ROAD TRIPPIN'

We had scheduled a doctors appointment with a pediatric orthopedic specialist at Shriner's Hospital in Salt Lake City. The week before our appointment my parents and Hendricks family were planning a trip to California to go to Disneyland and watch Scotty play ball. When talking to my dad about our plans, he invited us along for the trip! Unfortunately this Law school thing is kind of a big deal, so Wes couldn't come with us :( But I was super excited to take the kiddo's to Disneyland and have fun playing with everyone! It worked out great, because most of my family was also going to be in St. George a few days before the Disney trip because Scotty (who plays ball at BYU-H) was going to be playing Dixie!!

So Sunday February 9th we left our house at 8:30 a.m. and drove to Grand Island, Ne (about 2 hours north of Omaha) It was pretty windy and snowy, which didn't help my nervousness. Wes stayed with us up until we went through security. Our plane finally ended up leaving at 12:30, which was an hour behind scheduled. The kids did okay on the flight, they were great until about half way through, then Austin started getting tired and hungry and wouldn't fall asleep, and then Hailey started having a melt down. So yes, we definitely got a few sidelong glances from other flyers. But we survived!!! We ended up arriving in Vegas about 2:30pm (vegas time), where Jamie and Mom Mangum were already waiting for us. I was just so happy to be in the ground again! I am not a big fan of flying, but I am getting much better. We stopped in Mesquite for a bite to eat, and arrived in Cedar City about 8:30pm. (which was 9:30 Nebraska time). It was the longest day ever!!! I decided from now on we will be flying directly out of Omaha.

Monday 10th: Jamie, Hailey, Austin, and I went to lunch at McDonalds so Hay could play on the playground. We went swimming at the Cedar City Aquatic Center-H&A really enjoyed it! Mom and Dad Mangum came down a little later to play with the kids and eat dinner.

Tuesday 11th: Mom Friel, Jenn, and Ethan picked us up at 9:30am to go down to St. George. We went swimming, to the store, out to dinner at Pizza Factory, and Scotty's basketball game at Dixie. It was great because my parents, all the Hendricks, Jenn & her kids, and Krissy were all able to come down and watch!  Scotty got to come over later that night for a bit, and Hailey absolutely adored him! She sat on his lap the whole time and was pretty sad to see him go.

The fab five siblings after Scotty's game

Wednesday 12th: 11:30 a.m. we headed out for Cali!!!The drive really wasn't too bad, and the kids did great. We rode with my parents, with the Hendricks following behind.

Thursday 13th: We got a three day hopper pass between Disneyland and California Adventure. We stayed in Disneyland all day today. Our hotel was about 5-10 minute drive to Disneyland, it was great because our hotel had a shuttle that would take us back and forth. Today was great! The lines weren't bad at all, the weather was awesome, and the kids loved it! Hailey had such a fun time going on rides, getting autographs, and playing with her cousins. Austin loved it because he got to be packed around in his Ergo baby carrier most the day! Which is just the way he likes it! I was worried that since he slept quite a bit that he wouldn't go to bed when we got to the hotel that night-but the boy must've been pooped cause he was out! We only stayed until about 3 because Scotty had a basketball game that evening in _______ which was about 45 minutes away from Anaheim. It was fun being able to see him again, even if it was just to watch him play!

Friday 14th: Today we got up early because Disneyland normally opens at 8 but if you had a hopper pass you could get in on Fridays at 7 :) So of course we took advantage of that! We stayed in Disneyland until 11am, then Mom and Dad left to go to one more of Scotty's game. Then the rest of us went to California Adventure for a bit. Missy and I took Hailey, Austin, Riley, and Jordan back to the hotel to take naps about 1230 and then came back to California Adventure for the rest of the evening. After my parents got back to the hotel we put the kids down and Missy, Kal, and I went on a Valentines date! Yes, I third wheeled, but it was fun! We went bowling and got some ice cream!

Saturday 15th: We spent the whole day in Disneyland and we got in a ton of rides! I was actually surprised by how many rides Hailey could go on, and even more surprised by how many Austin could! Mom and Missy were so helpful in taking turns packing Austin around... he loved it, and napped quite a bit! We even took turns going on some of the bigger rides by getting parent passes which was awesome! After we got back to the hotel and put the kids down to bed, my parents stayed while us "Adults" went back to Disneyland and hit up a few more of the bigger rides, it was lots of fun and the lines were quick! Then we stopped a Denny's for a bit to eat :)

Sunday 16th: We drove to Las Vegas to stay the night. We went swimming at the hotel and ordered pizza when we got there, but it was a little cool so the swimming didn't last too long.

Monday17th: We made it back to Utah! The trip was crazy, busy, and so much fun! All the kids did really well. Hailey just LOVED playing with her cousins, and I think she thought she died and went to heaven when she was in Disneyland, especially getting all the characters autographs :) Some of her favorite things included: Tinkerbell, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, the flying Dumbo ride, Alice in Wonderland ride, mini hot air balloon ride in California Adventure, the bus ride (back and forth to the parks), and playing with her cousins.

Thursday 20th: Before we flied out of Salt Lake City, UT, I had a doctors appointment at Shriner's Hospital. I was a little anxious/nervous just not knowing what to expect is the hardest part of dealing with Austin's foot. First off, Austin is now 8 months old and he just started crawling! He is doing great developmentally wise, which is a good sign. I really enjoyed the doctor that saw Austin. She and the staff seemed quite knowledgeable on his condition. It appears that has a form of Tibial Hemimelia. It was comforting to know they have dealt with this before, whereas the doctors we had seen in Omaha were quite unfamiliar with the situation. Our previous doctor basically said we'd probably have to do amputation and it'd need to be done before he is one! Which is quite a shock to hear when you are not expecting that. But after the doctors checked Austin out, got ex-rays, and thoroughly examined him, we discussed the possible outcomes and steps we could take. It was nice hearing we don't need to quite rush into things like the previously doctor suggested. At this point we can't really tell what the difference in length will be between his two legs, which can greatly weigh in which direction we take. Amputation and a prosthetic is still an option, if the difference will be more. Also, leg lengthening of his right leg, or possible pausing the growth of his left leg so his right can catch up, or possibly both. Since leg lengthening can be challenging she suggests only doing that if you would only need one round of it so it wouldn't be so hard on the child. So right now we are just playing the waiting game, which kind of seems like the hardest part of it all. The not knowing. Not knowing what to expect, not know what the treatments are going to be, not know the outcome. But I felt 100% better about Shriners Hospital and the doctors that helped us today. The doctors would like to see him again around his 1st birthday, so we will be taking him back sometime near the end of summer, and this time Wes will be able to come!

Anyways, our flight left that evening and Wes picked us up at the Omaha airport. The trip was great, and lots of fun, but it is good being back home!!!