Texas: Day 1

It seems like taking a two week trip to Texas takes a complete month to prepare for...list after list, shopping trips and planning toys, activities and movies for Reagan for the long drive. I always get in such a focused state two days before we leave, when all of the packing happens. I double and triple check all of my lists and sometimes even have it written on one list to double check my other lists..seriously...I'm that serious about being organized when I pack. Some call it obsessive, I'll go with organized.

We decided to leave at 4:00 in the morning to see if Reagan would actually sleep some in the car. I think she can sense that we're going to be in the car for a long while on our trips and where she'll sleep in the car after a hard day of playing from the park to our house, she REFUSES to sleep on our trips. Awesome. Well, the 4:00AM departure did the trick, and she slept until around Little Rock. The last 1 1/2 hours of being in the car seem to be the most miserable. We hit Dallas and feel so close to home but my parents seem to still live so far away. Darn those small towns with their slow speed limits and country roads. There is always such a peace that comes when I call my mom to tell her to come outside (as if she hasn't already been waiting outside for us for the last 30 minutes). Maddie and Emmy went crazy chasing each other around the yard, Mamaw and Papaw were so happy to see Reagan, and Ben and I were beyond ecstatic to pass our cranky baby off. LOVE you honey! :) This happiness last only one hour..to be exact. We had just made plans with my sister and her family to meet at my parents' for an impromptu dinner. I was sitting on my parents' bed and had just hung up the phone when my little helper found me and climbed up next to me. When I got off the bed Miss Independent decided she could get off the bed all by herself too. Trouble is..she still can't judge height. She'll jump off a 4 foot tall bed, thinking she can touch the floor but will hold on tight to the sheets of a 2 foot bed scared to drop when she only has an inch to the floor. Anyways...my parents have a beautiful tall bed that is NOT kid friendly and she busted....hard. Did I mention she was carrying the newspaper with her while tempting this fete. Poor thing bit right through her lip. Have I ever mentioned 1) my fear of blood 2) how much I completely PANIC when anything happens to Reagan. How I could have a nurse for a sister I have no idea. So, I obviously start completely freaking out when I see her mouth is full of blood and she is hysterical. I start screaming for Ben who has the complete opposite reaction of me. Passive. Calm. Totally detached emotionally from the crazy situation. After some convincing while screaming and crying (I know...I totally helped the situation), we ran to the car with my mom driving, Ben in the front and Reagan and I in the back. On the way we realize my mom is in her house shoes...so funny! Poor mom. Have I also ever mentioned that I get my freak out tendencies from my mom? At one point, I was thinking 1) my mom could seriously have a career as a cab driver in NY 2) Reagan's cut should probably be the last of my concerns right now. We're all going to die on the way to the ER. BUT...we arrived.

We were taken back to a room immediately (I think the screaming from Reagan (or was it me) was terrifying the other patients. That was the last quick thing of the day. Poor Reagan was screaming and crying so hard that she had a dirty diaper. Only problem...we didn't bring a diaper bag, a wallet, a phone...just us and Teddy. Thank goodness my mom was still in the waiting room and went and bought us wipes and diapers...in her house shoes and all. We had the sweetest nurse that played Alvin and the Chipmunks songs on her phone for Reagan to pacify her and pass the time. Sweet girl. No matter how bad she is feeling, she just can't help herself from busting a move to a good beat. Five hours later, we finally got stitches. It was AWFUL! Now, I know that stitches are stitches and 1 in every 1 kid gets them..but when it's your kid....completely different. They had to sedate her which was the horrific to see. It was a simple shot and then I just held her until her cries stopped. She was still conscious but not aware of anything. It was so strange her looking at me but there being no recognition there. Such an eerie feeling. Then I had to put her on the table and they put an oxygen mask on her. To see your little baby with a blood pressure bracelet on her leg and an oxygen mask on her face is just torture. She also had body shakes from the sedation and hiccups that sounded like she was gasping for air. In the middle of the process, the poor doctor came over and hugged me and asked if I was going to be all right. After we had Reagan, I started donating to St. Jude's hospital because I now had a new understanding for the love of a child. However, after seeing the tole and difficulty of dealing with stitches, my prayers are with the children and parents who have to deal with far more serious diagnosis. You are warriors and heros. Teddy of course also got "stitches" along with Reagan. Even as she was getting her stitches, she was rubbing the hound out of Teddy's ears. That bear deserves a raise. When she started coming out of the anesthesia, I was so anxious that I think I had my face like 6 inches from hers, telling her over and over how much I loved her. Again...I know...stitches...but you have no idea unless you've been there. When she woke up enough and said Mama....I think I promised her a pony, a Barbie jeep, a new wagon, a lifetime supply of Popsicles and anything else she could ever want. We stayed in the hospital for a few more hours until they felt that she was awake enough to leave. My sweet sister had cooked such a great dinner for us at our parents' house, but we didn't get home until around 8:30 that night. Even with being half drugged still, Reagan was so excited to see her "bubbas". Only problem, she couldn't yet get her legs to work. So, she "chased" around the boys while Aunt Jennifer helped her move around.

Our day began at 4AM, drove 9 hours, spent 5 hours in the hospital and all crashed for the night. I am so proud of my little trooper and still so sorry she had to go through all of that. My mom said it's one less boo boo that she'll have to have. Here she is coming out of anesthesia. Notice Teddy's bandaid.

She had to eat a popsicle before she could leave. This girl lives for popsicles, so this was no trouble for her.

The rest of the trip..to be continued....