Anthony's Wish Trip
These are the pictures featured in the article. The online version only shows one of these four.
11 years ago
Showing posts with label wish trip. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wish trip. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Super Star
The story about Anthony's Wish Trip to Washington, DC is in our local paper today! The link below should take you to the story!!
Anthony's Wish Trip
These are the pictures featured in the article. The online version only shows one of these four.
Anthony's Wish Trip
These are the pictures featured in the article. The online version only shows one of these four.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Boooooring
So this blog has got to be the most boring place on earth to visit. Especially these little (slightly whiny) "Thankful" posts. Yaaawn!
I'm just not going to continue with the "Thankful" challenge. No one from that blog even comes here, I'm sure. I've probably got, oh, three people who read this blog (Hi, Mom! Hi, Margaret! Hi, Grammy!), and they're probably even bored with me.
Instead, I'm going to publicly berate myself. That oughta be fun, right?
OK. So here's the deal. I am the worst "Thank You" note writer. I have all these good intentions, but when it comes down to writing the actual "Thank You", I freeze. What am I supposed to say? If someone sends me a gift, I want to let them know I appreciate their thoughtfulness (AND the gift), but I hate just writing, "It was so thoughtful of you to send me *insert gift here*. I really appreciate it!" BLECH. Can anyone say GENERIC?
I am just not an eloquent person. I want to be! I really do.
So now I am faced with the task of thanking the many people who made Anthony's Wish Trip to Washington, DC so amazing. No, I have not written my "Thank You's" yet! I know! Embarrassing!! I have so much I want to say, so many people I want to say it to, but I just am having a hard time writing it down without it sounding disgustingly generic. And I CANNOT be generic with these "Thank You's"! I even have gifts - at my house, waiting to be sent out - to go with these "Thank You's".
The excuse I'm allowing myself to use is that we have just been pedal-to-the-metal busy since coming home from DC. Every weekend has been slammed with things to do, and this weekend is no different. Except that I'm sitting here blogging at 5:00am on Saturday instead of sitting at the kitchen table writing the "Thank You's".
I'm going to get to it, no doubt. Everyone will get their "Thank You's" and gifts. I just hope it'll be sometime before I fossilize.
I'm just not going to continue with the "Thankful" challenge. No one from that blog even comes here, I'm sure. I've probably got, oh, three people who read this blog (Hi, Mom! Hi, Margaret! Hi, Grammy!), and they're probably even bored with me.
Instead, I'm going to publicly berate myself. That oughta be fun, right?
OK. So here's the deal. I am the worst "Thank You" note writer. I have all these good intentions, but when it comes down to writing the actual "Thank You", I freeze. What am I supposed to say? If someone sends me a gift, I want to let them know I appreciate their thoughtfulness (AND the gift), but I hate just writing, "It was so thoughtful of you to send me *insert gift here*. I really appreciate it!" BLECH. Can anyone say GENERIC?
I am just not an eloquent person. I want to be! I really do.
So now I am faced with the task of thanking the many people who made Anthony's Wish Trip to Washington, DC so amazing. No, I have not written my "Thank You's" yet! I know! Embarrassing!! I have so much I want to say, so many people I want to say it to, but I just am having a hard time writing it down without it sounding disgustingly generic. And I CANNOT be generic with these "Thank You's"! I even have gifts - at my house, waiting to be sent out - to go with these "Thank You's".
The excuse I'm allowing myself to use is that we have just been pedal-to-the-metal busy since coming home from DC. Every weekend has been slammed with things to do, and this weekend is no different. Except that I'm sitting here blogging at 5:00am on Saturday instead of sitting at the kitchen table writing the "Thank You's".
I'm going to get to it, no doubt. Everyone will get their "Thank You's" and gifts. I just hope it'll be sometime before I fossilize.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Morton's of Chicago
Friday night we ate at Morton's of Chicago in DC. It was cold and rainy outside, and it was delightfully warm in the restaurant. We checked our coats, bags, booksacks, scarves, gloves...we had a lot of STUFF with us!
We sat at a round table, back in the corner where we could see all of the restaurant (but, thankfully, where my boys wouldn't be able to bother the other patrons).
Quick aside: this trip was provided for Mark, Anthony, Benjamin and me by Kids Wish Network. My parents and Mark's parents joined us on their own dime. Mark called before we left Baton Rouge to speak to the manager at Morton's to ask if our families could join us, as long as they paid for themselves. The manager, Kate, said, "Absolutely not. Your family will join you, and the entire bill will be taken care of." And not only was the entire bill taken care of, our reception at Morton's was beautiful. Anthony was treated like a celebrity. Our waiter told Anthony that his own son's name is Anthony. The waiter also brought to the table dinosaur coloring pages he had found and a pack of crayons for each of the boys.
Our waiters came to show us our menu - and by show, I mean, rolled a cart over with all of our steak, lobster, and vegetable options. It was a beautiful display! We weren't even able to take it all in (I was very grateful that they provided written menus)! The lobster was beautiful (and huge), but we all agreed that you just can't order lobster at a steak restaurant - especially one famous for their steaks.
We all got appetizers; mine were four Oysters Rockefeller served on a bed of sea salt. Mark got jumbo shrimp, but I don't remember what the parents ordered. Anthony and Benjamin's filet mignon came out early, and they ate almost the entire thing between them!
I don't remember what everyone had, but I think most of us had filet mignon (I got the filet mignon special that was bone-in and perfectly cooked to medium rare). I do know that my dad got a Cajun filet (in DC!) and it was really well-seasoned.
Dessert almost needs its own post. Mark, my parents, and his dad each got the chocolate lava cake, Mark's mom got Creme Brulee and I got the New York style cheesecake. I should have gotten the chocolate lava cake. Don't get me wrong; the cheesecake was delicious, but I had severe chocolate envy when I saw that cake.
After dinner, Anthony, Mark and the grandfathers got a tour of the kitchens and got to meet our chef and the rest of the staff. Mark said that the kitchen staff were all very kind to Anthony and were glad to meet "the special little boy" that they had all heard so much about. He got his own chef's hat and proudly wore it at the table.
I wish that I could thank the folks from Morton's again. I only said it 100 times that night; I think they should hear it at least that many times more. Anthony had a blast and enjoyed all of the attention!!
We sat at a round table, back in the corner where we could see all of the restaurant (but, thankfully, where my boys wouldn't be able to bother the other patrons).
Quick aside: this trip was provided for Mark, Anthony, Benjamin and me by Kids Wish Network. My parents and Mark's parents joined us on their own dime. Mark called before we left Baton Rouge to speak to the manager at Morton's to ask if our families could join us, as long as they paid for themselves. The manager, Kate, said, "Absolutely not. Your family will join you, and the entire bill will be taken care of." And not only was the entire bill taken care of, our reception at Morton's was beautiful. Anthony was treated like a celebrity. Our waiter told Anthony that his own son's name is Anthony. The waiter also brought to the table dinosaur coloring pages he had found and a pack of crayons for each of the boys.
Our waiters came to show us our menu - and by show, I mean, rolled a cart over with all of our steak, lobster, and vegetable options. It was a beautiful display! We weren't even able to take it all in (I was very grateful that they provided written menus)! The lobster was beautiful (and huge), but we all agreed that you just can't order lobster at a steak restaurant - especially one famous for their steaks.
We all got appetizers; mine were four Oysters Rockefeller served on a bed of sea salt. Mark got jumbo shrimp, but I don't remember what the parents ordered. Anthony and Benjamin's filet mignon came out early, and they ate almost the entire thing between them!
I don't remember what everyone had, but I think most of us had filet mignon (I got the filet mignon special that was bone-in and perfectly cooked to medium rare). I do know that my dad got a Cajun filet (in DC!) and it was really well-seasoned.
Dessert almost needs its own post. Mark, my parents, and his dad each got the chocolate lava cake, Mark's mom got Creme Brulee and I got the New York style cheesecake. I should have gotten the chocolate lava cake. Don't get me wrong; the cheesecake was delicious, but I had severe chocolate envy when I saw that cake.
After dinner, Anthony, Mark and the grandfathers got a tour of the kitchens and got to meet our chef and the rest of the staff. Mark said that the kitchen staff were all very kind to Anthony and were glad to meet "the special little boy" that they had all heard so much about. He got his own chef's hat and proudly wore it at the table.
I wish that I could thank the folks from Morton's again. I only said it 100 times that night; I think they should hear it at least that many times more. Anthony had a blast and enjoyed all of the attention!!
Friday, October 23, 2009
Chef Geoff's
After we arrived at our hotel in DC on Thursday, October 15, Mark, Anthony and I hopped on the Metro to head to Chef Geoff's downtown. It's three blocks from the White House, but it was too late to do any sight seeing! We didn't even arrive at the restaurant until 9:30-ish.
Anthony was excited because they had spaghetti on the menu; the waiter brought it out as quickly as possible and Anthony ate and ate. The meatballs were awesome; they were made out of Italian sausage and were pretty big! The pasta was penne, which is one of Anthony's favorite "shape spaghettis" (as he calls it). And the fact that there was freshly grated Parmesan cheese to add on top was just the icing on the cake. They had his favorite dinner down PAT!
Mark and I both ordered the filet; he had Yukon mashed potatoes and I had garlic spinach. By the time our food came, Anthony had eaten and fallen asleep in my lap. He was so tired from the crazy day of travel, and it was already 10:00!
We ordered dessert to go - I got two small pumpkin cakes with mascarpone cheese in the middle with a caramel sauce; Mark got a fudge brownie with ice cream and caramel sauce.
As we were leaving, our waiter handed us a signed menu from Chef Geoff. He wasn't at the restaurant that night, but he had signed a menu for Anthony ahead of time.
A quick cab ride back to the hotel, and we were all tucked in for the night, ready for our trip to see the dinos the next day.
Dinner was quick, but it was delicious. I would definitely eat there again (and again).
Anthony was excited because they had spaghetti on the menu; the waiter brought it out as quickly as possible and Anthony ate and ate. The meatballs were awesome; they were made out of Italian sausage and were pretty big! The pasta was penne, which is one of Anthony's favorite "shape spaghettis" (as he calls it). And the fact that there was freshly grated Parmesan cheese to add on top was just the icing on the cake. They had his favorite dinner down PAT!
Mark and I both ordered the filet; he had Yukon mashed potatoes and I had garlic spinach. By the time our food came, Anthony had eaten and fallen asleep in my lap. He was so tired from the crazy day of travel, and it was already 10:00!
We ordered dessert to go - I got two small pumpkin cakes with mascarpone cheese in the middle with a caramel sauce; Mark got a fudge brownie with ice cream and caramel sauce.
As we were leaving, our waiter handed us a signed menu from Chef Geoff. He wasn't at the restaurant that night, but he had signed a menu for Anthony ahead of time.
A quick cab ride back to the hotel, and we were all tucked in for the night, ready for our trip to see the dinos the next day.
Dinner was quick, but it was delicious. I would definitely eat there again (and again).
Thursday, October 22, 2009
The Smithsonian - Dinosaur Exhibit
Friday morning, October 16, we arrived at the Natural History Museum at 9:00. We were met there by our two "tour guides". I use "tour guides" loosely, because the two gentlemen who guided us through the dinosaur exhibit are VIPs at the Smithsonian. Jerry Sachs is the Special Assistant to the Director and Head of NMNH Business Ventures (as best I can ascertain) and Matt Carrano is the Curator of Dinosauria. So we didn't just get a couple of high school volunteers to guide us!
We spent about an hour going through the dinosaur exhibit before it opened to the public. Anthony got to see every fossil (or cast of a fossil) up close and he got to really take his time looking at each one. He asked a lot of good questions, according to the paleontologist. I wouldn't know; I don't know much about dinosaurs, except that the T-Rex was huge, the Triceratops had three horns and the Ankylosaurus had a clubbed tail. Anthony stayed "on task" better than I have ever seen him do before. He was so interested in everything the paleontologist had to say and really listened when Matt talked to him.
From there, we went behind the scenes to where the museum keeps the fossils that are not on display. Anthony got to hold a T-Rex tooth, Woolly Mammoth hair (fur?), Saber Tooth Tiger teeth, dinosaur dung, and a few other things. We also saw a preserved "steak" from a Woolly Mammoth. The paleontologist even said that some people have eaten Woolly Mammoth steaks since they've been perfectly preserved in ice! He said that he's not tried it, and that from what he understands, there's almost no tasted so the only point in eating it is to say that you've done so.
After that we moved on to the paleontology lab. Anthony got to meet other paleontologists, paleobiologists, and excavators. He got to hold a few of the tools they use for excavation purposes and (I think) he got to chip at a little of the rock holding a bone "captive". He got to play in the sand that is used to hold the bones in place while the paleontologists try to put the puzzle together before they begin to glue pieces together. We saw fossils preserved in sediment (trilobites, I think) and then moved on to a large room where they are putting together another dinosaur (I called it an Allosaurus, Anthony corrected me and said it's a Camptosaurus. Please excuse my error). I was truly interested here; the paleontologist showed me where this animal most likely suffered from an infection of the bone, and that it may likley have been what killed that dinosaur. Finally, we were on my level. Osteomyelitis I can understand! :)
From there we wandered back to the dinosaur exhibit. It was crowded now with people, but Matt still answered a few more of Anthony's questions and gave us his undivided attention. He suffered willingly through more pictures, too!
This visit alone made the entire trip worth it. To see Anthony's face when he was deep in discussion with the paleontologist was priceless. He looked like a little man. And I'm so proud of him because he truly held his own in the discussion. This was undoubtedly a dream come true for Anthony - and for ME!
We spent about an hour going through the dinosaur exhibit before it opened to the public. Anthony got to see every fossil (or cast of a fossil) up close and he got to really take his time looking at each one. He asked a lot of good questions, according to the paleontologist. I wouldn't know; I don't know much about dinosaurs, except that the T-Rex was huge, the Triceratops had three horns and the Ankylosaurus had a clubbed tail. Anthony stayed "on task" better than I have ever seen him do before. He was so interested in everything the paleontologist had to say and really listened when Matt talked to him.
From there, we went behind the scenes to where the museum keeps the fossils that are not on display. Anthony got to hold a T-Rex tooth, Woolly Mammoth hair (fur?), Saber Tooth Tiger teeth, dinosaur dung, and a few other things. We also saw a preserved "steak" from a Woolly Mammoth. The paleontologist even said that some people have eaten Woolly Mammoth steaks since they've been perfectly preserved in ice! He said that he's not tried it, and that from what he understands, there's almost no tasted so the only point in eating it is to say that you've done so.
After that we moved on to the paleontology lab. Anthony got to meet other paleontologists, paleobiologists, and excavators. He got to hold a few of the tools they use for excavation purposes and (I think) he got to chip at a little of the rock holding a bone "captive". He got to play in the sand that is used to hold the bones in place while the paleontologists try to put the puzzle together before they begin to glue pieces together. We saw fossils preserved in sediment (trilobites, I think) and then moved on to a large room where they are putting together another dinosaur (I called it an Allosaurus, Anthony corrected me and said it's a Camptosaurus. Please excuse my error). I was truly interested here; the paleontologist showed me where this animal most likely suffered from an infection of the bone, and that it may likley have been what killed that dinosaur. Finally, we were on my level. Osteomyelitis I can understand! :)
From there we wandered back to the dinosaur exhibit. It was crowded now with people, but Matt still answered a few more of Anthony's questions and gave us his undivided attention. He suffered willingly through more pictures, too!
This visit alone made the entire trip worth it. To see Anthony's face when he was deep in discussion with the paleontologist was priceless. He looked like a little man. And I'm so proud of him because he truly held his own in the discussion. This was undoubtedly a dream come true for Anthony - and for ME!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Anthony's Kids Wish Network Trip
I cannot even begin to express how amazing and wonderful a time we had in Washington, DC. Everyone we met was so excited to meet Anthony and knew a lot of his history. There is so much I want to tell everyone, so much I want to write down. I think for right now I'll just post pictures and then add information as the days go on. This post would be far too long with words and pictures. I'll put captions to the pictures, but will write more on each subject later.
I will say this: as I stood in the Smithsonian at the dinosaur exhibit, I couldn't help but let myself have a little cry. Anthony is here. Anthony is healthy. Anthony is amazing. All of that could have been taken from me, and I will never forget that.
October 16 Pictures:
With the Curator of Dinosauria, Matt
Checking out the club from the end of the tail of an Ankylosaurus
Woolly Mammoth hair
Saber Tooth Tiger tooth
Dino dung!
In the paleontology lab
Checking out the head of an Allosaurus
At the Metro entrance by our hotel
Dinner was at Morton's of Chicago, and it was delicious (nobody had the lobster, though)!
Nana and Grandpa
Maw Maw and Paw Paw
Mark and Laurie
The grandfathers with Anthony
Anthony and Benjamin
October 17 Pictures
The whole fam-damily
With Susan
Anthony and Amelia
I will say this: as I stood in the Smithsonian at the dinosaur exhibit, I couldn't help but let myself have a little cry. Anthony is here. Anthony is healthy. Anthony is amazing. All of that could have been taken from me, and I will never forget that.
October 16 Pictures:
With the Curator of Dinosauria, Matt
Checking out the club from the end of the tail of an Ankylosaurus
Woolly Mammoth hair
Saber Tooth Tiger tooth
Dino dung!
In the paleontology lab
Checking out the head of an Allosaurus
At the Metro entrance by our hotel
Dinner was at Morton's of Chicago, and it was delicious (nobody had the lobster, though)!
Nana and Grandpa
Maw Maw and Paw Paw
Mark and Laurie
The grandfathers with Anthony
Anthony and Benjamin
October 17 Pictures
The whole fam-damily
With Susan
Anthony and Amelia
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Back from DC
We had an amazing time. I have tons of pictures to wade through, and amazing stories to sit and write. I still can't believe we've been there and come back...the anticipation leading up to our trip was longer than the trip...and the trip was AWE.SOME.
Hang tight; I'll post pictures soon!!
Hang tight; I'll post pictures soon!!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Washington, DC
Tomorrow Mark, Anthony, Benjamin and I head to Washington, DC for Anthony's wish trip through Kids Wish Network. Nana, Grandpa, Maw Maw and Paw Paw will join us there, too!
I want to lay out our itinerary here, so that you can follow along on our trip. There will be lots of links for you to click on and see what we'll be up to! As I can, I'll post pictures, too. It's going to be a whirlwind trip, so I may not get a chance to blog until our return on Sunday.
We will fly from the New Orleans airport to Atlanta and then connect to DC. There, a limousine will be waiting to take us to the Marriott Wyndham hotel. We will check in and immediately hand Ben over to the grandparents so that Mark, Anthony and I can dine (at 8:00pm!) at Chef Geoff's Downtown.
Friday morning, we head to the Smithsonian for a tour of the dinosaur bones! I believe it will be a private tour; hopefully Anthony will get to meet a paleontologist. We'll spend the morning there (and search the museum over for pieces to make a dinosaur costume for Halloween).
After lunch somewhere, we'll head to the National Zoo for a private tour. We were asked if Anthony prefers "big, furry animals" or reptiles. Of course I said, "Big, furry animals"! So there must be something special going on there.
Friday we will all eat at Morton's of Chicago (which Anthony finds hilarious since we'll be in Washington, DC and NOT in Chicago).
Saturday morning we will get a private tour of the Air and Space Museum. If no dino costume was procured Friday, I'm hoping to convince Anthony he wants to be an astronaut or pilot. That should be easy to make, right?
Saturday afternoon is free and we're hoping to spend it with a couple we met in January at our friends Chris and Alissa's wedding. Susan and Peter have a young daughter, and they live in the DC area. We're hoping they can help us do something fun - even if it's just hanging out!
Saturday night's dining adventure is at Bluepoint Restaurant. Since our party is large, the manager has arranged for us to have a private dining room with a large, flat screen TV to entertain the kids. The itinerary says that the chef has "something special set up for Anthony". I can't wait to see what it is!!
Sunday morning another limousine will arrive at the hotel to bring us back to the airport.
I am so excited about this trip! I can't thank Vanessa, our Wish Coordinator at Kids Wish Network enough for her involvement and hard work. This has been a beautiful experience so far, and I know it's going to be even more special once we're in DC. If you are looking for a place to give a charitable donation, Kids Wish Network would be a great one!
Stay tuned for pictures!
I want to lay out our itinerary here, so that you can follow along on our trip. There will be lots of links for you to click on and see what we'll be up to! As I can, I'll post pictures, too. It's going to be a whirlwind trip, so I may not get a chance to blog until our return on Sunday.
We will fly from the New Orleans airport to Atlanta and then connect to DC. There, a limousine will be waiting to take us to the Marriott Wyndham hotel. We will check in and immediately hand Ben over to the grandparents so that Mark, Anthony and I can dine (at 8:00pm!) at Chef Geoff's Downtown.
Friday morning, we head to the Smithsonian for a tour of the dinosaur bones! I believe it will be a private tour; hopefully Anthony will get to meet a paleontologist. We'll spend the morning there (and search the museum over for pieces to make a dinosaur costume for Halloween).
After lunch somewhere, we'll head to the National Zoo for a private tour. We were asked if Anthony prefers "big, furry animals" or reptiles. Of course I said, "Big, furry animals"! So there must be something special going on there.
Friday we will all eat at Morton's of Chicago (which Anthony finds hilarious since we'll be in Washington, DC and NOT in Chicago).
Saturday morning we will get a private tour of the Air and Space Museum. If no dino costume was procured Friday, I'm hoping to convince Anthony he wants to be an astronaut or pilot. That should be easy to make, right?
Saturday afternoon is free and we're hoping to spend it with a couple we met in January at our friends Chris and Alissa's wedding. Susan and Peter have a young daughter, and they live in the DC area. We're hoping they can help us do something fun - even if it's just hanging out!
Saturday night's dining adventure is at Bluepoint Restaurant. Since our party is large, the manager has arranged for us to have a private dining room with a large, flat screen TV to entertain the kids. The itinerary says that the chef has "something special set up for Anthony". I can't wait to see what it is!!
Sunday morning another limousine will arrive at the hotel to bring us back to the airport.
I am so excited about this trip! I can't thank Vanessa, our Wish Coordinator at Kids Wish Network enough for her involvement and hard work. This has been a beautiful experience so far, and I know it's going to be even more special once we're in DC. If you are looking for a place to give a charitable donation, Kids Wish Network would be a great one!
Stay tuned for pictures!
Saturday, October 03, 2009
Walking with Dinosaurs
Anthony, Mark, Mimi and I went to Walking with Dinosaurs last night! When we first got to our seats, Anthony did this huge FREAK OUT where he was yelling, kicking and screaming that he was scared, wanted to go home, didn't get enough sleep at nap time and was tired, on and on and on...it was pretty amazing (and seriously annoying). A little tough love later (Mama's going to stay and watch, and so you can't leave. You can sit on Mama's lap and cover your eyes and ears, but we're staying.), and he calmed down, was ready to talk about all the dinosaurs we were going to see and was talking about all of the pictures in the program we had bought for him.
Then the dinosaurs came out. And he was, literally, enthralled. He sat on my lap for some of the show, but mostly he bounced around in his own seat and waved at the dinosaurs as they passed our seats.
Oh, and the seats? Totally awesome. Our original seats were a little higher up, but the lighting, sound and film crew needed the higher vantage point, so our seats were moved down a level. When the T-Rex came to our side of the arena and roared, you could almost smell her breath. :)
All of the pictures I have were taken with my iPhone camera. I have no flash or zoom, so they quality is lacking a little. But remember: NO ZOOM, so the dinos you see are just as we saw them!
Sporting his new dinosaur T-shirt
Showing off his program (the pictures in this program are GORGEOUS).
As the "paleontologist" talked about how lush one of the periods was, the greenery popped out of the center rock and all along the sides. When he talked about how hot the next period was, the plants slowly wilted. It was so neat how they did these effects.
Two Apatosuaruses (Apatosauri?): Mama and baby
Three Utahraptors
Anthony sat, wide-eyed, throughout most of the program.
Ankylosaurus (the best-armored dinosaur ever)
Mama T-rex does not like the Torosaurus picking on her baby T-rex.
I wish this wasn't blurry, but the T-rex came to roar at us, and this was exactly how close she was. Anthony (and Mimi) jumped! Literally, our seats shook! And as the Mama T-rex roared, her baby would "meow" right behind her. It was so funny.
As the "paleontologist" tells you about the big meteor heading to earth at 20 miles per second, you see Mama T-rex and her baby snuggling in the background.
The meteor is hitting!
I'm so glad that we were able to go, and that Anthony was able to calm down to stick it out. But mostly I'm glad that Anthony was well enough to go!
He has missed this entire past week at school because he's been sick. I received a call from the school on Monday morning around 9:30 that Anthony was running "a little temperature". I got him home and his temperature was 102! I took him to the pediatrician on Tuesday and he was diagnosed with the flu (rapid flu test was positive, it wasn't just a random diagnosis) and the pediatrician suspected that he had pneumonia. So scripts for Tamiflu and Zithromax were prescribed, along with a lot of rest. Anthony was fever-free by Tuesday, but his white blood cell count was pretty low and I was nervous about sending him back to school when his infection-fighting ability was low. We got the all-clear to go to the dinosaur show, and Anthony will return to school on Monday.
You wouldn't know he had been sick, except for the nasty cough that he's still occasionally sporting. We're going to skip his soccer game this morning so that his running is kept to a minimum (can't keep this kid down for long). I'm just glad this is over and he's healthy again!
Anthony, Nana and Grandpa will go back to the dinosaur show tonight. We were given four tickets by the RiverCenter as part of his wish trip with Kids Wish Network.
Speaking of his wish trip, we will head to Washington, DC mid-October. Be sure that pictures will accompany that trip!
Then the dinosaurs came out. And he was, literally, enthralled. He sat on my lap for some of the show, but mostly he bounced around in his own seat and waved at the dinosaurs as they passed our seats.
Oh, and the seats? Totally awesome. Our original seats were a little higher up, but the lighting, sound and film crew needed the higher vantage point, so our seats were moved down a level. When the T-Rex came to our side of the arena and roared, you could almost smell her breath. :)
All of the pictures I have were taken with my iPhone camera. I have no flash or zoom, so they quality is lacking a little. But remember: NO ZOOM, so the dinos you see are just as we saw them!
Showing off his program (the pictures in this program are GORGEOUS).
As the "paleontologist" talked about how lush one of the periods was, the greenery popped out of the center rock and all along the sides. When he talked about how hot the next period was, the plants slowly wilted. It was so neat how they did these effects.
Two Apatosuaruses (Apatosauri?): Mama and baby
Three Utahraptors
Anthony sat, wide-eyed, throughout most of the program.
Ankylosaurus (the best-armored dinosaur ever)
Mama T-rex does not like the Torosaurus picking on her baby T-rex.
I wish this wasn't blurry, but the T-rex came to roar at us, and this was exactly how close she was. Anthony (and Mimi) jumped! Literally, our seats shook! And as the Mama T-rex roared, her baby would "meow" right behind her. It was so funny.
As the "paleontologist" tells you about the big meteor heading to earth at 20 miles per second, you see Mama T-rex and her baby snuggling in the background.
The meteor is hitting!
I'm so glad that we were able to go, and that Anthony was able to calm down to stick it out. But mostly I'm glad that Anthony was well enough to go!
He has missed this entire past week at school because he's been sick. I received a call from the school on Monday morning around 9:30 that Anthony was running "a little temperature". I got him home and his temperature was 102! I took him to the pediatrician on Tuesday and he was diagnosed with the flu (rapid flu test was positive, it wasn't just a random diagnosis) and the pediatrician suspected that he had pneumonia. So scripts for Tamiflu and Zithromax were prescribed, along with a lot of rest. Anthony was fever-free by Tuesday, but his white blood cell count was pretty low and I was nervous about sending him back to school when his infection-fighting ability was low. We got the all-clear to go to the dinosaur show, and Anthony will return to school on Monday.
You wouldn't know he had been sick, except for the nasty cough that he's still occasionally sporting. We're going to skip his soccer game this morning so that his running is kept to a minimum (can't keep this kid down for long). I'm just glad this is over and he's healthy again!
Anthony, Nana and Grandpa will go back to the dinosaur show tonight. We were given four tickets by the RiverCenter as part of his wish trip with Kids Wish Network.
Speaking of his wish trip, we will head to Washington, DC mid-October. Be sure that pictures will accompany that trip!
Thursday, August 06, 2009
Kids Wish Network
I received a call yesterday from a coordinator at Kids Wish Network telling me that Anthony will have a wish granted. This organization is similar to Make-a-Wish, but I have heard more complimentary things about Kids Wish than Make-a-Wish. I nominated Anthony for a wish a few months ago, when our transplant hospital reminded me that now is a pretty good time for him to wish for something - he's still young enough for it to be magical, but old enough to enjoy the wish and understand why he's getting a wish.
And for those of you who don't get it, here it is: these organizations are not just for kids who have terminal illnesses. And Anthony did have a life-threatening illness and transplant isn't a "cure" per se, but rather trading one set of medical issues for another. Granted, the set of medical issues we traded pre-transplant were much more serious than the issues post-transplant! These organizations are here to recognize children that have been through more than a "normal" child has; they want to let the child know that they understand that they have been brave and that someone is proud of them (someone other than family - and it's always nice to be recognized like that!).
So, on to Anthony's wish. When I was filling out our portion of the paper work, the organization asked me to list three things that Anthony would wish for. I talked to him about it, over and over, and he always came back with, "I want to see dinosaur bones." So we put that as number 1, and listed a trip to Disney World and a fort for the backyard as numbers 2 and 3.
When I spoke with our wish coordinator yesterday, she asked me to give her 5 adjectives that describe Anthony. In no particular order, I told her: energetic, talkative, excitable, loving, and talkative. She spoke with Anthony to ask him about some of his favorite things, and then asked him, "If you go anywhere, to do anything, what would you do?"
His answer?
"I would go back to the time of dinosaurs to live with them."
Coordinator: "Wow! How would you do that?"
Anthony: "I'd build a time machine, of course!"
And so that's how we're headed to Washington, DC in October to go to the Smithsonian to see dinosaur bones. No time machine necessary.
And for those of you who don't get it, here it is: these organizations are not just for kids who have terminal illnesses. And Anthony did have a life-threatening illness and transplant isn't a "cure" per se, but rather trading one set of medical issues for another. Granted, the set of medical issues we traded pre-transplant were much more serious than the issues post-transplant! These organizations are here to recognize children that have been through more than a "normal" child has; they want to let the child know that they understand that they have been brave and that someone is proud of them (someone other than family - and it's always nice to be recognized like that!).
So, on to Anthony's wish. When I was filling out our portion of the paper work, the organization asked me to list three things that Anthony would wish for. I talked to him about it, over and over, and he always came back with, "I want to see dinosaur bones." So we put that as number 1, and listed a trip to Disney World and a fort for the backyard as numbers 2 and 3.
When I spoke with our wish coordinator yesterday, she asked me to give her 5 adjectives that describe Anthony. In no particular order, I told her: energetic, talkative, excitable, loving, and talkative. She spoke with Anthony to ask him about some of his favorite things, and then asked him, "If you go anywhere, to do anything, what would you do?"
His answer?
"I would go back to the time of dinosaurs to live with them."
Coordinator: "Wow! How would you do that?"
Anthony: "I'd build a time machine, of course!"
And so that's how we're headed to Washington, DC in October to go to the Smithsonian to see dinosaur bones. No time machine necessary.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
