We arrived at my parents sometime around 1:00 am. We visited a little while and then we all went to bed. After we woke up the next day, Saturday, we ate a great breakfast of homemade waffles with eggs and bacon. My dad is the most amazing cook and breakfast is one of his best meals. After a late breakfast we all got dressed and went to the coolest place called "The Wonder Place". I have never seen anything like this place and would love to actually own a indoor-play area like it someday.
Violet had an amazing time while we were at The Wonder Place. She went crazy over the water play zone. There were all sorts of water toys and duckies to play with. There was also an air-tube that twisted and curved all over one wall of the place. You could put scarves and soft fabric balls into an opening and watch it fly through the maze until it blew out of one of the many exits. Many squeals of delight came from watching this, and not just from the children.
The Wonder Place has several other play zones too. There is a stage area for children to dress up and put on little plays. Or, they can just dress up and play in the clothes. Also, there is an indoor tree house. The tree house has a rock wall to climb, a slide, and several things to do inside it. At the bottom of the tree house is a play house with all the kitchen basics a kid needs to make a pretend meal.
Finally, there is a food market where children can shop for groceries. Violet could be found there when she wasn't at the water zone. She loaded up basket after basket with all of the groceries she could gather. After we left The Wonder Place, we went out and got Violet some play food items that come in a small grocery basket to play with at my parent's house.
We spent the majority of the day at The Wonder Place and when it came time to leave, Violet didn't want to go. I don't blame her. That place is a genuine imagination station. There are so many things to do and you'd be hard pressed to get bored there. Children aren't the only ones who have fun there. There were many parents who were having just as a good of a time as their children were.
On Sunday we stayed home. Dad grilled steaks with corn and potatoes. Violet spent the day in the backyard either kicking a ball around or playing in a small swimming pool. After we ate our dinner, Violet was back in the pool. Another wonderful day.
Unfortunately, at the end of the day, Violet took a hard fall. She and her Daddy got their feet tangled and she fell and hit the back of her head on the tile floor. The thud-sound is not one I'll soon forget. Immediately, Violet cried, which said how serious the fall was for her ~ she rarely cries when she's hurt. Gregg scooped her up in his arms and noticed a goose-egg sized lump on the back of her head right away. We put an ice pack on her boo-boo and she lay in our arms as we cuddled her.
We got online on the Texas Children's Hospital advice site and looked up what we should do. Violet hadn't lost consciousness or gotten sick so we just watched her carefully the rest of the night. No one was able to sleep other than Violet that night. We were all too worried about her to sleep much. I kept listening for any and every sound that she made. Gregg was the same way. My parents were in their room, worrying about their precious granddaughter.
I'd like to say that everything was okay after that but that's not the case. The next morning Violet woke up and was lethargic. We figured she didn't sleep well. She took an early morning nap for a little while and woke up in better spirits. Unfortunately, she got sick shortly afterwards. I called and spoke with a nurse at the children's hospital there and she didn't hesitate in telling me to bring her in as soon as possible. We made a mad-dash in getting ready and trying to keep Violet clean whenever she'd get sick.
After having Violet's initial checkup from the intake nurse, she was taken back almost immediately. We had our own little room with a TV that had Disney shows on it. Violet clung to us and didn't want us to let her go. When the resident came in to look her over, Violet did very well. She actually let the resident look in her ears, mouth, and eyes. For those of you who do not know, this is a major accomplishment on Violet's part. Violet has had a fear of doctors and nurses since she was a tiny little thing due to getting shots every month for RSV.
The pediatrician came in shortly after the resident left the room. She got to look Violet over and then suggested she drink some Gatorade to see how well she tolerated it. If Violet got sick again after sipping the Gatorade then she wanted to do a ct-scan. Fortunately for us, Violet didn't get sick anymore. She even perked up a bit and asked for a snack! We were released a little while later with the orders to come back if Violet got sick again or showed other signs of distress.
The nurse who discharged us from the ER told us that we would be free to drive home that day since there were several hospitals between Little Rock and Houston. Still, we decided to delay our drive home since it was already late in the afternoon and because there are some huge gaps between some towns. We didn't want to get in between towns and have Violet need to return to the hospital for something.
We stayed at my parents one more night. Violet was allowed to play indoors and then sit outside and watch the birds and squirrels. No physical activities were allowed. We didn't want Violet shaking up the precious brain matter that had already had a good hit the night before! Violet's Mimi and Grandpa made the most of the last hours they had with her by getting extra hugs and kisses from their favorite granddaughter (I can say that because she's the only grandchild!).
When it was time for us to leave on Tuesday morning, Violet showed her displeasure at our plans. She wanted to stay with her Mimi and Grandpa. We said goodbye to Mimi, who was able to stay late from work in order to see us off. After a quick stop by Grandpa's bookstore to say goodbye to him, we were on the road headed home. We hit some nasty rain and made several stops in order to stretch our legs. Violet took a good long nap and slept for nearly 3 hours. Again, Violet did very well on the trip home. Gregg and I couldn't have been more proud of how well she did on both car rides and how well she did at my parent's house.
With Gregg's new job, we plan to take more little trips when we have the opportunity to do so. It's a great relief to know that Violet will do better in the car. Travel isn't always the easiest but having a child who cooperates with you in the car is a huge help. Violet and I are already looking forward to another trip to Mimi's and Grandpa's in July. Gregg has a week-long class he'll be taking then. Violet will get extra time with her grandparents and I'll get the extra help I'll be missing while Gregg's away. The only one who'll miss out is Gregg but this class is very important for his work.
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