be hard to focus on so a picture or two to break it up is helpful for me.

I'm planning on charts for each park. Between those and our photopass pictures, I hope to add enough visual interest to keep my dear friends, (aka readers) attention!

I'm sorry you guys missed Spongebob! When you return next December do you plan to visit US/IOA again?

 

[kayrosek]

Ahh, poor Bella. I'm glad she got to enjoy the rest of her day anyway and as for the socks my DH would have done the same thing. Can't wait to hear about the pirate and princess party.

 

[All7OfUs]

Sheesh, I didn't think I was gone that long, but look, I missed an update. Pooper-dooper!

I love, LOVE your chart!! Am totally sad too, that Bella wasn't feeling so hot. No fun barfing!

 

[ladybugmom]

Awww! So sorry Bella got sick--that's no fun!! Hey--I did recoginze that ET ride!! I rode that back in '94!! And i LOVE your chart--great idea!!!

 

[StefaniLyn]

Ahh, poor Bella. I'm glad she got to enjoy the rest of her day anyway and as for the socks my DH would have done the same thing. Can't wait to hear about the pirate and princess party.

I'll be AWOL the rest of today - 3 meetings this evening and I still need to prep for all of them! But hopefully I can get to the Pirates and Princesses party tomorrow sometime!

Sheesh, I didn't think I was gone that long, but look, I missed an update. Pooper-dooper!

I love, LOVE your chart!! Am totally sad too, that Bella wasn't feeling so hot. No fun barfing!

I'm glad you enjoyed the chart! The girls are looking forward to their future interviews! I think I'll print and scrapbook those too!

Awww! So sorry Bella got sick--that's no fun!! Hey--I did recoginze that ET ride!! I rode that back in '94!! And i LOVE your chart--great idea!!!

Such a classic movie! I don't remember that one from when I was a kid unfortunately! Either it wasn't open and we didn't ride it or it just wasn't that memorable back then when I was a *cool* teenager!

 

[p00h4me]

Loved reading all your reports at Universal Studios! I've never been to the one in Florida but have gone to the one in California several times. My husband had the same reaction with the Mummy ride as Kennedy! Once was enough! I think it was going backwards in the dark that got to him. Too bad that Bella had to star in her own disaster movie. It's great that she felt good enough afterward to go on the ET ride. Isn't that a nice touch at the end of the ride? Your chart is great too!

 

[StefaniLyn]

Loved reading all your reports at Universal Studios! I've never been to the one in Florida but have gone to the one in California several times. My husband had the same reaction with the Mummy ride as Kennedy! Once was enough! I think it was going backwards in the dark that got to him. Too bad that Bella had to star in her own disaster movie. It's great that she felt good enough afterward to go on the ET ride. Isn't that a nice touch at the end of the ride? Your chart is great too!

I'm so glad you have enjoyed reading my US reports. Did you enjoy the US in California?

Once on Mummy was enough for me too. The rats totally creeped me out!

The surprise at the end of ET earned it a + rating from me - otherwise it was just so-so.

I'm glad you enjoyed the chart!

 

[StefaniLyn]

As I'm sitting here with Bella snuggled in my lap watching Dora, I wanted to take a few minutes to give you all a quick update. I apologize for the lack of updates lately. I've had a slew of meetings that are keeping me busy including one very important one this morning. We are waiting for a meeting with a rep from Bella's secondary insurance. Each year, Bella is reevaluated to see if she qualifies and today is 'the big day.' In the past, she has easily qualified because of her g-tube but since it's removal, it's not so easy. Bella's medical situation is complicated and rare. I just hope I can convey it appropraitely to the representative so she can keep her secondary insurance. Without it, we would incur nearly $12,000 in additional out of pocket medical expenses each year - something we just cannot afford at this time.

I've also been spending a lot of time at school and on the phone with Bella's doctors discussing her recent blood glucose levels and decline in mealtime behavior. Despite being on two medications to control her glucose, Bella continues to spike high levels (over 200) after meals. We tried doubling a dose of one medication and it made it worse! Because of the spikes, her meals at home and at school have been exceptionally difficult. She screams, cries, and is starting to regularly vomit again. She has lost weight I am certain, and her aides as well as DH and I are completely stressed out. I'm sure Bella is too.

Yesterday Bella's endocrinologist prescribed yet another medication, Jenuvia, to try and control the blood glucose. I am praying that this one works. She will now be on a total of 3 medications that are generally used for diabetes even though she doesn't have diabetes. If we can't get her blood glucose levels under control, we will once again be forced to consider a g-tube to supplement for the extra calories. It would be a devastating blow to Bella as she has worked so hard for the past 2 years to get rid of that thing. It is truly one of her proudest accomplishments and to even consider putting it back in is breaking my heart.

I probably won't be back on to post until Saturday evening unless I magically find some time this afternoon. We have a Girl Scout lock in tonight and soccer camps tomorrow. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

 

[pipersmom]

I'm sorry to hear about Bella's recent problems and will keep you guys in my thoughts and prayers. Hoping the appt goes well and relatively stress-free for you today! Enjoy your lock-in and I hope you get at least some time to relax over the weekend.

 

[All7OfUs]

That's just very distressing news! I"m really sorry to hear that she might have the g-tube in again. I know that would be so very disappointing!

I'll really be praying as you have those meetings today!! That's really important to keep! My sons were on growth hormone for a very long time, and every year, it was the same thing. Do they qualify? Will we have benefits??

 

[Momofwishkid]

Stephanie, I am sorry to hear about Bella's increased difficulties and will be keeping her in my thughts for no G-tube and also that your meeting goes well today. We all no how important that insurance is. I hope you have a little time to relax this weekend and you enjoy your time with the kids.

 

[thatkid]

thats awesome that she doesn't have a feed tube anymore! I hope the insurance stuff goes well. My dad is in the process of getting me extra medical insurance, too.

 

[that's nice]

Stefani-

Loved all your US updates. Sorry Bella got sick. How funny that Bella didn't want her picture taken because she had a mis-matched outfit on. Too funny. Loved the chart of everyone's likes too.

She didn't miss a beat when she woke up from dinner and asked about the party. Smart as a whip huh?

I hope everything goes well with your insurance meeting.

 

[ladybugmom]

Praying for Bella right now!!

 

[kayrosek]

sending prayers your way for Bella and that the insurance rep understands how much you need the secondary insurance and Bella qualifies.