Make a Wish Trip Day 3 - Universal Studios

We were so exhausted from being at the Magic Kingdom that we decided to sleep in and explore Give Kids the World before heading to Universal Studios for the afternoon. Everyday we got up an enjoyed breakfast at the Gingerbread House. I can't explain how magical GKTW is in words but when you go anywhere you just feel happy. You walk into the Gingerbread House and all of the volunteers smile at you, ask you how you are, where you're going today - things like that. They are all genuinely happy to see you and to serve you! There is no place like it.

I really loved breakfast this morning because we all went in our pj's and really took our time. There was another family eating close to us and the little girl was upset for some reason. Avery went right over to her and told her it was ok and they became instant friends. I love watching how friendly and caring she is and I hope she never outgrows it.

After breakfast I took Avery over to the carousal they have by the Castle of Miracles. They have someone waiting there all day so the kids can ride it whenever they want! 

After getting dressed we spent the rest of the morning exploring GKTW. They have these special garbage cans that talk to you and suck up any garbage you have! Avery was so scared at first but we started taking our garbage from wherever we were so we could put it in these garbage cans. 

After we explored a little bit we took Avery to the Castle of Miracles to place her star and get her pillow. They have this large interactive tree where an owl lives and asks you all kind of questions. Afterwords each child gets their own pillow to take home. These pillowcases are handmade and donated from all over the world. Avery's is a small pillow with frogs and flowers on it and she still carries it around with her. 

This is the ceiling of the Castle of Miracles. When each wish kid arrives they are given a welcome packet with a small star inside. At some point in their stay they come to Castle of Miracles to have the Star Fairy place their star. They have now run out of room and had to built a separate tower to put more stars. Avery's is in the tower in the Apple Galaxy. :) When we left they gave us a Star Passport that says we can come back and visit Avery's star whenever we want. It is so special to me that her star will stay there.

We had lunch at Katie's Kitchen - a cute little walk up window where they have chicken salad and sandwiches. Squirrels hang out there at lunch time hoping to get something that someone drops. Avery actually fed one or two of them and got such a kick out of it! 

After a quick nap we headed right to Universal Studios. Going to Harry Potter World was a must for me so after riding a few Cat in the Hat rides we headed up there. Avery took one look at the castle and said No way! She wouldn't even go near it! So Thomas took her back to Dr. Suess land while Valerie and I rode some of the HP rides. The ride inside the castle was really spectacular. The technology was amazing but I couldn't keep my eyes open for most of it! I got so motion sick and would've thrown up if I tried to watch the whole thing!

We hurried back to Dr. Suess land so we could ride a few more rides with Ave. There was a ride exactly like the dumbo ride except the fish spray water at you so I finally convinced Ave to put on a poncho and Thomas decided he was going to brave it without one! He ended up getting soaked and Avery just laughed and laughed while he got wet! 

The park closes pretty early on the off season so we hurried to have dinner on City Walk at Bubba Gumps. Thomas decided to take the Genie Pass and go ride the Hulk Ride by himself because we were too scared to go with him! He had a blast and said they let him to go the front of the line and choose his seat. We went and got a table and Ave was so tired she almost fell asleep while we were waiting for dinner. We were all so tired after dinner we went right home and went to bed. 

Make a Wish Day 2 - Magic Kingdom

Day 2 of MAW trip

We got up super early to get ready to go to Magic Kingdom. We wanted to make sure Avery got to meet Ariel first thing since that was her actual wish! In WDW everything is so spread out that it takes a super long time for you to get into the actual parks! We had to drive about 15 minutes to the parking lot, park, get on the tram, get on the monorail, go through security and bag check, then they will check your tickets so you can get into the park. Disney gives GKTW guests a photo pass where you get all the pictures for free so I tried to take advantage of this as much as possible. So of course we had to get our pictures taken right outside the park! Before we left we had these cute matching shirts made for all of us going. They have the Cinderella castle and they say TEAM AVERY - WHERE WISHES COME TRUE. I absolutely LOVED having these t-shirts and they were great souvenirs to wear even at home.

After getting into the park it was complete chaos! It was a lot colder then we had expected and the jacket I put on Ave was just not going to cut it. So we were running all over main street trying to find a sweatshirt that would keep her warm and that she would actually wear! I was also trying to find a lanyard that I could put my photo pass in as well as my special "Genie Pass"! The Genie Pass is a large blue card you get at GKTW that basically says - Go to the front of the line. EVERY LINE! It was AMAZING!

Here is Ave in her new sweatshirt with her new Ariel pin. I couldn't resist, ok?? :) 

Right away we headed to Fantasyland, which is the part of the Magic Kingdom with all of the princesses and the new Ariel ride. We saw Rapunzal, Cinderalla, Snow White, Aurora and right after headed over to meet Ariel. 

I only kind of cried when she met Ariel. ;) 

Today I was so grateful that I thought to buy ponchos before we came. Ave refused to wear one and she really hated when I wore one but it kept my clothes dry so I was a lot warmer otherwise. It rained ALL DAY LONG. We still had so much fun but the outside rides were a little miserable because we had to keep our heads down or we'd get rain in our eyes! 

Store time with Belle

It's a small world

Dumbo ride - this ride is actually so popular that they built two of them! To get in line you go through a large tent with a ton of activities for kids to do while you wait. Luckily we never had to go in that line because we had our Genie Pass. And we would've ended up spending all day on this ride because Ave loved it so much. After this we went and got on the Barnstormer - which is the only roller coaster type ride that Ave was tall enough for. She was so funny before our trip saying that she couldn't wait to get on roller coasters and when she finally got on one the whole time she was saying, "I wanna go home!" 

Before we left for the trip, Thomas and I decided that we would have to go back to GKTW in the middle of the day for Avery to nap but after getting there and seeing how long it took to get to each of the parks we decided she would just have to sleep in the stroller. Luckily there is a special Wish Lounge in DisneyWorld that only wish kids can go in. We went in there because it was very quiet, warm, and out of the rain. She only slept for about an hour while I held her but it was the best we could do! I wish I would've gotten pictures of the Wish Lounge!

After she woke up we ended up back in Tomorrowland and Avery just had to have ice cream. She told me she wanted chocolate and after I got it she refused to eat it. The lady who sold us her ice cream overheard and walked over and gave us a vanilla one for free! It was so so nice of her! 

Here is Ave riding the carousal. I wish I would've gotten more pictures of her on rides. This is how she was on almost all of them! 

That night the Electrical Parade started at 8 or 9 and the firework show one hour after that. It was really great because they had a special section roped off for us to stand so we didn't have to line up super early. This was REALLY great because Ave decided she loved the Buzz ride more then anything. We must've rode that ride 15 times that night while everyone was lined up for the parade.

Avery absolutely loved the Electrical Parade and even made a friend while we were sitting there. Another little girl came to sit by us and I swear that was the best part for Avery.

I don't think I will ever forget this firework show! The rain had cleared up just in time for the Electrical Parade but as soon as it was time for the fireworks to start, a really thick fog began to roll in. It was pretty funny because you could hear the fireworks going off and the sky would end up turning green or red but you couldn't actually see any of the fireworks. I must say it was pretty disappointing. Luckily we got to see the firework show on another clear night. :)

Make a Wish Trip Day 1

It's been over a month since we got home from Walt Disney World and I'm afraid if I don't write everything about our trip now I will forget it!

Before we boarded at the airport

Our day started VERY early. Our plane left at 7:20 in the morning so we were up very early eating breakfast and getting all our luggage together. My mother in law was coming with us for the first few days of the trip and was able to get on the same flight as us so that was great! Ave was already pretty tired and ended up sleeping the majority of the flight.

First Flight

We had a layover in Houston for about 3 hours so we stopped to get some lunch. Avery kept saying her stomach hurt so I assumed she was hungry. She didn't want to eat ANYTHING. I made her eat some turkey from my sandwich and some strawberries. She actually found another little girl who was waiting for our same flight and they became instant friends running back and forth. I'm telling you - Ave can make friends pretty much anywhere she goes. It's amazing. Pretty soon it was time to board our flight so I sat there holding her. She kept telling me that her stomach hurt and pretty soon she fell asleep. Once they called our group I stood up and shifted her up higher. We got half way down the tunnel that leads to the plane and Ave took one look at me and THREW UP all over my hair and jacket as well as all down the front of her clothes. It was horrible. Luckily Thomas thought to put an extra outfit in a gallon size bag to keep in my backpack just in case so she had an extra outfit but I was stuck with my throw up soaked clothes. I had to walk past all the people boarding to run back into the airport bathroom so we could clean up. I hurried and changed her and rinsed out my hair as best I could and put all of the dirty clothes in the gallon size bag. We re - boarded the plane and Ave was completely fine! She was playing and taking pictures and soon she fell asleep! Nothing phases her!

Both of these were right after she puked. Totally fine and playing! 

We finally landed in Orlando and we had a representative from Give Kids the World waiting for us. He was so friendly and had two luggage carts so we didn't have to carry any of our luggage. He helped us rent our car and get a car seat for Ave and made sure we knew exactly where we were going to get to GKTW. Once we got to the Village we went right into the House of Hearts - this is the main building where you get all of your tickets for the park and where you check in and out. Also, it has all the information you need for pretty much anything! We sat down with a volunteer who gave us our room keys, a book of all the GKTW information, a map, and a stuffed Mickey for Avery. We then hurried over to the Gingerbread House - this is the main dining hall. It's a big cafeteria type deal where the volunteers all serve you and they even carry your treys right to the table you want to eat at! We were treated like royalty the entire time we were there. After that I went to orientation to pick up all the tickets we would need for the week and Avery went with Thomas and Valerie to the Pirate and Princess Party. They had volunteers dressed up like Princesses and Pirates who were there to play with the kids and they gave her a big pirate ship toy that she just loved.

After Orientation I headed to our very own Villa! It was a light blue and the inside looked just like a beach condo. Avery's bathroom was bigger then our whole room basically! They gave her shampoo and soap that smelled like ice cream and had a housewarming gift for her including a ton of Curious George stuff! I couldn't believe how spoiled we were! We went to bed early that night so we could get up and head to Magic Kingdom to meet Ariel!

Our "blue house" as Avery liked to call it! 

This is Mayor Clayton! He is Mayor of Give Kids the World! 

Last Treatment

Avery had her last treatment on January 17th. We got up early early early that morning to get up to the hospital for her MRI and skeletal survey. I was so rushed and had to pack so much I actually forgot the cake I was going to take up to the hospital for the staff in the oncology clinic! Once we got all checked in, the nurse came into the waiting room and got us. It was really special because we got the same nurse that we had at Avery's very first CT scan. She remembered us and she was so great with Avery.

They did all the usual things.. took her weight, temperature and height. Once we got in there I took of her shirt so they could access her and realized the numbing cream I had on her port wasn't really ON her port. I used Glad press and seal to hold on the cream but she threw quite a fit while getting her shirt on so I think it moved. She got accessed and really screamed because the port site wasn't quite numb. I felt awful. :( The sweet nurse went and got a huge chest full of toys for Avery to pick one. She ended up picking The Avengers action figures!! A little weird for a two year old girl if you ask me but that's what she wanted! :)

They were behind in imaging so we ended up waiting an extra hour to get into the MRI. Avery went to sleep really easily and they took her back. I'd explained to the nurses that Avery metabolizes the medication really quickly and has woken up every single time in the middle of the scan so they took the machine in with her and keep the medication going. It worked like a dream and she stayed asleep!

I'd also requested that they wheel her right in to do the skeletal survey while she was still sedated. In the past, the skeletal survey has been the most traumatic for both Avery and I because they have to hold her down while she's naked on a cold, hard table. This time, they kept the medication going and she got to sleep through the entire thing. I was so grateful to have her asleep for it!

Image from the skeletal survey and waking up in recovery

My cute sister works close to the hospital so she got to come over and hold Avery while I ate lunch. We went up to clinic so we could get her last chemo treatment and go over the results of the scans with our Oncologist. Avery ate some cheetos and almost immediately fell asleep. She even continued to sleep through getting her chemo!

I talked to the doctor and she said that the results were all good news. Avery is completely disease free!

The nurses are so amazing about making it a big deal that they are done with treatment! They made a huge sign for her, sang a song in the infusion room, and they have a bell you can ring when you are officially done with treatment. They also gave her a really beautiful quilt and filled it with a TON of toys for her to celebrate. Avery was pretty much completely out of it by the time we got to the bell ringing and I ended up ringing it for her. The necklace she is wearing is full of beads from the program they do called Colors of Courage. She is only wearing about 3/4 of the beads she has and they each represent something she had to do during treatment.

Once we got home we ate the little chocolate cake I had bought her to celebrate and she played with her toys! 

One Year

I can't believe it's been one full year since Avery has been diagnosed. I remember that day like it was yesterday.. Weird because if you asked most people what they were doing a year ago today, they wouldn't be able to tell you.

I woke up that morning already panicky because I knew Avery wasn't going to be able to eat all morning before her CT scan. She cried ALL morning and it was miserable for both of us. I didn't feel like I could eat in front of her so we were both starving by the time we got up there!

When we got checked into the hospital they had me sit in a chair and hold her really close so they could start an IV. They had one of the Child Life Specialists blowing bubbles to distract her. I remember I started to feel sick (I don't do well with needles) and was waiting for her to start screaming. They poked her and she let out a little gasp and then relaxed and kept playing with her bubbles!! I thought this was definitely going to be the worst part so I started to relax after. Once we took her into the scan room she looked SO small next to that big machine. They told me over and over again that they were going to have to put her to sleep to do the scan but even after they had strapped her onto the table she was being so still. They brought out some toys and books and I got to stand by her and distract her instead of putting her under! I was SO proud of her!

Here she is standing next to the CT machine

They sent the scan over to the EMT that we had seen and he called us at the hospital to talk to me. He offered to come to our house or we could go to his house to get the results. He is a good friend of my in-laws so even then I didn't think it was weird that he wanted to give us the results in person. Looking back at it now, I was pretty stupid to think that everything was fine.

After she was done I felt so relived I decided to take her to a McDonald's play place. Normally, we avoided those places because I was always afraid of her getting hurt but I knew she would have fun. As I sat there watching her play I kept thinking, the worst part is over!

That night we got in our car to drive over to the doctors house. It was snowing so hard and took us a while to get over there. Once we did he took us into his front room and told us that the mass in Avery's head was a tumor. He told us several different things but I remember feeling like cotton was shoved in my ears after I heard the word "cancer". I couldn't think and all I could do was stare at my baby thinking I was going to lose her. I couldn't breathe or do anything but sob. I remember the doctor telling us we would meet with an Oncologist in the morning to discuss treatment options.

That night, we had both of our parents there to read the CT scan results and to see Avery. She of course, was ecstatic to have so many people there to see her and had no idea that something was wrong.

I used to define everything in my life by when Avery was born and that changed the day she was diagnosed. I can't believe how much one day can change your life for the better and for the worse. I can honestly say that so many good things have come from this. I have learned to love another person more then I ever would've thought I could. I have learned to be more compassionate then I ever thought I would. I have seen more people do more good for us then I thought was possible!

I hope that even though Avery will probably not remember this that she will use this experience to educate more people about this awful disease. That she will be able to love more deeply, forgive more easily, be more compassionate, and live life to the fullest. I know I will.