The Vacation According to Michael, Part 2

Originally Published February 29, 2008

Michael's Travel Journal -- Day 2: Sunday (Transcribed on this, the following Friday)

Well, it seems that nobody but me got any sleep Saturday night. I heard Mom and Dad say to Grandma and our friend that they had to adjust my humidifier settings last night, including turning it up and turning on the heater. There is something about the dry desert air and we will have to be sure not to skip any more nebulizers no matter what.

We had to check out of the hotel to get to our time share today, so Mom and Dad packed; our friend went to get breakfast for the big people, and Grandma tried to feed me my breakfast in the car seat. Hehe -- I wouldn't eat. She'll learn. It took a long time -- we had a lot of bags and most of them were mine. Mom keeps saying we'll have fewer bags when we leave, but I'm not sure. The first thing Dad did at lunch was buy something called "Klingon Blood Wine" and it looked heavy to me.

So, round about lunch time we went to someplace called "Quarks" (and Dad bought the wine next door). We didn't yet have a stroller, so I got to ride in the Baby Bjorn with Daddy. It was nicer than trotting along in the car seat yesterday. Anyway, while the big people were talking, someone named "Roggle" who called himself a "Ferengi" came to see me. He said he knew all about tracheostomies and that they had them sometimes on Ferengenar too. He let me take my picture with him. But then, something weird happened. Mom and Dad didn't feed me on time. And they weren't just a little bit late either. They were a lot late, according to my stomach. I tried to tell them, but no one listened. Not Mom, Dad, Grandma, or our friend. I didn't know what to do! Finally, Mom looked at me and said, "are you hungry?" And then she opened a jar of sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes? By mouth? Where was my tube of formula? Well, my tummy was so empty I figured this would do until they found out where the forumla was packed, so I opened my mouth. Strangely enough, it wasn't so bad this time, and it did make my tummy feel better. So I ate 1/2 a jar. Then Mom and Dad and Grandma went upstairs to someplace called "Star Trek" and our friend and I walked around. I liked the flashing lights a lot. But then something weird happened again. They still didn't feed me. After a few hours, we went back to Quarks and I asked to eat again, and I almost finished the jar. Everyone seemed very impressed, but then they FINALLY gave me my formula.

Then some lady called a "Klingon" came around and asked if she was my first "interspecies communication." Dad said no, I had already talked to a Ferengi, and she made some rude remarks about that. But we took our picture together anyway.

Then Dad and Mom and I went upstairs to the bridge of the Enterprise D while Grandma and our friend played the slots. I got my picture taken in the Captain's chair, and it was fun. Everyone said I was so cute.

Something else was happening in Vegas -- every where I went, I seemed to attract some admirers. I thought everyone would want to talk to me, so I smiled all the time, and sure enough, everyone wants to talk to ME! (And why not, right?)

I was also keeping a secret from everybody. My bottom two teeth had come in, and no one knew. Grandma suspected on the plane when I bit on her finger, but it was my secret, and I did it without ever crying. (Although when Mom hit my tooth at Quarks with the spoon I cried.) Now Dad says I have to learn not to bet my teeth. I'm not sure what that means, but I'd better not do it.

After that, we went to the time share. It was a bit smaller than they'd hoped, but it seemed nice. Mom and Dad went to the store, and I had a bath. Then I cried for my parents. They came back, and Mom said I was wired for sound. I told her I wasn't going to go to sleep at all, no sir, not at ... don't rock me ... help ... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

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Michael's Travel Journal, or The Vacation According to Michael

Originally Published February 28, 2008

Michael's travel Journal, Day 1: Saturday (transcribed on this the following Thursday).

Mom and Dad got me up REALLY early on Saturday. It seems like the very first time that I got up AFTER Mom and Dad. To make it even weirder, they didn't even change me out of my PJs. The last time this happened, we ended up at the hospital, and it HURT. But this time, the car turned the other way, and we went someplace called the "airport". Mom and Dad seemed a bit anxious about what was going to happen to all those bags we were taking with us (there were so many), but a nice lady at the counter took them and said there was no problem. We had to walk through some funny place where they took my carseat and Daddy had to carry me, and they asked a lot of questions about my suction machine, but we had no problems. They took Grandma away for awhile to look at something with her metal knees, but they didn't take Mom away and ask her about her metal spine, so that was good.

In the airport, I finished my tube feed, then quickly threw up. On the airplane (we got to board first) I slept and refused to eat and generally acted like my good sweet self. Mom had me out of the chair for awhile, and you wouldn't believe how many people were on the plane -- more people than I think I've ever seen before. There was a nice man next to Mom who talked to me and talked to Mom about my trach tube. It was fun, but it was NOTHING compared to the airport where we landed. I've never SEEN such colors and people and signs and there were these SOUNDS. I couldn't figure out where to look first. Look at that, Dad! Look here! What's that? WOW! Mom and Nanny Tracie got our bags, then Dad and Nanny Tracie got the van and came back to pick up Mom, me and Grandma. Mom said I was HEAVY because Dad took the carseat with him and took forever to come back. But, I wore my cool sunglasses, and everyone smiled at me.

Things got a little rougher at our hotel that night. We got the formula delivered just fine, and we picked up extra diapers and stuff, and I was so tired when we went out to dinner. We tried to go to Mom and Dad's favorite mexican restaurant in the Luxor, but it closed two weeks ago. So we walked around the floor, and the COLORS -- once again, I hardly knew where to look. But I was so TIRED. I would sleep for five minutes, but then I'd wake up to look around. So, Mom and Dad and Grandma and Tracie took me to someplace called the Miracle Mile at Planet Hollywood where there was another mexican place. This place served the fastest food you'd ever want to see.

Once again, I fooled around with my food and wouldn't eat, but I had so much fun looking around. By the time we got home to the hotel, it was well after midnight, I know. Strangely enough, Mom kept saying it was only 9PM. I just know she was wrong about that. B y the time we got there, I was so wired that I refused to sleep and told Mom I was NOT going to go to slezzzzzzzzzzzzz. (5 seconds flat)

But, the night was pretty bad. I had a lot of coughing spells and my O2 monitor was going nuts (as usual), so Mom and Dad were up most of the night with nebulizers and holding me and just watching the monitor insist that my O2 levels were only 85. (But when we reset the monitor, it would say 97 for a few seconds, like magic, it just wouldn't stay that way.)

I tried to get up when my tummy said "breakfast" but it was still dark, and I was still tired. It was confusing, but Mom came over and said, "Go back to sleep; it isn't morning yet." So I did, and that was the end of my first day of vacation.

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It's Vegas, Baby!

Originally Published February 26, 2008

Greetings from Vegas! We tried to download pictures, but Michael left the camera cable in Virginia, so no luck there. Michael wants to show you his pictures of him with the Ferengi, and him with the Klingon, with him on the bridge of the Enterprise in the captain's chair, and him in the Venice canal, but not today.

Michael has adjusted well to the time difference, after only one 3AM hunger attack on our first night here. In fact, Michael is having an UNBELIEVABLE trip. I don't know if it's the dry desert air, or if it's the fact that everything is new, but he is like a whole new kid. The baby that viewed every meal as a boxing match is now chowing stage 2 baby food like it's going out of style. Instead of struggling to get in one pack on his very best day, he's now eating almost one every meal (other than breakfast, which is dramatically improved, but still lags behind the rest of the meals). We've not been pushing the bottle, because we are so thrilled with his desire to eat that we are taking all victories without question. This is day 3 of Michael demanding (and being allowed to refuse) solid food.

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