Our Day at DuPont

This last Thursday, the boys and I made another trip to DuPont Children's Hospital in Delaware. At one point in time, we were going there about three times a week, but now that Michael is doing so well, we end up going every few months. This trip was a bit different since Frank wasn't able to go with us. It's the first time that I have taken both kids down there by myself.

I got most of our stuff packed up the night before and then finished with the final packing on Thursday morning. We were in the car and all ready to go by 9:00am, just as I had planned. The drive down was pretty easy considering that I missed most of the morning traffic. I actually took a different route than I normally take, staying more on the major highways and letting GPS lead the way (although it is very easy to get to).

We got there and started to unload the car and noticed that there were no red wagons. For those of you who have never been there - this is a necessity! The kids love to ride in these big red wagons and the parents love to put all of the bags into these big red wagons. I couldn't believe there was not one wagon to be had! This was so not cool! I asked the gentleman who was handling the valet parking (yes - they do have valet parking here and it's awesome!) if he happened to know where we could find one. Unfortunately, he was unable to help so I continued to unload the car and put the baby in his stroller. I carried some of the bags and then strapped some onto the back of the stroller - not very convenient, but it worked. And Michael had to walk.

Since we made such good time on the drive up, I decided to spend a few minutes in search of a wagon before checking into the blue module where the doctor we we were seeing was located. We made our way to ER and asked at the check-in desk if they happened to have a wagon for us. They sent us over to the security guard to check with him. Can I just tell you that he was the nicest and most helpful security guard I have ever met! He immediately jumped up and went in search of a wagon for us. Michael was so excited when he came back with a big red wagon for us. Michael jumped right in, I started loading the rest of our bags into the wagon and off we went in search of the blue module.

Everything at this hospital is so well organized and well labeled that we found the location immediately and were pleased to find that the doctor was waiting for us when we arrived (25 minutes early!) The appointment went great! The developmental pediatrician was thrilled with Michael's progress and was very surprised by some of his skills. What a blessing! She finished her testing, we established a new gameplan for him and set up our next appointment. Wow - we were all done with the appt in a little less than 2 hours!

It was now lunch time, so we headed over to the cafeteria where I fed the boys the lunches that I had packed that morning. As you can see from this picture, they seemed to enjoy each other's company.






When they were both done eating, we packed up and headed out. On our way to the main lobby, we passed by one of Michael's favorite spots - the train! We stopped for a few minutes to check it out.

By this time, it was already 2pm and I still had not eaten. I didn't pack a lunch for myself and nothing in the cafeteria looked appealing enough to spend money on, so I decided that after a long day, I deserved a drive thru! Chic Fil A is my favorite (but since the closest one was about an hour away), I opted for McD's, which was right on the way home. After enjoying a nice fattening lunch - filet of fish and fries, I started the trek home. While leaving the McDonald's parking lot, I noticed that Michael was awful quiet - normally he won't stop begging for food until I give him a few fries (kinda like a puppy). Sure enough....he was out like a light! Well, one down and one to go. It took a few minutes for the baby, but about 15 minutes into the trip, the baby joined Michael in dreamland.

It was a quiet, peaceful ride home. After a long day out and about, we finally arrived home at 3:00pm. I was so exhausted at this point - I guess I failed to mention earlier that Michael had gotten up about 5 times the night before and although Frank got up with him so that I would be alert for the drive, I still woke up each time he started crying. I couldn't wait to get to bed that night!