Our Trip Here

Well I've been here for several days and life has been so chaotic and busy that I haven't had a chance to write all about what has been going on. Getting here was quite the journey! A 20 hour drive makes for quite the trip. First, I must say that I have been so impressed with my boys. They were perfect in the car, only fussing a handful of times the entire way here. When I put Grant in the van that morning, I explained that we were going to see PaPa, who was very sick. This concerned Grant immensely and for the first 8 hours of our journey, that's all I heard about - "Mommy, see PaPa! Sick!" Poor kid was very concerned and was being so good so we could go see PaPa in the hospital. Mason was an angel, as well, falling asleep quickly after our journey started, and playing with Grant in the backseat for hours on end. I found the start of our journey to be extremely emotional for me. I knew dad had had a heart attack, but somehow getting in the car and starting on my trip up there made it all very real and very emotional for me. We intended to leave by 4 AM but didn't get on the road until 5:30 since Mason was up most of the night and I wanted to get some more sleep since I was driving by myself for 8 hours. It was dark, raining, and combined with my tears, it was an interesting beginning. I wasn't crying uncontrollably, but tears kept slipping out now and then. Soon it started raining harder and the van started hydroplaning, even though I was going well under the speed limit. Unfortunately, it rained for nearly the rest of the trip. We got to NC and picked up Stefi and Dan. We had a great drive for a while, until we got into WV. We were about an hour from Charleston and the roads were windy, it was hard to see because of the fog, and wind was whipping through, pushing us around a tad. Dan was driving, and Stefi was cold, so they had the heat on in the front. I was quite carsick, so I turned the air on in the back. Pretty soon, Grant said, "Mommy, hot! HOT!" I turned an air vent directly on him. It settled him for a minute, when he said, "Mommy, Owie! Owie!" I asked him where his owie was, and as soon as he started to tell me, he began throwing up. He was so carsick that he was literally sick. It was 45 degrees out, pouring down rain, and I told Dan he needed to stop like NOW! Stefi was about to get sick because of the smell in the van, so we rolled down the windows, allowing the cold air and pelting rain into the van. When we got to the gas station, I took Grant out of his seat to find that he was covered in peuk. I took his shoes and socks off and put him barefoot on the ground (remember, it was 45 degrees and raining!), stripped him down to his diaper and the poor boy was screaming and shivering. His teeth were chattering and all he kept saying was, "Yuck! Yucky!" I agreed wholeheartedly. Stefi was scrambling to get him some clothes. Meanwhile, I had wrapped him in a blanket and was holding him. As she opened the trunk, the box of snacks fell out and our food spilled onto the ground. I just got the giggles and was practically doubled over from laughing so hard. People were walking by and giving me the dirtiest looks because I was standing there with my shivering 2 year old while splitting a gut, but what are ya gonna do? We finally got the carseat out of the car and took it into the bathroom. We got Grant dressed, I cleaned out the carseat and put everything in a plastic bag until we could get to IN. But now I had a new quandry....his carseat was soaked, so where was he going to sit? I laid him down in the backseat and told him it was time to go to sleep, which he did after much complaining. But the poor kid rode illegally for the next 6 hours! I figured, I grew up that way, so he should be fine! We got to IN and I stayed up with my mom listening to her talk, sharing our fears, etc. I finally laid down on the recliner at 5:15. We all woke up about 6:00 and got ready to go see my dad at 7:30. My dad looked great! He looked better and said he felt better than he had in a long time. It was so good to see him, although quite emotional. Dad took Stef and I in his arms and wept, saying "I dreamed that you came!" How mean! But we were there, all together, and that's all that mattered. After being there for several minutes, the doctor came in, explaining what had happened, etc. After a few minutes, Dan, who was standing next to me, laid his head on my shoulder. I was thinking, "Dan, I know you're tired, but now's really not the time for this!" I asked him if he was okay, and got no response. By this time, his entire body weight was upon me and I realized he was passing out. I put my arms around him and tried to ease him to the ground. He came to once he was down there and was white as a ghost and dripping water from his face and forehead. The cardiologist casually looked over and said, "Are you okay? You're not having any chest pain, are you?" Stefi just laughed, got up and came over to him and said, "Well what am I supposed to do with you??" We all have laughed about it all week long. It was at this point, after the doctor left, that I was telling dad about poor barefooted Grant in the cold rain. Mom told Stef to interject something and Stef said, "I haven't even told Sara that!" Well, mom wasn't asking her to tell that part, but since I found out there was more to the sotry, I was anxious to hear. It turns out as I was cleaning out the carseat, Stef went back out to the van. As she was walking out of the bathroom, Dan came walking out of the men's room at the same time! She looked at him and said, "Dan, where's Mason!" Dan panicked and they ran out to the van where (although he had shut the doors, they were unlocked) they found Mason sitting there grinning from ear to ear. Thank goodness he's alright! Poor Dan felt terribly and I found it quite humorous. It happens to the best of us, that's for sure! Good grief...thankfully the rest of the week has not been quite so dramatic. I'll write more later. For now, I'm off to take a nap!