Another Wedding and More Photos

Our big event for October is another wedding, this time one of my cousins, Kelly, in Rhode Island.  In order to make the trip in one vehicle and to see how we liked one, we rented a wheelchair van.  It was an excellent experience, opening doors and deploying the ramp with buttons--very fun.  We had a very nice time, especially since my brother, Jason, and his family flew from California for the weekend.  We enjoyed the whole trip!  The vehicle itself was a bit noisy with some rattles and squeaks, but overall a good match for us.  We'll look into one for ourselves since Will is getting heavier and my shoulder isn't happy with that prospect.

Three generations of Dunham men.

Kelly (Robinson) Pray, the bride.

Grampy, Grammy, and Great Uncle Bob.

Will's cousins, Elliot and Blaise.

Uncle Jason and Aunt Felicia.

My cousins, Amy and Brian.

Bob, Kelly, Amy, and Brian.

Home from New England, Mom and Dad depart and we have a beautiful fall day to go to Tyler State Park to take some (okay, 70) family photos before we attend Crafts in the Meadow, a juried art fair at Tyler Park Center for the Arts.  A pet pig rescue organization is there and Will gets giggly at the feel of a piglet and the grunts it makes.  There was also a vendor selling silk scarves, each unique, made by or under the direction of the buyer.  Colored inks were dripped and squirted into long troughs of water where they floated.  Wires could then be drawn through the ink pools to create paisley patterns, flower shapes, and other abstractions.  Finally, the scarf is stretched taut above the trough and carefully lowered onto the surface, where is instantly absorbs the colors in the floating pattern.  The silk is pulled out and most of the water wiped off, leaving a one-of-a-kind wearable artwork.

Early Fall 2012

Our favorite season is autumn: the air is crisp, the colors are beautiful, the humidity is gone.  It's also a busy time of year, with all sorts of things happening.  We ended September with a visit from Ed Dacey, a friend from Fairfield University.  He was visiting Philadelphia with his sister and stopped to see us on his way home.  One week later, we participated in the Walk from Obesity, an annual public-awareness and fundraising campaign to help combat obesity.  Maggie runs the walk for Abington Memorial Hospital as part of her job.  Once the walk was done, we dashed home for a quick clothing change and went to the wedding of one her patients.  We decided to go to a local restaurant for dinner and then had a little fashion photo shoot at home since we get dressed-up so rarely these days.

Ready to walk at the Walk.

Home from the wedding.

Mom & Dad arrived on 2 October for a 16-day visit, the same day I have my first exam of my sore left shoulder.  I am referred to an orthopedist who sends me for an MRI exam (10 Oct.).  My follow-up with the orthopedist on the 22nd says that I have "impingement syndrome" and my shoulder is a "Type 2", which is more susceptible to the problem.  The solution is physical therapy and if that doesn't work, a cortisone injection.  I start on 25 October and want to go the recommended twice weekly, but the therapist's schedule and mine don't mesh that well, so it's a slow start.  Will's physical therapy is also on the increase, as he has his evaluation at Theraplay on 3 October and is recommended for twice weekly sessions, the same as his other two therapies.

In the meantime, the five of us attempt to participate in the annual BARC Walkathon on 7 October, a fundraiser for one of the agencies that helped Will before preschool.  Pouring rain dampens our enthusiasm, so after registering and getting our T-shirts, we splash our way along the walk route and abandon the event after a very short, very wet, and very chilly stroll.  The next day, one of the nurses at Will's school is working at the Lenape village exhibit at Churchville Nature Center.  We visit her and explore some of the native technology (gardening, fire starting, flint knapping, home construction) and Will participates in a dance.  Then on Monday, Maggie and I go to Easter Seals for Will's annual IEP meeting to assess his progress over the year and plan the coming 12 months.  It's a good collaboration among the various teachers, therapists, and ourselves.

Will with Patti, his school nurse.

Dancing at the Lenape village.

Will Becomes an Ambassador!

No, we're not moving to a foreign land to staff an embassy, nor have we declared our house a sovereign state and named Will Ambassador to the United States.  (Maggie, of course, would be President and Surgeon General, while I would be Chief of Staff, Librarian/Curator/Archivist, and Secretary of Everything.)  Rather, Easter Seals has an annual Walk with Me fundraising program and Will was nominated by the staff to be an Honorary Ambassador.  We accepted the nomination for him and met with regional Easter Seals staff to discuss the details and our first assignment: write a brief biographical sketch for him.  While the approval of his ambassadorship was assumed, we weren't sure for quite some time.  Duly sworn in, I am happy to announce that he'll be featured at two of the four Pennsylvania events.  First up is a 2-lap walk around the lower concourse of Montgomery Mall on Wednesday 1 May, starting at 5:00pm.  Second is a a walk on Saturday 1 June at the Philadelphia Zoo, with the festivities (including a 5-kilometer run) beginning at 7:30am.  For those wanting to walk with Team Will, the $25 registration/donation for each walk gets you a T-shirt, and those registering for the June walk also get admission to the zoo (which alone costs $20 for adults).  Friends can also make donations to Team Will without walking with us (busy in another part of the world, somehow infirm or incapacitated, allergic to zoos, etc.), if you are so inclined; Easter Seals will even mail you a T-shirt so you can pretend you were there.  Visit www.easterseals.com/goto/teamwillnw for Montgomery Mall and www.easterseals.com/goto/teamwillphilly for Philadelphia Zoo.  There you can read Will's bio, get more details about the walks, and register to join us or donate if you can.

Are There Zombies Here?

We started September fighting colds, so we missed going to Branford, Connecticut, for our usual Labor Day weekend party with friends from college.  Feeling better, Will had occupational therapy evaluation at Theraplay on Wednesday and Friday was the first day of preschool for the fall.

Which brings us to the post's title.  On Saturday 8 September we loaded our Subaru with what can only be laughingly called our overnight pack: the car is close to full!  To be honest, Will's wheelchair and special mattress take much of the space, so it looks like we're headed out for at least a week.  Back to the tale: first stop is a birthday party in Trooper for the son of one of Maggie's friends.  After a nice time and with a break in the rain, we fit ourselves back into the car and headed north to Pottsville, where Maggie's father was raised and where she spent some time.  We're spending the night there on our way to another birthday party, this time for Maggie's niece's younger daughter, Hannah.

We arrived in Pottsville just as dark was settling and with fog descending, it was eerie.  We found the hotel (not bad) and searched for a restaurant, but we saw very few places open, even fewer cars, and almost no people outside.  Maggie and Will went to the room to relax while I ventured out to buy pizza and drinks.  The feeling of ghost town or pending zombie attack was palpable.  We spent the rest of the night inside, sad that there was no pool, no restaurant to go to, and a limited selection of television stations.

Sunday brought sunshine and nice weather.  Maggie was eager to take me to a small cafe that she remembered, but alas, after around 40 years, we found that it had gone out of business only a couple of days before we arrived.  Disappointed, we drove around the town for a few minutes looking for the former Sheipe house; circumnavigating the county's small, ominous prison (built in 1851); and avoiding the running event taking place on the main street.  Safe from ghosts, zombies, prison escapees, and wayward racers, we left town and went to Hannah's birthday party near Northumberland and had a nice time, though Will melted a bit and we finally caved to his "demand" and headed home, just over three hours away.

It's mid-September and we've recovered from our Pottsville experience, so we tried the world of consignment shopping.  A veritable treasure trove of clothing, toys, and household goods were to be had and we happily collected a variety of things for Will to wear and play with.  Outfitted for the fall and winter for less than $100, we figured we would not have to spend much more on him until spring.

What I Did on My Summer Vacation, Part 2

August brought us a new responsibility.  With Cheryl and Greg relocated to Virginia, planning the annual Delaware River tubing trip fell to us.  I guess it's appropriate, since that's where Maggie and I were introduced.  It was a success, though not as well-attended as we'd hoped.  We also enjoyed the Peach Festival at Peddler's Village the next day.

The following weekend was a relaxing camping trip to Tohickon Valley Park, around 30 minutes from home.  We set-up our site, relaxed, and went to bed as it began to rain, only to find that the tent leaked.  As large as it is (four rooms!), there were so many leaks, we couldn't find a spot for our mattress that could avoid the drips and seemed to rain harder as the night went on.  We finally relented and accepted defeat, bundled the soundly-sleeping Will into his car seat, and departing around 1:30am, leaving everything in the tent.

Will loves camping.

After a comfortable, relaxing, and dry sleep in our own beds, we had a nice breakfast and returned to evaluate the damage.  Our mattress and blanket were wet and the site was a bit muddy, but since the skies were now clear, we hung the wet gear on ropes, lit a fire for ambience, and spent the afternoon reading in the sun and walking around the campground.  Will was in a great mood.  We reset the tent's interior with our now-dry gear, then Maggie cooked chicken with potatoes and onions in foil packs and we thoroughly enjoyed them before getting a full night's sleep.  I relit the fire in the morning and Maggie made eggs and bacon, which was simple and delicious.  We packed the car and headed home ready to face the coming week.

Bacon!

Maggie spent the last week of the month off, recovering from foot surgery (again).  The hardware installed in her foot was on a nerve and causing a lot of pain, so the doctor had to remove it.  In other medical news, Will had another seizure this month (the week before we camped), so he returned to the neurologist for an electroencephalogram and an exam.  Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but since Will continues to grow, his medicine dose (based on weight) seemed to be too low and was increased a tad.  Maggie was still limping a bit, but we closed the month with a trip to Radio City Music Hall to see Cirque du Soleil's Zarkana.  One of her sisters watched Will while we were gone and other than fighting traffic and tough parking, it was a very nice afternoon.

What I Did on My Summer Vacation, Part 1

We started July with a New Jersey day trip for the Coakley twins' birthday party.  We got there late, so almost everyone was gone, but we had an excellent visit regardless.  Two days later, I ventured to the Garden State again, this time to inspect a Scout camp's challenge course.  It was nice to go to a familiar place, even without any familiar faces.  I worked two summers at Brookville Scout Reservation, now called Citta Scout Reservation.  I wandered for a few minutes after completing my job and in return, found a deer tick on my calf the next day.  Maggie graciously removed it.

Our parade spot.

Then, to celebrate Independence Day, the heat arrived in force, but we were ready with red, white, and blue clothing and our shade from our car tarp.  We've established a tradition in attending the local parade, always in the same spot, just before the end of the route, at the last performance zone.  We park a car, set the tarp, relax in camp chairs, and have lunch as the marchers and vehicles go by.  Will got a bit toasty, but we got him wet and kept him cool-ish.

Will's new wet-look hairdo, good for keeping cool while looking hip.

We continued celebrating with three parties on the weekend and an overnight stay at a local bed and breakfast, the Salem Creekside Inn.  We were the only patrons, the owner was very nice, and we had a nice, short vacation from home.

The following weekend we went to the Rube Goldberg Challenge at Peddler's Village.  It was tough to see the machines' demonstrations due to the crowds, but I watched the official Peddler's Village machine in action on-line.  We met a family that operates a camp for special needs children.

But enough about Will just tagging along (though he doesn't have a choice!).  On 24 July, Will began a new chapter in his development with his first speech/feeding evaluation at Theraplay, a private therapy company.  It was a little daunting being there without Maggie, but I think I answered everything acceptably.  We're still waiting for evaluations for physical and occupational therapy, but he'll start feeding therapy in August.  Two days later, I had two meetings at Easter Seals, the first to learn about iPad apps that might be good for Will.  The second was a short training session on cortical visual impairment (CVI) for the staff.  It was presented by Will's feeding therapist's intern and I was invited me to attend.

We finished the month with a visit to Pittsburgh for Will's CVI exam.  We planned the trip to be longer than our previous ones so we could enjoy Pittsburgh for more than just one of our favorite doctor visits (and it was a good one: Will's vision continues to improve and she mentioned that she'd like to use his picture on the cover of her next book!).  We had a nice time and found Boyce Park (named for a founder of the Boy Scouts of America) near our hotel first visiting Carpenter Log House, a local historic cabin, with an Eagle Scout service project outside and a costumed guide inside.  He was very good, friendly, and took us (we were the only visitors) to the upstairs sleeping room that most people don't get to see.  We drove to see other parts of the park (snow sports area, wave pool, model airplane field, water filtration experiment ponds, arboretum) and had hoped for a guided walk at the Nature Center, but the staff was gone for the day.  The drive home was longer than usual since we left the Pennsylvania Turnpike, but it was scenic and we stayed at a hotel next to a Gander Mountain store (outdoor gear) where Maggie found a nice pair of expensive shoes that weren't expensive.

In use until the 1950s.

Water bottle not part of costume!

California, Here We Come!

Unintentional "thumbs-up" after eye surgery.

Will started June 2012 with a hospital visit.  No, not an injury or sickness, but rather one of his lenses showed some regrowth of cataract cells and so he needed a cleaning.  He did very well and the other eye was fine, though the doctor will continue to monitor both.  No time out of school and less than two weeks later, he had a nice time at the school's annual carnival.

Making a silly face at the Easter Seals carnival.

Will, Maggie, & Wendi at the Pacific Ocean.

The second half of the month was spent on a big trip to California.  First we went to San Diego for Maggie's annual bariatric conference.  We had nice weather, enjoyed walks and dining, and even had excellent pizza at a place featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, & Dives.  At the end of the week we rented a car and drove north to Anaheim for my annual library conference.  We dined with Christina the first night, lunched with the Fairfield University crew on Sunday, and visited Maggie's friend Wendi (and her family) that afternoon in Redondo Beach.  We relaxed in the hotel pool before putting Will to bed.  He would laugh hysterically every time the gate clanged shut.  It's always a pleasure when we find the noise that makes him laugh; it's difficult since it changes all the time.

Cute Mommy.

Silly Daddy.

Where's Will?

The final day of the conference we shopped at the exhibits until they closed, then walked across the street to the adventure that is Disneyland.  We got tickets thanks to my friend Margaret in Florida who works for the Mouse.  Will's first visit to the park was a success.  We all tried on hats and Will met Cinderella before the parade, plus fellow redhead Peter Pan stopped during it to greet him.  Next was "It's a Small World," riding his own private boat!  The staff even asked if we wanted to go again since no one else needed the boat, but we had a dinner date awaiting us and untold minutes of the endlessly-repeating theme song was enough (I still hear it in my head sometimes!).  We dined with Tom, another friend employed by Disney, and recounted our lives since last we met (quite a few years ago).

Will meets Cinderella.

Peter Pan meets Will.

Floating in a Small World.

Watching the Small World go by.

Posing with Tom after dinner.

Will singing with Mickey.

After the meal, Tom had to return to work and we were off to meet Mickey himself.  He was a most gracious host in his house and Will led a group of visitors in.  Mickey posed for a number of photos with us, then we headed to try "Peter Pan's Flight."  Will didn't seem to notice anything in the dark ride, but he wasn't upset as he rode between us.  By then it was getting dark outside, too, so we headed back to the hotel with the nightly fireworks booming in the background.

Sleeping Beauty's Castle before the fireworks.

Tuesday morning we headed home via John Wayne airport, where the TSA security staff and the United Airlines gate staff were incompetent.  They deserve to retrained and reprimanded.  The flight crew even commented on how badly the gate agent acted, trying to call for the first passengers to board while ignoring Will in his bright red wheelchair and us with all his accoutrements (diaper pack, feeding pump pack, medicine bag, wheelchair tray, car seat, etc.), not to mention our carry-on baggage as we waited for preboarding directly in front of her.  To add insult to injury, our flight arrived late and after waiting 15 minutes for Will's wheelchair to be brought to the gate, we found that no one had called our connecting flight to tell them and it left without us.  We were delayed for around three hours and we requested they book us on a US Air flight.  Of course, that meant changing terminals and we insisted that the United staff get us to the flight without leaving the secure zone to avoid an additional TSA screen.  We also got food vouchers worth $30, but that was small compensation for all we'd been through.

An unpleasant end to an otherwise excellent trip.