Elijah's Make A Wish Trip!

[Topdogie01]

Hey Y'all! (im still unsure of a better way to greet a large group of people.. yall just seems to fit so perfectly...)

This is my Pre-Trip Report being written about a week before we actually leave.. im not sure why i procrastinated writing this so much. maybe its because i dislike writing, maybe its because i tend to ramble on and on and tend to forget to use proper punctuation, even if i know how to do it properly from school i just do not care to use it because i try to get my ideas down before i get sidetracked by something else to do, or a very loud toddler wanting my attention to help him open something, or help him find a lost remote so he can keep pressing the Last button on the tv remote because he cannot stand to watch ads.

Where to start... lets start with names. Hi. My name is TC. im a 24 year old who is between schooling for a Computer Science degree. i waited too long after my last college classes and have some work to do before i can get back into school, but my family takes priority for me as im a stay at home dad. im also a DisDad. lucky disdad number 777. i used to have an old disboardy account, but couldnt remember my old username or email address (if the website i used for email still even exists..). i want to call myself a technophile, but that isnt quite the right definition im looking for. i like electronics. i enjoy fixing them. electronics do not have feelings to get a predetermined notion to not like me for whatever reason. if its not working, its because of something i did, and normally easy to fix (there has been a few issues that took a long while to figure out. mostly has to do with printers. i do not like printers. i will pay to have someone else print what i need so i do not have to mess with them anymore!). here is a picture of me recently. yes, i know i need to shave. i am trying to grow my beard, plus it helps with the chilling cold im sure we will have later this year. plus when i shave i look like i am about 14.

This is Kristina. my Fiance. Mother of the wish child. we have been together 5 (6? i cant keep track of time. what day of the week is it again? thursday? CRAP! i need to get this written and posted, and start packing! we leave in less than 7 days! 165 hours, 20 minutes until we get into the limo to be taken to the airport at the time of writing!) years this january. She is really into photography, so if our camera behaves, we should have some really great photos taken! so without further ado, here is a picture of my beautiful fiance

and now on to the main reason for this introduction post.. the wish child himself, Eli!

Eli was born with HypoPlastic Left Heart Syndrome. to make it short, he was born without the left side of his heart (not technically true, as he had a small left ventricle but it was the size of a pea and never grew, later being merged in surgery). He has had 3 open heart surgeries to date. 4 cardiocath procedures to balloon his valve/narrow aorta. and still loves going to the hospital to see his doctors and the nurses. his first surgery was at the age of 7 days. he was home from the hospital about a week before christmas. Giving me the one thing i wanted for christmas that year, a healthy baby a home.

Then when he was about 2 years old, he had his second open heart surgery. (cant seem to find the picture i want of this. its somewhere in my backups online. not sure if i have the time to sort through the many many MANY pictures in my backups to find it or not. its not in my nice organized folders.)

then last June he had his last surgery. hopefully the last one he will need, but he may need one later on in life, right now he has no more open heart surgeries planned anymore. these two pictures are from after this last surgery. in the first he is smiling along (about to yell at me for taking the phone from him!) and in the second he is watching his cartoons on the phone.

alright. so far i have covered me, fiancee, and Eli. who else is going on this trip again? father, mother, wish child, grandparent. wait. im forgetting someone...

finally, we have Paul. Kristina's dad. he is coming along with us and really dislikes pictures of himself. im not sure if i actually have any pictures of him or not. he tends to delete the pictures before ic an get them to my computer and backed up =(.


here is a picture of Eli with a family friend (not sure if she wanted her photo posted.. so i edited out her face..) after he won the local fair's Pretty Baby contest for the 3rd (THIRD!) year in a row.

 

[Topdogie01]

so far, this is our intenerary, but its subject to change depending on what the child feels like doing.

thursday 20th
fly in, get car, stay night at resort
eat: food court partially open after 11:30pm?

friday 21st
orientation, get tickets. sea world
lunch:cici's pizza in Kissimmee
Dinner: hotel food court or downtown

saturday 22nd
magic Kingdom? (9am - 12pm ) eat in park quick
12:05 Jake and the Neverland Pirates


sunday 23rd
Epcot
dinner 6pmish Boardwalk Big River Grille & Brewing Works


monday 24th
Hollywood Studios
Dinner - Boma - Flavors of Africa


tuesday 25th
universal

wednesday 26th
fly out at 4pm

 

[laurielf]

That's a complete tour! You are going to have so much fun - and Eli is adorable is this his first trip to Disney?

 

[Topdogie01]

This will technically be his third trip... very first trip was with grandmother to visit great grandmother during tax time. Second trip was a year ago when my parents told us to buy plane tickets and we are on the room/dining plan. This will be the first time he is cleared to ride rides by his doctors. He was told to ride anything he wants to as long as he meets the height requirements.
So in essence the first two trips were to visit his great grandparents.

 

[FaithsWish]

What a handsome little guy! I can't wait to read about your trip and see all those pictures!

 

[Topdogie01]

Tell everybody im on my way.... * Well today was full of surprises..

Forgive any spelling mistakes. *I *going to try to semi-live blog this each night before bed. So I will be tired. And typing on my tablet as our laptop is not fixed yet. *and my writing app looses my formatting when copying it to dis. really slow to try to type it in disboards.

Ran around like a chicken with its head cut off during the morning after not sleeping all night. *(anyone remember the "Im too excited to sleep" disney commercial? Its how I felt.). * Grabbed some last minute things we needed. Deodorant. *new socks for everyone. *breakfast. *paying bills that we can't pay online for whatever archaic reason. *last minute packing of important things like medicine. *and battery chargers

Ate lunch then fell asleep on the couch while waiting on it to be time to leave. *was woken up to screaming from DF (is that the right term for fiancé? *think it is. If not its what im using! ) of "LOOK! LOOK! ITS A STRETCH SUV LIMO!". Then rushing around to get everything in the limo so we can leave. *in my haste I packed the battery charger cable, but not the battery charger. *childs medicine was forgotten on the kitchen counter. Medical cards were left in the fireproof safe. * We realize what we did after we passes the halfway mark to the airport. *cue freaking out about it, *and some strongly worded calls to local pharmacy. It should not have been an issue as we were running low on the medicine anyways and put in a request for a refill last week. They screwed up and forgot to order the compounding mixer (the sweet suspension liquid, *rather than the nasty normal stuff. Pharmacy is awesome to child whenthey actually have the right stuff. So our new refill was not ready in time before we left. Called pharmacy to see if they could fax over the refill to one in Florida near where we are staying. *they do so and inform us our medical coverage will not cover the cost of the meds there. Proceed anyway. *we can't do without the meds. * We arrive at the airport flustered. The check in lady recognized our name as make a wish, *and helped us all throughout the airport. *(during security screening my bags were flagged by the xray operator. The supervisor saw me put my *wierd ecig into the container and asked if it was an advanced vaporizer or ecig or if it was a breathalyzer. Its an advanced vaporizer. ( I no longer smoke so I dont call it an ecig unless someone cant I seem to grasp the concept then I say advanced powerful ecig and they suddenly understand. ) and told the xray person its an ecig was told it looks nothing like what most they see look like. *I just smiled. *made it easier on someone else with the same thing from getting a second glance. * Then we were boarded first and child got to meet the pilot. Pilot offered to let child turn on the plane. *Child loved it. (he turned on the landing lights, and cabin lights). Pilot then offered to let him sit in co pilots chair for pictures. *have a few will post later. * Then while in air when they started selling snacks and drinks (allegent air, charge for everything it seems), the flight attendants all told us we could have anything we wanted. When we refused they served everyone else then brought us each one of almost everything. *Child loved it all. He only fussed a bit when we took away the electronic devices.

When we landed we were the first to get off because they had a surprise for Eli. 2 firemen were there to give him a badge for bravery. (I thought it was cute) and a picture of the plane we were in (not from when we landed... But still the same plane) having 2 fire trucks spray water over the plane causing rainbows. *then as we walked towards baggage claim we saw the firefighters get into truck to honk at him then drive off with lights going. * Then met with given kids the world volunteers to help us get our luggage, *and get our rental car. I guess originally we were to have a van. They were out of vans. We got a suv instead. It had some pickup and go power. Is keyless start. Has touchscreen controls for radio,heatt, pretty much everything. *was told that our gift from car rental wascwe will not need to refuel the car before returning. *was challenged to use all of the gas

and return with an empty tank. Nobody has been able to yet ibwas told. Lowest was 1/4 tank. * Got to hotel. *dropped off DF and her dad and sleeping child to check in while I parked. Got lost and laughed with security officer for being back 3x within 5 minutes. *Finally parked. Went inside to see where we were placed. Decent view of the castle from balcony. *but no stroller like maw said there would be. *spent an hour looking and walking back and forth to try to find the missing stroller. *left message with maw coordinator that we don't have it so they know. * Orientation tomorrow! And sea World.

 

[Topdogie01]

lets feed the fishies!

today we woke up early to get the forgotten medication. arrived at pharmacy on time to find out they did not make it because they did not note in the account that we agreed to pay for it without insurance (ours wont cover a refill out of state) so we agreed again in person. ~10 minutes later we have medication in hand. only missed on one dose, and hey look at that, its normal time for medication! woohoo. then a short detour to get child new sunglasses. he seemed to want to touch EVERY pair of glasses. and try on half before picking his pair.

then to give the kids the world for orientation. do orientation, find out I have been abandoned. thats ok. Ill just check us into the village and then call them. everyone has to be present to check in. darn. figure they went to eat, so I ask where it is and they give me meal card from check in envelope so I can get food. walk halfway to the gingerbread house, only to think I have walked too far. ask for directions and make my way there. get in and they swipe the meal card, then I ask about where a little blonde boy in a make a wish Illinois shirt is sitting to find my party (couldn't remember what anyone else was wearing lol. its good I can describe my child right?) and im lead to the table that was chosen. I get a plate of eggs and bacon and potatoes and a bowl of grits. the food is really good.

we leave the village and head to sea world. we check the dolphin feeding times and its close enough to be the first thing we do, and have time for a bathroom break. we make our way to the bathrooms and while child and DF are in the restroom I get a stroller as wheel chair tag for child. then to feed the dolphins we go.

once they start feeding the dolphins several paper baskets of fish are brought to us, and we show child how to do it. he seems to rather like to make them play fetch. the dolphins play and plot thier revenge. I pet a dolphin and give it a few fish then try to get child to pet it. His arms are too short. a trainer notices and has one come up on the ledge to be closer so child can pet. Child enjoys it, and then the dolphins have thier revenge. When child is waving bye the one who played fetch with child spits a small amount of water on child then I assume laughs and swims away.

we wash our hands and start wandering around. we see performers in costume heading to get ready for a show so we follow to watch. Child enjoyed the show and got really entranced in watching the dolphins do tricks.

then we decide to go eat veggie lasagna ( thought it had meat, didn't see it was vegetarian until it was too late. Chicken teriyaki, and fried chicken later we decide to head to the kids area for child to ride some rides. he went on the spinning cups style ride, and the swinging/rotating ship, then the kids roller coaster. he laughed the entire ride. gave a thumbs up at the end. crap. I have a roller coaster loving child.
Then we decide to head back to the village for dinner (yummy bbq ribs, as I didn't feel like the fish offering). then ice cream after dinner where child wants no ice cream, just bananas. he is odd. then back to the Grand Floridian for some rest and relaxation. get into our room right as the water parade is going on, so we watch that from our balcony. then child falls asleep and here I am typing this Almost asleep.

Tomorrow is Magic Kingdom, and childs special activity. the pirate makeover and parade. he likes Jake and the neverland pirates. it should be fun!

 

[FaithsWish]

Sounds like you guys had a great day at Sea World! That is on our "maybe" list. We will go if we have time on the day we fly out. We won't know for sure until we get our flight times.

 

[sdmjmom]

I love all the info you are giving! We leave in a few weeks, and were wondering if SeaWorld would be worth it or not. It sounds like it was for you all!