*NOTE in order to read this in sequence, please begin with the October 12 posting and work your way up. I may decide to backdate these subsequent posts so you just read down but for now this is the easiest way for me to post.
So after another fitful night's sleep (for both Cole and I) we head off to the airport shortly after dawn for our 151 minute flight to Baltimore. Luckily I had scheduled a cab to pick us up because we did not want to pay for 18 days of airport parking plus with the Jeep dead in the garage, I couldn't have gotten there on our own.
We had purchased Cole his own seat on the plane as doing so worked well when I traveled solo to Pennsylvania last spring. He is easier to manage when he has wiggle room in the window seat. This however does not mean that he actually stays in the seat or that he didn't try for 151 minutes to climb under and over the seat, across my lap or try and wedge himself in what space actually does exist between the window seat and the foot space behind our seat.
I had my bag packed with distraction toys only to have those 15 or so items strewn all over with Cole purposely dropping them for me to repeatedly pick up. Oh the games we will play in order to keep our kids from rioting. Remember too that I was dodging his cast which he had learned to use as a weapon & as a musical instrument among other things. I was also forced to be constantly adjusting him from my awkwardly small seat in the middle position with a bad back which I had gained from carrying him the past week since he wanted to be held so often since he broke his arm. But most importantly we avoided any tantrums or spills and by whatever luck I was privileged to carry that morning, I had not one disgruntled passenger nor one poopy diaper to deal with. We arrived in Baltimore midday. I felt like a packmule with my charge and all his "stuff" but we made it out to meet Dave and I breathed a sigh of relief to have my husband (and another set of hands) with us again after such a stressful 24 hours.
We headed down to the Coleson Crick to spend some time with family following Roger's passing earlier in the week. Cole and Dave explored the barn and the grounds finding all kinds of fun things to tinker with. It was strange to be there for the first time without Roger but memories of my first meeting with him, along with all our many subsequent Sunday drives down for lunch, came flooding back. It is my hope that the Crick remains in the family so that Cole can visit and learn about his great grandpa in the years to come.
After spending two days in Nanjemoy, we headed south, following the familiar route to the Outer Banks that we had taken while living in Washington. We arrived in record time (and thus too early to check in to the rental property). So we drove around and reacquainted ourselves with one of our favorite destinations. We finally pulled up to the beach house and began unpacking the overflowing Volvo. Soon after the rest of the Scull clan arrived including my dad with our beloved Tucker!
The surf was rough and the winds were blowing on our first full day but the sun was out so we made the most of the day poolside. **NOTE I forgot to mention that the evening we came home from the hospital after Cole's surgery, I immediately got online to seek a cast cover that would save our vacation and allow Cole to partake in the requisite beach activities (along with the requisite baths that a dirty 22 month old needs). It essentially sealed out the air with a hand pump and kept water and debris out! It looked like he had a little flipper!
Monday we awoke to rain which was fine since Dave and I had to make the 40 minute drive to Nags Head which was where the hospital was to get Cole's follow up X-rays. A coastal storm was creeping towards us and we were keeping a close eye on its status but for now it was just a misty foggy drizzle.
The process at OBX Regional Hospital was simple and relatively short and we left with Cole's radiology reports and CD discs that we had to now take another 10 minutes up the road to be overnighted. There were only two UPS stores on the entire 150 mile stretch of the OBX and we found out since we were so far from a major airport that nothing could be overnighted. Hmmm...okay, I knew the ortho doc wasn't going to be happy, but what could we do, we were truly at the mercy of our remote location. So before we handed them over, Dave wanted to view them on the computer, so he did that while Cole and I headed to the nearby fudge shop. Minutes later, Dave comes in and says that one of the discs was blank. WHAT?? So we had to get back in the car and drive back to the hospital and have them re-do the discs and then drive back to the UPS store, all the while, I'm trying to connect with Cole's doctor's assistant to give her the update that the X-rays would arrive Wednesday not Tuesday as we all had expected. We also were shocked at the amount our small light package would take for a 2-day guarantee, $69! YIKES! We also now had to wait an additional 24 hours to confirm that Cole's arm was healing as it should so we had that cloud hanging over our heads an extra day. We did some tourist shopping and ate some lunch and headed back the 40 minutes to Salvo.
The storm sitting off the Carolina coast had gained strength and the weather reports were hedging bets on whether it would become a hurricane. Regardless, the next 3 days were going to be a wash out. The winds were rocking the house, the tides were already breaching the dunes and the waves were the highest and angriest we had ever seen them. Dare County made the decision to close Highway 12 and the Oregon Inlet Bridge which meant we were stuck on Hatteras Island for 24-48 hours. Scary and exciting and definitely a first in all our visits down there. So we made the most of it, watched movies, played pool, cards and board games and tried to nap.
Wednesday came and word from the ortho that though she was not 100% happy with the angle of the new X-rays she felt confident that no more shifting had occurred and confirmed that the cast remained tight. She wanted us to follow up with her again the Monday after our return for another round of images. Of course the only appointment they had on that Monday was in the morning which meant that Dave and Tucker would have to drive straight through after dropping Cole and I off in Charlotte since we only had the one car to utilize. *sigh*
The other obstacle we had been facing since Cole broke his arm was his refusal to sleep in his crib, one because he continually awoke when his cast banged against the rails and two, because he wanted one of us to comfort him to sleep. So moving to the pack n play while traveling wasn't working either. We set up the twin bed with pillow bumpers and had no choice but to let him be. He was waking multiple times and fighting going to sleep so it was an exhausting week for us in all honesty. He was clingy and wouldn't let anyone else other than Dave or I hold him for the better part of the week. He did warm up by week's end and our second week was much better as he made the adjustments. The weather was fantastic during week two and we were able to be at the beach and pool everyday. Cole had a blast with our friends who came down from DC with their three girls. It was chaos with 4 kiddos under 8 but a lively bunch with lots of laughter.
to be continued (one last time)...
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