Our Trip to Seattle
March 3-10, 2004
Well... while we were visiting Nonna & Grandpa in late February, we found out my Uncle JJ (Mommy's brother) had a brain tumor. When we found out when they were going to operate, we got our tickets to Seattle ASAP. Meanwhile, Daddy did LOTS of research about brain tumors.
We flew out on Wednesday, March 3. Unfortunately, both Noah & I had head colds... so my first plane trip was a little crazy. I was a trooper though & nursing helped me through take-off & landing. Noah got to play with his cool toys that Mommy & Daddy got him for the trip.
We got there Wednesday night. We were upgraded to a junior suite (nothing TOO fancy) which worked out nicely. We had a microwave where we could reheat all our leftovers for lunch. There was a pull-out bed for Noah, and there was lots more room. Also, Daddy found out something that made him VERY happy... wireless Internet in all rooms!!
We met Uncle JJ and Aunt Sara at the church where they got married for a special healing service (Anointing of the Sick). The priest that married them wasn't there (he had called previously from Africa to wish JJ well), but there was a very nice priest there who did the ceremony. It was a great family time. Since Noah & I needed to get to bed (we were on Indy time & Seattle is 3 hours behind!), we all opted to go back to the hotel & order pizza for dinner.
The next morning we woke up early (which was OK since it was pretty much normal Indy time) at went to the hospital with JJ at 5:00 am. Thus began a very long wait. We were actually able to see him much more than we thought we would that morning. We got to see him before and after his MRI. Noah was able to ride on his gurney as he was heading in to get prepped for surgery. They pretended they were on a rollercoaster ride! Everyone helped keep Noah & I busy. Uncle Bryan took Noah on long walks. They went to feed the ducks with Grandpa. Nonna took me for some walks as well. Noah & I helped everyone to focus on happy things instead of just worrying about Uncle JJ. He was in surgery a LONG time. We had SO many people there sending him good vibes (as Aunt Sara would say) that the volunteer helped us find a waiting room all to ourselves. (Actually, I think he was taking pity on all the OTHER people instead :) The weirdest thing I learned about brain surgery was that they had to wake Uncle JJ up several times during it & ask him questions. Whoa! When the nurses called to tell us his progress, they told Aunt Sara that he was laughing during surgery!
Finally, after about seven hours, Uncle JJ's surgery was complete. Mommy & Daddy got to see him right away (after Aunt Sara and Nonna & Grandpa, of course!). It was amazing. He was talking and looking good right away!
Every day was an improvement. He didn't even last one whole day in ICU. He was in a regular room before we knew it & talking about getting out of there as soon as possible!
They sprung him on Sunday afternoon... a mere three days after surgery! I think Mommy was in the hospital longer when she had Noah. AMAZING! Uncle JJ & Aunt Sara were staying at their friend Meredith's house... and we got to go hang out there too. We met Abby, her dog... and Noah was in love. He likes to sing songs about her (although when he says her name, it sounds like "Puppy"). We had a delicious pork dinner there that night to celebrate.
On Monday we went to see this troll that "sits" under a bridge in Seattle. (If you are interested, check out the Freemont troll.) It's nearby where Uncles JJ & Bryan used to live. Unfortunately, I slept through the whole thing, but Noah got to climb all over it with Uncle JJ and Daddy. We had lunch afterwards then went back to our hotel for our daily nap. We had spaghetti at Meredith's later that evening.
The next day we went to the zoo. That's right! Uncle JJ went, too. I got to ride with Aunt Katie in my Baby Bjorn. It wasn't the best day weather-wise, but we still managed to have plenty of fun.
We left Wednesday morning bright & early... actually it was still dark outside, it was that early! Grandpa drove us to the airport in our rental minivan. We had such a great week. It was amazing.
Bye for now,
Adam