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.