Travel Success

Mckenna and I decided to pack our bags for sunny Florida for part of Ronnie's hospital stay this go 'round. At this point in our lives, one of my biggest jobs surrounding Ronnie's CF is to make sure I'm molding Mckenna's perception of his CF, and our "CF life" properly. Some of it will come by just watching and listening to us, while some of it can constructed. I work hard to watch how I phrase things about his stay. We talk about how blessed we are that daddy can go into the hospital; that he has good doctors; that there's medicine that makes him feel better. We talk about all the fun things he may be doing. When she says she misses him, I tell her I miss him too but that I feel so happy that he can be there getting better and we can spend mommy and Mckenna time. We usually end the chat with a fist pound and a cheer for girl time.

Ronnie's last stay I did a lot of fun adventures around town. I decided the best way to have her think hospital stays were a good thing, was to actually make them a good thing…by making them fun for us. You know...see new things, get away with a little bit more, eat ice cream or breakfast for dinner here and there. This time around I decided a vacation to see my Grammy for just the two of us was in order. So, as soon as Ronnie knew it was time, we booked tickets. I had my Grammy in a holding pattern, and let her know we were coming (all of a week in advance, sorry Gram for the short notice!) I decided to fly in and out of Orlando to get a direct flight to make things a little easier, and tack on a short trip to Disney (if Mickey doesn't scream a good time, I don't know what will).

We packed our bags and left yesterday. I knew flying alone with a 2 year old may be the best idea or the worst idea I've ever had. The trip was full of firsts for me. I had never driven myself to an airport and parked; never flown alone with Mckenna; never rented a car with her alone; you name it. I was a little anxious, but I decided I better suck it up and get out of my comfort zone (this whole trip is that way for me). I left extra time because I knew everything would take longer and just decided not to rush things. I knew she'd want to stop and push buttons, look at people, ride the elevator an extra time. And I knew rushing her would only stress me out, and she would continue to go the same pace! HA!

The day went off without a hitch. We had fun. She was busy on the plane, but she napped some, played some, and was rather patient. She did a great job.

We will see how this trip plays out, but it may end up being a blessing for both of us. My goal was to liven up hospital stays and help shape her little thoughts around them in a way that would make future stays easiest on all of us. But it may just end up being a healthy growing opportunity for me in the meantime. I'm a big believer in getting out of your comfort zone, especially for someone like me…a worry wart. So three cheers for another unforeseen blessing of hospital stays!